Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

I will tell you where the toilet is.

Breakdown of Reći ću vam gdje je toalet.

• biti: to be
• gdje: where
• htjeti: will
• reći: to tell
• toalet: toilet
• vam: you

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).