Sutra idemo u drugi kafić.

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Breakdown of Sutra idemo u drugi kafić.

• u: to
• sutra: tomorrow
• kafić: cafe
• drugi: different

Questions & Answers about Sutra idemo u drugi kafić.

Why is idemo in the present tense if it refers to the future ("tomorrow we are going")?

In Croatian, the present tense is very commonly used to talk about planned future actions, especially when the time is clear from context or from a word like sutra (tomorrow), večeras (this evening), sljedeći tjedan (next week), etc.

So idemo literally means we go / we are going, but with sutra it is naturally understood as we are going (tomorrow).

You can also say:

• Sutra ćemo ići u drugi kafić. – We will go to another café tomorrow.

This version uses the “real” future tense (ćemo ići), but in everyday speech Sutra idemo... is slightly more informal and sounds perfectly natural.

Why is there no we in the sentence? Should it be Mi sutra idemo u drugi kafić?

Croatian usually drops subject pronouns like mi (we), ti (you), on / ona / ono (he / she / it), because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• Idem = I go / I am going
• Idemo = we go / we are going
• Idete = you (plural / formal) go

So idemo already implies we, and mi is not needed.

You can say Mi sutra idemo u drugi kafić if you want to emphasize we (as opposed to someone else), but in neutral speech, just Sutra idemo u drugi kafić is more typical.

Why is it sutra alone, with no preposition like “on tomorrow” or “at tomorrow”?

In Croatian, time words like sutra (tomorrow), danas (today), jučer (yesterday), večeras (tonight), sad(a) (now), etc. are used without prepositions when they stand alone.

So you say:

• Sutra idemo u drugi kafić. – Tomorrow we’re going to another café.
• Jučer smo bili tamo. – Yesterday we were there.

You would only use a preposition when you add something extra, for example an exact date or part of the day:

• U ponedjeljak idemo u kafić. – On Monday we’re going to a café.
• Ujutro idemo u kafić. – In the morning we’re going to a café.

Can sutra go somewhere else in the sentence, like at the end?

Yes. Croatian word order is relatively flexible, especially with time adverbs like sutra. All of these are possible:

• Sutra idemo u drugi kafić. – neutral; “tomorrow” is given first, like setting the scene.
• Idemo sutra u drugi kafić. – still neutral in meaning.
• Idemo u drugi kafić sutra. – also possible; often used if you’re contrasting with another day (e.g. not today, tomorrow).

The main difference is emphasis and flow, not grammar. Putting sutra first is very common and natural.

Why is it u drugi kafić, not u drugom kafiću?

The preposition u can be followed by either the accusative or the locative case, and the choice depends on the meaning:

• u + accusative = movement into / to a place
• u + locative = being in / at a place (no movement)

In your sentence, there is movement to another café, so we use accusative:

• Idemo u drugi kafić. – We are going to another café. (accusative)

If you were describing just being inside the café, you’d use locative:

• Sjedimo u drugom kafiću. – We’re sitting in another café. (locative)

So:

• drugi kafić – accusative (same form as nominative for inanimate masculine)
• drugom kafiću – locative

Why is it kafić and not something like kafiću at the end?

Kafić is a masculine noun, and in the accusative singular, inanimate masculine nouns look the same as in the nominative:

• Nominative: kafić – a café (subject)
• Accusative (inanimate): kafić – a café (object, or after some prepositions)

Because u here expresses movement to a place, it requires the accusative:

• u kafić, u drugi kafić

Kafiću is the locative or dative form, not used for movement with u:

• u kafiću – in the café (locative)
• Dajem ključeve kafiću. – I’m giving the keys to the café. (dative, a bit artificial, but grammatically correct)

So u drugi kafić is correct for to another café.

What exactly does drugi mean here: “second” or “another / different”?

Drugi can mean both:

1. Second (ordinal number)

   • drugi kat – the second floor
   • druga stranica – the second page

2. Another / different

   • Idemo u drugi kafić. – We’re going to another / a different café.
     (not the one we have in mind now)

In your sentence, drugi kafić is usually understood as another / a different café.
If you specifically meant the second café in some sequence, that would have to be clear from context (e.g. first we go to one café, then to the second one).

You can also say:

• Idemo u neki drugi kafić. – We’re going to some other café. (stronger “different” feeling)
• Idemo u još jedan kafić. – We’re going to one more café. (emphasis on “one more”, not “different”)

Why is the adjective drugi before the noun kafić? Can it go after it?

In Croatian, adjectives normally come before nouns:

• drugi kafić – another café
• mali kafić – a small café
• lijep grad – a beautiful city

Putting an adjective after the noun is rare and usually marked, poetic, or used for special emphasis. So kafić drugi would sound odd or poetic in normal conversation.

So the usual, correct order is:

• u drugi kafić, u mali kafić, u novi kafić, etc.

Why is there no article like “a” or “the” in drugi kafić?

Croatian has no articles like English a / an / the.
The meanings that English expresses with articles are handled by:

• Word order / context
• Adjectives (like ovaj – this, taj – that, neki – some)
• Demonstratives and other determiners

In your sentence, drugi kafić can mean several things in English depending on context:

• another café
• a different café
• the other café

If you want to be more specific, you can add words:

• taj drugi kafić – that other café
• neki drugi kafić – some other café

Is Sutra ćemo ići u drugi kafić also correct, and what’s the difference from Sutra idemo u drugi kafić?

Yes, Sutra ćemo ići u drugi kafić is completely correct.

Differences:

• Sutra idemo u drugi kafić.

  • Uses the present tense with future meaning.
  • Very common in everyday speech for planned or arranged future.
  • Feels a bit more immediate / definite.

• Sutra ćemo ići u drugi kafić.

  • Uses the simple future (ćemo ići).
  • Slightly more neutral or formal, or used when talking about the future in a more general way.

In most everyday situations, they are interchangeable; native speakers choose the present form a lot in casual talk.

Could I say na drugi kafić instead of u drugi kafić?

No, not with kafić in this meaning.

• u kafić = to (the) café, into the café (entering the place)
• na is used with surfaces, events, and some idiomatic expressions:
  • na stol – onto the table
  • na koncert – to the concert
  • na kavu – for a coffee

So:

• Idemo u drugi kafić. – We’re going to another café (the place).
• Idemo na kavu. – We’re going for a coffee (the drink / occasion), not specifying which place.

Na drugi kafić would be understood as physically onto the café (like onto the roof) and sounds wrong in normal speech.

How do you pronounce kafić, especially the last letter ć?

Pronunciation tips:

• kafić is roughly kah-FEECH, but the ć sound is softer than the English ch in church.
• ć is a soft, palatal sound, produced with the tongue closer to the palate.
• It’s shorter and “sharper” than č, which is harder and more like the English ch.

Whole sentence:

• Sutra idemo u drugi kafić.

Approximate pronunciation:

• SOO-trah EE-deh-moh oo DROO-ghee kah-FEEĆ
  (final ć is soft; don’t add a vowel after it)

How would the sentence change if we were going to “other cafés” (plural) instead of just one?

You would put both the adjective and the noun in the accusative plural:

• Sutra idemo u druge kafiće. – Tomorrow we’re going to other cafés.

Breakdown:

• drugi (masc. sg. nom.) → druge (masc. pl. acc.)
• kafić (masc. sg. nom.) → kafiće (masc. pl. acc.)

The rest of the sentence stays the same:

• Sutra idemo u druge kafiće.