Breakdown of Sutra idem kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
Questions & Answers about Sutra idem kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
In Croatian, the present tense is often used to talk about the near future when there is a time word like sutra (tomorrow), večeras (this evening), sljedeći tjedan (next week), etc.
So:
- Sutra idem kupiti...
≈ Tomorrow I’m going to buy...
This is very similar to English present continuous used for the future (I’m going tomorrow).
You could also use the “real” future tense:
- Sutra ću kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
≈ Tomorrow I will buy new towels and a toothbrush.
Both are correct; sutra idem kupiti sounds like a concrete plan involving actually going somewhere, whereas sutra ću kupiti focuses more on the act of buying itself being in the future.
Croatian has aspect, a distinction English doesn’t mark with different infinitives:
- kupiti – perfective: a single, completed act of buying (to buy, to purchase once)
- kupovati – imperfective: ongoing, repeated, or habitual buying (to be buying, to keep buying, to shop for)
In your sentence you are talking about one specific, completed action tomorrow (you will go, buy them, and be done), so the perfective kupiti is natural:
- Sutra idem kupiti nove ručnike.
≈ I’m going (in order) to buy new towels (once, as a task).
If you said:
- Sutra idem kupovati ručnike.
this would sound more like you will be spending time shopping for towels (maybe comparing, browsing, or buying many over time), or that it’s some kind of repeated activity, not just a simple errand.
In Croatian, a very common structure is:
- ići (conjugated) + infinitive of another verb
This directly means to go (in order) to do something:
- Idem kupiti. – I’m going (in order) to buy.
- Idem jesti. – I’m going to eat.
- Idem spavati. – I’m going to sleep.
You don’t need a linking word like to, in order to, or that. The infinitive itself shows purpose.
There is another correct structure, idem da kupim, but it’s less neutral and can sound more regional / colloquial. The simplest, most standard form here is idem kupiti.
Croatian is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending usually makes it clear who the subject is, so the pronoun is often omitted.
- idem already clearly means I go / I am going.
Using ja:
- Ja sutra idem kupiti...
is grammatically correct, but it adds emphasis on I. For example, to contrast with someone else:
- Ja sutra idem kupiti ručnike, a ti danas opereš stare.
(I will go buy towels tomorrow, and you wash the old ones today.)
In a neutral sentence without contrast, the natural version is simply:
- Sutra idem kupiti...
This is about case and agreement.
ručnik (towel) is a masculine noun.
Its main forms are (simplified):- nominative singular: ručnik (subject form)
- accusative singular: ručnik
- nominative plural: ručnici
- accusative plural: ručnike
After a verb like kupiti (to buy), the direct object is in the accusative case.
You’re buying multiple towels → plural direct object → accusative plural:
- nove ručnike
The adjective must agree with the noun in gender, number, and case:
- nov (new) – masculine
- masculine inanimate accusative plural: nove
So:
novi ručnici = new towels as a subject (nominative plural)
e.g. Novi ručnici su skupi. – The new towels are expensive.nove ručnike = new towels as an object (accusative plural)
e.g. Kupujem nove ručnike. – I’m buying new towels.
Your sentence has them as objects, so nove ručnike is correct.
Again, this is a case issue, but now with a feminine noun.
četkica (small brush) is a feminine noun in -a. Its key forms:
- nominative singular: četkica (subject form)
- accusative singular: četkicu (direct object form)
For most feminine nouns ending in -a, accusative singular changes -a → -u.
After kupiti, the direct object must be in the accusative:
- nominative: Četkica je skupa. – The toothbrush is expensive.
- accusative: Kupujem četkicu. – I am buying a toothbrush.
So in your sentence, četkicu is the correct object form after idem kupiti.
This comes from the preposition + case rule.
The preposition za always takes the accusative case.
zub (tooth) has these relevant plural forms:
- nominative plural: zubi (subject form)
- accusative plural: zube (direct object / after za)
After za, you must use the accusative → zube:
- četkica za zube – a brush for teeth
- lijek za zube – medicine for teeth
- vodica za zube – mouthwash (literally: liquid for teeth)
So za zube is simply za + accusative plural, which is required by the preposition.
Idem kupiti literally combines two ideas:
- idem – I am going (physically moving, going somewhere)
- kupiti – to buy (once, with the result)
So the nuance is:
- Sutra idem kupiti...
≈ Tomorrow I’m going (somewhere) to buy...
(there is an actual “going” involved, like to a shop)
If you just want to say I will buy without highlighting the “going” part, you would usually say:
- Sutra ću kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
Both are natural, but:
- idem kupiti – focuses on the trip/errand to go get it
- ću kupiti – focuses on the future act of buying itself
Yes, you can. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, and both are correct:
- Sutra idem kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
- Idem sutra kupiti nove ručnike i četkicu za zube.
The differences are mostly about emphasis and rhythm:
- Sutra idem... – puts a bit more emphasis on when (tomorrow). Very common to start with a time expression.
- Idem sutra kupiti... – starts with the action I’m going, then adds when.
In everyday speech, both versions sound natural; learners can safely treat them as equivalent in meaning.
Croatian often uses a noun + prepositional phrase to express what English puts into one compound word. Here:
- četkica – small brush (diminutive of četka, brush)
- za zube – for teeth (purpose, with za
- accusative)
Together, četkica za zube is the standard way to say toothbrush.
This pattern is very common:
- pasta za zube – toothpaste
- krema za ruke – hand cream
- naočale za sunce – sunglasses (literally: glasses for the sun)
Croatian does sometimes form single-word compounds, but in this case the normal, everyday expression is the phrase četkica za zube, not a one-word equivalent.