Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be free, so we can rest in the park.

Breakdown of Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.

• biti: to be
• u: in
• sutra: tomorrow
• moći: to be able to
• popodne: in the afternoon
• park: park
• htjeti: will
• pa: so
• odmarati se: to rest
• slobodan: free

Questions & Answers about Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.

Why is it bit ću and not ću biti? Are both correct?

Both bit ću and ću biti are grammatically correct and mean the same: I will be.

• The future tense is formed with:
  • the infinitive biti (to be)
  • • the auxiliary ću (1st person singular of htjeti)

You can either:

• split off the final -i and put ću after the stem → bit ću, radit ću
• or keep the full infinitive and put ću before it → ću biti, ću raditi

In everyday speech and writing, bit ću sounds a bit more natural and is more common, but ću biti is also perfectly fine.

Why does it say slobodna and not slobodan or slobodno?

The adjective must agree with the gender, number, and case of the subject.

• slobodna = feminine singular nominative
• slobodan = masculine singular nominative
• slobodno = neuter singular nominative / adverb

So:

• A woman speaking: Bit ću slobodna.
• A man speaking: Bit ću slobodan.

The sentence assumes the speaker is female, so slobodna is used.

Can I change the word order and say Sutra popodne ću biti slobodna or Sutra ću popodne biti slobodna?

Yes, these word orders are possible:

• Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna
• Sutra popodne ću biti slobodna
• Sutra ću popodne biti slobodna
• Popodne ću sutra biti slobodna (less usual, but still grammatically correct)

All have essentially the same meaning. The differences are subtle and mainly about rhythm and emphasis. The original Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna is very natural and neutral.

What exactly does pa mean here, and how is it different from i or tako da?

In this sentence, pa is a conjunction that links two clauses and roughly means so, and so, or then.

• Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.
  → I’ll be free tomorrow afternoon, *so we can relax in the park.*

Compared to other options:

• i = and (just adds information; weaker cause-effect feeling)
• tako da = so that / so (more explicitly shows result or consequence)

pa is very common in spoken Croatian and often signals a natural next step or gentle consequence, without sounding too formal.

Why is it se možemo odmarati and not možemo se odmarati?

Both se možemo odmarati and možemo se odmarati are grammatically correct.

Croatian has clitics (short, unstressed words like se, ću, bi, mi, ti, ga) which tend to appear in a fixed “second position” in the sentence or clause. That creates preferred word orders, but multiple orders are still possible.

• Pa se možemo odmarati u parku. – very natural, se comes right after pa.
• Pa možemo se odmarati u parku. – also possible; slightly different rhythm.

In this specific sentence, pa se možemo odmarati is the most typical-sounding version.

Do I really need se with odmarati? What’s the difference between odmarati and odmarati se?

You will most often hear odmarati se when talking about resting/relaxing yourself.

• odmarati se → to rest / to relax (reflexive, focusing on the subject’s rest)

  • Možemo se odmarati u parku. – We can relax in the park.

• odmarati (without se) can be:

  • transitive: odmarati nekoga/nešto – to give rest to someone/something
    
    • Moram odmarati nogu. – I have to rest my leg.
  • in some dialects/contexts, people may use it intransitively for rest, but odmarati se is standard and safest for we rest / relax.

So in your sentence, se is natural and recommended.

Why is it u parku and not u park or na parku?

This is about case and prepositions:

1. u parku

   • u
     • locative case (parku) = in the park (location, no movement)
   • Used for being somewhere:
     
     • Odmaramo se u parku. – We are resting in the park.

2. u park

   • u
     • accusative (park) = into the park (movement towards)
   • Used with verbs of motion:
     
     • Idemo u park. – We are going to the park.

3. na parku

   • Grammatically possible but unusual; na normally goes with surfaces or specific locations (on, at): na stolu, na koncertu.
   • na igralištu (at the playground) is common, but u parku is the natural phrase.

Since we’re talking about being / relaxing in a place, u parku (locative) is correct.

What tense is možemo odmarati? Why is present tense used for a future situation?

Možemo odmarati is in the present tense (we can / are able to rest).

Croatian, like English, can use the present tense to talk about a planned or expected future when it is clearly future from context:

• Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.
  → It’s understood that this relaxing will happen tomorrow, not right now.

You could explicitly use a future form, but it’s not necessary:

• … pa se nećemo morati raditi. – we will not have to work
• but … pa se možemo odmarati sounds natural for a plan.

What case is parku, and how is it formed from park?

Parku is locative singular of park (a masculine noun).

Pattern:

• Nominative singular: park (dictionary form)
• Locative singular: u parku (in the park)

For many masculine nouns ending in a consonant, the locative singular uses the -u ending after u/na when expressing location:

• grad → u gradu (in the city)
• trg → na trgu (on/at the square)
• park → u parku (in the park)

Could I say Sutra poslijepodne instead of Sutra popodne?

Yes.

• popodne – very common, slightly more informal/colloquial
• poslijepodne – more formal or neutral; also very common

Both mean afternoon. So:

• Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna…
• Sutra poslijepodne bit ću slobodna…

are both correct and natural.

Why is there no ja for I or mi for we? Are they omitted on purpose?

Croatian is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns (ja, ti, on, mi, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

• Bit ću slobodna. – I will be free.
  
  • ću clearly marks first person singular.
• Možemo se odmarati. – We can rest.
  
  • možemo clearly marks first person plural.

You can add pronouns for emphasis or contrast:

• Ja ću sutra popodne biti slobodna. – I will be free tomorrow afternoon (not someone else).
• Mi se možemo odmarati u parku. – We can relax in the park (as opposed to others).

But they are not required.

If a man is speaking, does anything else in the sentence change besides slobodna?

Only the gendered adjective changes; the rest stays the same.

• Female speaker: Sutra popodne bit ću slobodna, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.
• Male speaker: Sutra popodne bit ću slobodan, pa se možemo odmarati u parku.

Verbs (bit ću, možemo odmarati) do not change with the gender of the speaker; only adjectives and some participles do.

Could I replace odmarati se with another verb like šutati, relaksirati se, or šetati?

You can, but the meaning changes:

• odmarati se – to rest / relax
  
  • … pa se možemo odmarati u parku. – we can relax in the park.
• relaksirati se – to relax (more international/borrowed, slightly more formal or “modern”)
  
  • … pa se možemo relaksirati u parku.
• šetati (se) – to walk (around), take a stroll
  
  • … pa možemo šetati u parku. – we can walk in the park.
• igrati se – to play (for children, games)
  
  • … pa se možemo igrati u parku.

Odmarati se is the neutral, standard way to say rest/relax in this context.