Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.

Breakdown of Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.

sutra
tomorrow
htjeti
will
na
on
fotografija
photograph
mreža
network
objaviti
to post
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Questions & Answers about Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.

What exactly does ću mean here, and how is the future tense formed in Croatian?

Ću is the first‑person singular future auxiliary, coming from the verb htjeti (to want).

In standard future tense, Croatian usually does:
[auxiliary of htjeti] + [infinitive]

So:

  • Ja ću objaviti = I will publish
  • Ti ćeš objaviti = You will publish
  • On/ona će objaviti = He/she will publish
  • Mi ćemo objaviti = We will publish
  • Vi ćete objaviti = You (plural/formal) will publish
  • Oni će objaviti = They will publish

In your sentence:

  • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.
    Literally: Tomorrow I‑will publish photo on the‑net.
    Functionally: Tomorrow I will post a photo online.

Where can ću go in the sentence? Is Sutra ću objaviti the only correct word order?

Croatian has relatively flexible word order, but ću is a clitic and obeys a “second position” rule: it normally wants to be in second place in the clause.

All of these are grammatical, with slightly different emphasis:

  • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.
    (Neutral: Tomorrow I will publish/post the photo online.)
  • Objavit ću fotografiju sutra na mreži.
    (Verb first; still neutral but slightly more focus on the action.)
  • Fotografiju ću sutra objaviti na mreži.
    (Focus on the photo.)

But these are wrong or very unnatural:

  • Sutra objaviti ću fotografiju na mreži.
  • Sutra objavit fotografiju ću na mreži.

The key rule for you:
Put one “normal” word first (like sutra), and then put the clitic ću right after it.


Can I say Objavit ću fotografiju sutra na mreži instead of Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

  • Objavit ću fotografiju sutra na mreži.

It is grammatically correct and common. The difference is mainly in emphasis and flow:

  • Sutra ću objaviti…
    Starts with the time; emphasizes when it will happen.
  • Objavit ću fotografiju sutra…
    Starts with the action; emphasizes what you’ll do, and then mentions when.

Both are perfectly fine in everyday speech. Use whichever feels more natural in context.


Why is it objaviti and not objavljivati? What’s the difference?

Croatian (like other Slavic languages) has aspect:

  • objaviti – perfective (completed, one-time action)
  • objavljivati – imperfective (ongoing, repeated, habitual action)

Your sentence describes one specific, completed event in the future (you will publish it once, and then it’s done), so you use the perfective:

  • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju.
    = Tomorrow I will (once) publish/post the photo.

Use objavljivati for repeated or ongoing actions:

  • Često objavljujem fotografije na mreži.
    = I often post photos online.
  • Sutra ću objavljivati nove vijesti cijeli dan.
    = Tomorrow I will be posting new news all day (repeatedly).

What does objaviti really mean? Is it closer to “to publish” or “to post”?

Literally, objaviti means to publish, to announce, to make public.

In modern usage, especially online, it very often corresponds to “to post”:

  • Objaviti fotografiju na mreži
    = to post a photo online
  • Objaviti status na Facebooku
    = to post a status on Facebook
  • Objaviti članak u novinama
    = to publish an article in the newspaper

So in online contexts, you can safely think of objaviti as to post.


Why is it fotografiju and not fotografija?

Fotografija is a feminine noun:

  • Nominative (dictionary form): fotografija
  • Accusative singular (direct object): fotografiju

In your sentence, the photo is the object of the verb objaviti (what will be published?), so it must be in the accusative:

  • Objaviti što?fotografiju
  • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.

If the photo were the subject, you’d use nominative:

  • Fotografija je lijepa.
    = The photo is beautiful.

What’s the difference between fotografija and slika?

Both can translate as “picture” or “image”, but there is a nuance:

  • fotografija
    – specifically a photograph (taken with a camera/phone)
    – slightly more formal or technical word
  • slika
    – general picture/image, including drawings, paintings, screenshots, icons, etc.
    – also used for photos in casual speech

For social media:

  • Very common: slika and fotka (slang):
    • Sutra ću objaviti sliku na mreži.
    • Sutra ću objaviti fotku na mreži.
  • More neutral/formal: fotografiju, as in your sentence.

All three can be understood as “photo” in everyday conversation; fotografija is just more precise and neutral.


Why is it na mreži and not na mrežu? Which case is used with na?

The preposition na can take accusative or locative, depending on meaning:

  • Accusative = movement onto something (direction)
  • Locative = being on something (location/state)

Examples:

  • Stavljam knjigu na stol. (accusative)
    = I’m putting the book onto the table.
  • Knjiga je na stolu. (locative)
    = The book is on the table.

In your sentence:

  • na mreži = on the net (online) → a state/location, not a movement onto it
    So you use locative: mreža → (na) mreži

Na mrežu would suggest motion: onto the net, which is not how this idiom works.


Is na mreži the usual way to say “online”, or would Croatians say something else?

Na mreži is correct and understandable: it literally means “on the network”.

However, in everyday speech, Croatians more often say:

  • na internetu = on the internet
  • online (pronounced like English, but adapted):
    • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju online.

So, the most natural everyday variant would probably be:

  • Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na internetu.

Your sentence with na mreži is fine, slightly more literal/neutral; na internetu is more frequent in casual conversation.


Why isn’t ja (I) written? How do we know it means “I will publish”?

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

  • Ja ću objaviti → “I will publish”
  • Normally just: Ću objaviti is not OK alone, but in a full sentence with word order, you say Sutra ću objaviti…
    and it is automatically understood as I will publish, because ću is only used for 1st person singular.

You can add ja for emphasis or contrast:

  • Ja ću sutra objaviti fotografiju, a ti ćeš je komentirati.
    = I will post the photo tomorrow, and you will comment on it.

In neutral sentences, omitting ja is more natural.


Why is the verb written as objaviti and not objavit? I’ve seen -t endings too.

The standard infinitive form in Croatian ends in -ti:

  • objaviti, pisati, raditi, čitati

In everyday speech (especially in some regions), people often drop the final -i and say:

  • objavit, pisat, radit, čitat

This shortened form is very common in spoken Croatian (and in informal writing, messages, etc.), but in standard written language you should use the full form:

  • Standard: Sutra ću objaviti fotografiju na mreži.
  • Colloquial speech: Sutra ću objavit fotku na mreži.

For learning and writing purposes, stick to -ti.