On će pokušati govoriti polako.

He will try to speak slowly.

Breakdown of On će pokušati govoriti polako.

• on: he
• htjeti: will
• govoriti: to speak
• polako: slowly
• pokušati: to try

Questions & Answers about On će pokušati govoriti polako.

What is će, exactly, and how does it form the future?

• će is the clitic (unstressed) 3rd‑person singular form of htjeti (to want), used as the auxiliary for Future I in Croatian.
• Future I is formed with this auxiliary + an infinitive: on će pokušati = he will try.
• Full set of forms: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će.

Why is će after On and not at the start?

• će is a clitic and must appear in the second position in its clause (the “second‑position” or Wackernagel rule).
• In your sentence, On is first, so će comes right after it: On će pokušati….
• Clitics cannot start a sentence on their own.

Can I drop the subject pronoun On?

• Yes. Croatian is pro‑drop: the subject is often omitted when clear from context.
• But since će can’t go first, you typically move the infinitive in front of it: Pokušat će govoriti polako.
• Do not say: Će pokušati… (ungrammatical).

If I move the auxiliary after the infinitive, how do I spell it?

• When the auxiliary follows an infinitive, Croatian drops the final -i of that infinitive:
  • Correct: Pokušat će govoriti polako.
  • Incorrect: ❌ Pokušati će govoriti polako.
• The same rule applies to other verbs: Govorit će, Radit će, etc.

Which verb is actually in the future here?

• The auxiliary će makes the first verb (pokušati) future: “will try.”
• The second verb (govoriti) is an infinitive complement of pokušati; it is not independently in the future.

Why are there two infinitives (pokušati, govoriti)?

• Verbs like pokušati (to try), moći (to be able), morati (to have to), htjeti (to want), željeti (to want), znati (to know how) take another verb in the infinitive:
  • On će pokušati govoriti…
  • On mora govoriti…
  • On želi govoriti…

Is pokušati perfective? What about pokušavati?

• pokušati is perfective: a single, bounded attempt. Your sentence implies one (or a specific) attempt.
• pokušavati is imperfective: repeated/ongoing trying. Future with it suggests ongoing effort:
  • On će pokušavati govoriti polako. = He will keep trying to speak slowly.

Could I use probati instead of pokušati?

• Yes: On će probati govoriti polako.
• Nuance/usage:
  • pokušati = “attempt” (often a bit more formal/neutral).
  • probati = “try” and also “to taste” (colloquial, very common in speech).
• Both are acceptable in modern Croatian with a verb complement.

Why not say pokušati da govori?

• In standard Croatian, after pokušati you use the infinitive: pokušati govoriti.
• The da + present construction (pokušati da govori) is characteristic of Serbian (and some regional styles). It’s not standard Croatian.

What’s the difference between govoriti, pričati, and reći/kazati?

• govoriti = to speak/talk (general; also about languages: govoriti engleski).
• pričati = to tell/talk (often storytelling or chatting).
• reći/kazati = to say/tell a specific piece of information.
• Your sentence needs govoriti because it’s about the manner of speaking.

Does polako mean exactly “slowly”? How about sporo or sporije?

• polako = slowly, gently, at an unhurried pace; very common and idiomatic. Also used as an interjection: Polako! = Take it easy!
• sporo = slowly (focus on speed; can sound more technical/literal).
• sporije = more slowly.
• All can work with govoriti:
  • govoriti polako (very natural),
  • govoriti sporo (OK, more literal),
  • govoriti sporije (comparative: speak more slowly).

Where can I place polako in the sentence?

• Flexible, with slight changes in emphasis:
  • On će pokušati govoriti polako. (neutral; modifies the speaking)
  • On će pokušati polako govoriti. (slight emphasis on the manner during speaking)
  • Polako će pokušati govoriti. (focuses on doing the trying in a slow/gradual way; rarer meaning)
• Usually, keep it next to the verb it modifies.

How do I make this negative?

• Negate the auxiliary: ne + će = neće (written together).
  • On neće pokušati govoriti polako. = He won’t try to speak slowly.
• Don’t put ne in front of the infinitive here (❌ On će ne pokušati…).

How do I add object pronouns (e.g., “speak to me slowly”)?

• Clitic pronouns also go to the second position:
  • On će mi pokušati govoriti polako. = He will try to speak to me slowly.
  • Without the subject: Pokušat će mi govoriti polako.
• Typical order (simplified): [first stressed word] + [clitics like će, mi, se] + the rest.

Can I rephrase this as a simple future without “try”?

• Yes, but it changes the meaning:
  • On će govoriti polako. = He will speak slowly.
  • On će pokušati govoriti polako. = He will try to speak slowly (he may or may not fully succeed).

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

• ć in će and pokušati is a soft “t-ch” sound [tɕ] (softer than č).
• š in pokušati is like English “sh.”
• r is tapped/trilled.
• All vowels are clear and short here; stress typically falls earlier in the word than in English expectations (Croatian has predictable, non-reduced vowels).

How does the sentence change for other persons/genders?

• Only the subject pronoun changes; će stays the same for 3rd person, and infinitives don’t mark gender:
  • Ona će pokušati govoriti polako. (she)
  • Oni će pokušati govoriti polako. (they)
• For 1st/2nd person, change the auxiliary:
  • Ja ću pokušati…, Ti ćeš pokušati…, Mi ćemo pokušati…, Vi ćete pokušati….