Learn Hardcore Croatian: Pokušat ću govoriti hrvatski bez pomoći. - I will try to speak Croatian without help.

This is the short future in Croatian. When the future auxiliary ću/ćeš/će/ćemo/ćete/će immediately follows an infinitive, the final -i in the infinitive is dropped:

pokušat ću (from pokušati)
radit ću (from raditi)
vidjet ću (from vidjeti) Write them as two separate words. Writing Pokušati ću is a common learner error in Croatian.

Can I say ću pokušati instead? Any difference?

Yes. That’s the long future, and it’s equally correct: Ja ću pokušati govoriti…
Use it whenever something must come before the clitic ću, because clitics go in second position. You cannot start a sentence with ću; you need a stressed element first (e.g., Ja, Sutra, U školi, etc.).
Meaning is the same; the short form (Pokušat ću…) is just more compact.

Where exactly does ću go in the sentence?

Croatian clitics (including ću) tend to occupy the second position in the clause:

If the verb starts the sentence, you can use the short future: Pokušat ću…
If another word/phrase starts the sentence, put ću second and keep the full infinitive: Sutra ću pokušati…, Ja ću pokušati… You cannot say Sutra pokušat ću… because ću would not be in second position.

What does ću mean, exactly? How is the future formed?

ću is the clitic form of the verb htjeti (to want), used as a future auxiliary. Future I is formed with:

ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će
- infinitive (long future): Ja ću pokušati.
or the short future when the auxiliary directly follows the infinitive: Pokušat ću.

How do I negate this sentence?

Use the negative form of the auxiliary: ne + ću = neću (written together).

Neću pokušati govoriti hrvatski bez pomoći. Other persons: nećeš, neće, nećemo, nećete, neće.

Why is it govoriti hrvatski and not pričati hrvatski?

govoriti = to speak (a language) → govoriti hrvatski/engleski is standard.
pričati = to tell/narrate/chat. You normally don’t use it with language names to mean “speak a language.”

Can I say govoriti na hrvatskom instead of govoriti hrvatski?

Yes. Both are natural:

govoriti hrvatski
govoriti na hrvatskom (jeziku) The version with na + Locative is also common with verbs like pisati, razgovarati: razgovarati na hrvatskom, pisati na hrvatskom.

Why is hrvatski lowercase?

Language names are not capitalized in Croatian. So: hrvatski, engleski, njemački. You capitalize them only if they begin a sentence.

What case is pomoći in bez pomoći, and why?

It’s genitive singular of the noun pomoć (help). The preposition bez always takes the genitive:

bez pomoći (without help)
More examples: bez šećera, bez kišobrana, bez roditelja.

Is this pomoći the verb “to help”?

No. Here pomoći is the genitive singular of the noun pomoć (help). It just happens to look the same as the infinitive of the verb pomoći (to help). Context (and the preposition bez) shows it’s a noun.

Why not pomoč or pomoču/pomoću?

The noun is spelled pomoć (with ć), genitive pomoći.
pomoću is actually a separate preposition meaning “by means of/with the help of,” used with the genitive: pomoću rječnika (with the help of a dictionary). It is not the instrumental of pomoć.

Is there any aspect nuance with Pokušat ću govoriti?

Yes:

pokušati (perfective) suggests a single, bounded attempt: Pokušat ću govoriti… = I’ll make an attempt to speak…
pokušavati (imperfective) suggests repeated/ongoing trying: Pokušavat ću govoriti… = I will be trying (repeatedly). Using govoriti (imperfective) after pokušati is normal: you’re attempting the activity of speaking.

Could I use a perfective verb after pokušati, like progovoriti?

You can, but it changes the meaning. progovoriti means “to speak up / utter a word (start speaking).”

Pokušat ću progovoriti ≈ I’ll try to speak up (at least say something).
Pokušat ću govoriti ≈ I’ll try to speak (carry on speaking).

How do I pronounce ću and the special letters ć/č?

ću sounds like “chu” in English “chew,” but with the tongue flatter; it’s [tɕu].
ć is a “softer” sound ([tɕ]); č is “harder” ([tʃ], like English “ch” in “church”).
In pomoć(i) and ću you need ć, not č.
hrvatski starts with an audible h and a trilled r: roughly “HR-vat-ski.”

Can I add the subject pronoun ja?

Yes, for emphasis or clarity:

Neutral: Pokušat ću govoriti…
Emphatic: Ja ću pokušati govoriti… (I, specifically, will try…) Croatian usually drops subject pronouns unless you want emphasis.

Is there a more idiomatic way to say “without help”?

Options:

bez ičije pomoći (without anyone’s help)
sam/sama (by myself; matches your gender): Pokušat ću govoriti hrvatski sam/sama.
samostalno (independently): …govoriti hrvatski samostalno.

Can I move bez pomoći elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes, word order is flexible for focus:

Pokušat ću bez pomoći govoriti hrvatski.
Bez pomoći ću pokušati govoriti hrvatski. Keep ću in second position relative to the clause opening.

Are there synonyms for pokušati here?

Yes, probati is very common and neutral in Croatian:

Probat ću govoriti hrvatski bez pomoći. Register: pokušati is a bit more formal; probati is very frequent in speech and perfectly acceptable.

Do I need any article like “a/the” before hrvatski?

No. Croatian has no articles. govoriti hrvatski already means “to speak Croatian,” without adding “a” or “the.”

Any common mistakes to avoid with this sentence?

Don’t write Pokušati ću; use Pokušat ću (short future) or Ja ću pokušati (long future).
Don’t capitalize Hrvatski mid-sentence.
Don’t say pričati hrvatski to mean “speak Croatian”; use govoriti hrvatski or na hrvatskom.