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Questions & Answers about Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.
What does the word ću mean, and why does it come after Reći?
- ću is the future-tense auxiliary (from the verb htjeti, to want), equivalent to English “will.”
- It’s a clitic and normally sits in “second position” in its clause. Here, Reći is the first stressed word, so the clitic ću follows it: Reći ću…
Is Reći ću vam the only correct word order for the future?
- You can also say: Ja ću vam reći gdje je toalet. (placing a subject first)
- If you want to emphasize the indirect object, use the stressed form: Vama ću reći gdje je toalet.
- Don’t start a sentence with the clitic: avoid Vam ću reći…; use Vama ću… instead. And don’t split the cluster as Reći vam ću—keep ću before vam inside the clitic cluster.
What is vam exactly?
- vam is the unstressed dative plural/polite singular pronoun, “to you.”
- Use vam for addressing multiple people or a single person politely. For one person informally, use ti: Reći ću ti…
- The stressed (independent) form is vama (used for emphasis or when it can stand alone).
Why is the clitic order ću vam and not vam ću?
- Inside a clitic cluster, the future auxiliary (ću/ćeš/će…) comes before short dative pronouns (mi, ti, mu, joj, nam, vam, im).
- Hence: Reći ću vam…, Ja ću ti reći…, On će mi reći…
Do I drop the infinitive ending before ću? Why is it Reći ću, not something like Reć ću?
- With verbs ending in -ti, you usually drop the final -i before the future clitic: raditi → radit ću, pisati → pisat ću, vidjeti → vidjet ću.
- Verbs ending in -ći keep their form: ići → ići ću, reći → reći ću, moći → moći ću.
- So Reći ću is correct; forms like Reć ću are not standard.
Why is there no comma before gdje?
- In Croatian, an object clause introduced by words like gdje typically doesn’t take a comma after a short main clause: Reći ću vam gdje…
- If the subordinate clause comes first, you do separate with a comma: Gdje je toalet, reći ću vam.
Why is it gdje je toalet and not gdje toalet je?
- je (is) is also a clitic and prefers second position within its clause. In the embedded clause, gdje is the first stressed element, so je follows it: gdje je toalet.
- gdje toalet je sounds ungrammatical.
What’s the difference between gdje, kamo, and kuda?
- gdje = where (location, static): gdje je toalet = “where the toilet is.”
- kamo = to where (destination): Kamo ideš? = “Where are you going (to)?”
- kuda = which way/along which route (path): Kuda si prošao?
Is toalet the most common word? What about WC or kupaonica?
- In public places in Croatia, WC (pronounced “ve-ce”) is extremely common on signs. Toalet is also understood and polite.
- kupaonica means “bathroom” (a room with a bath/shower at home) and is not the usual word when asking for a public restroom.
- You may also hear regional/older zahod. Safest everyday choice: WC or toalet.
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
- Reći: “RE-chi” with a soft “ch” (the letter ć is a softer sound than č).
- ću: “chu” with the same soft ć sound.
- gdje: roughly “gd-ye” in one breath; the “dje” part is like “dy-eh.”
- toalet: “to-a-LET,” commonly stressed on the last syllable.
What’s the difference between reći, kazati, and govoriti?
- reći and kazati both mean “to say/tell” (single, completed act); they’re near-synonyms. You can say Reći ću vam… or Kaza(t) ću vam…
- govoriti means “to speak, to talk” (ongoing/habitual). Govorit ću vam gdje je toalet is odd here because you’re not “speaking” continuously; you’re telling once.
Can I capitalize Vam?
- In very formal writing (letters, emails), you may capitalize polite forms (Vi, Vam, Vaš) as a sign of respect.
- In normal text, vam is lowercase.
How does negation work with the future here?
- ne + ću contracts to neću: Neću vam reći gdje je toalet. = “I won’t tell you where the toilet is.”
- Other persons: nećeš, neće, nećemo, nećete, neće.
What is je here?
- je is the 3rd person singular present of biti (“to be”), meaning “is.” It’s a clitic and therefore appears in second position in its clause: gdje je toalet.
Would this look different in Serbian?
- The main difference is gdje → gde: Reći ću vam gde je toalet.
- You will also hear the colloquial Serbian pattern (Ja) ću da kažem…, whereas standard Croatian uses the infinitive: Reći ću…
Is this an embedded question? How would the direct question look?
- Yes, gdje je toalet is an embedded (indirect) question functioning as the object of Reći ću vam.
- Direct question: Gdje je toalet? (same word order inside the clause).