Learn Hardcore Croatian: Kad budu spremne, djevojke će donijeti ulaznice. - When they are ready, the girls will bring the tickets.

In Croatian, future-time clauses introduced by words like kad (when), ako (if), čim (as soon as), and dok (while) commonly use Futur II to refer to a future condition that must be met before the main action. Hence Kad budu spremne. Using su would be present tense; you’ll hear it colloquially, but in careful/standard usage with a future main clause, prefer budu. For habitual statements, use the present: Kad su spremne, djevojke donose ulaznice.

What tense is budu here, and how is it formed?

It’s Futur II (future perfect-like), used mainly in subordinate time/condition clauses. Formation: present of biti in the budem, budeš, bude, budemo, budete, budu series + the L-participle of the main verb. With adjectives and biti, the participle bio/bila/bilo/bili/bile is often omitted, so Kad budu spremne is a shortened form of Kad budu bile spremne.

Where does će go, and why do I see donijet će?

će is an enclitic and prefers the second position in its clause.
Two very common patterns here:
- Djevojke će donijeti ulaznice.
- Donijet će ulaznice djevojke.
When će follows the infinitive, the infinitive usually drops final -i: donijet će. When će precedes, you keep -i: će donijeti.
Avoid placing će later than second position in its clause, e.g. don’t write: Djevojke donijet će ulaznice in careful standard usage.

Why use donijeti and not donositi?

Aspect. Donijeti is perfective and presents a single, completed act in the future (they will bring them once). Donositi is imperfective and suggests repeated or ongoing action (they will be bringing them regularly).

Are kad and kada interchangeable?

Yes. Kad is more common in everyday speech; kada can sound a bit more formal or careful. Both are correct here.

What does spremne agree with?

It agrees with the implied plural feminine subject (the girls): spremne is feminine plural. With a male or mixed group you’d use spremni; with a single girl, spremna.

What case is ulaznice, and why does it look like nominative?

It’s accusative plural (direct object of donijeti). For many feminine -a nouns, nominative plural and accusative plural have the same form ending in -e (here: ulaznice).

Can I drop the subject in the main clause?

Yes. Croatian commonly drops understood subjects: Kad budu spremne, donijet će ulaznice. If context is clear, this is natural. If not, keep djevojke (or add one to emphasize the feminine plural: One će donijeti…).

How should I punctuate this?

Subordinate clause first: comma after it: Kad budu spremne, djevojke će donijeti ulaznice.
Main clause first: usually no comma: Djevojke će donijeti ulaznice kad budu spremne.

Could I use čim instead of kad, and what changes?

Yes: Čim budu spremne, djevojke će donijeti ulaznice. Čim means as soon as, so it emphasizes immediacy once the condition is met.

Is Kad su spremne, djevojke će donijeti ulaznice wrong?

It’s common in speech, but in careful standard writing with a future main clause, use Futur II in the kad-clause: Kad budu spremne… Use the present in kad-clauses for habitual or general truths instead: Kad su spremne, djevojke obično donose ulaznice.

Why do some people say Kad budu bile spremne?

That’s the fully explicit Futur II (with bile, the L-participle of biti). In everyday usage, speakers usually drop bile and say simply Kad budu spremne.

What’s the difference between ulaznice and karte?

Ulaznica is specifically an admission/entry ticket (to a concert, museum, game). Karta is broader: ticket (also for transport) and also means map. In casual speech, people often say karte for event tickets too; ulaznice is more precise for entry.

Why donijeti (with ij) and not doneti or donjeti?

Standard Croatian uses the ijekavian reflex, so the correct form is donijeti. Doneti is ekavian (Serbian). Donjeti is a common misspelling and is not standard.