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Learn Hardcore Croatian: Reći ću vam gdje je toalet. - I will tell you where the toilet is.

Hardcore Croatian
/Lesson 12
/Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

I will tell you where the toilet is.

Breakdown of Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

will (future auxiliary)

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 ?

you (plural or formal, dative short form)

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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).

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