Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

We will arrive on time.

Breakdown of Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

• htjeti: will
• na: on
• vrijeme: time
• stići: to manage

Questions & Answers about Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

In Stići ćemo na vrijeme., what does each word literally mean?

Word by word:

• stići – to arrive, to reach (infinitive, perfective aspect)
• ćemo – we will (1st person plural of the auxiliary verb htjeti – to want, used to form the future)
• na – on / at (preposition)
• vrijeme – time (neuter noun, here in the accusative; same form as nominative)

So the literal structure is: Arrive we‑will on time.

If there is no word for we, how do we know the subject is we?

Croatian verb forms indicate person and number, so subject pronouns are usually dropped.

• ćemo is the 1st person plural future auxiliary: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će = I/you/he‑she‑it/we/you/they will.
• Because ćemo can only mean we will, the subject mi (we) is understood and does not need to be said.

You can say Mi ćemo stići na vrijeme., but it usually adds emphasis on we (as opposed to someone else).

What tense is this, and how is the future formed in Croatian?

This is Future I (the basic future tense).

It is formed with:

• the infinitive of the main verb (stići) +
• a clitic form of htjeti (to want) as auxiliary (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će).

Examples with stići:

• Stići ću na vrijeme. – I will arrive on time.
• Stići ćeš na vrijeme. – You will arrive on time.
• Stići će na vrijeme. – He/She/It will arrive on time.
• Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – We will arrive on time.
• Stići ćete na vrijeme. – You (plural/formal) will arrive on time.
• Stići će na vrijeme. – They will arrive on time.

In writing, Croatians often drop the final -i of the infinitive when the auxiliary directly follows (e.g. radit ćemo from raditi), but stići ćemo as given is fully correct and clear.

Why is the word order Stići ćemo, and can it be changed?

Croatian likes to put short, unstressed words (clitics) like ću, ćeš, ćemo in the second position of the clause.

In Stići ćemo na vrijeme.:

• Stići is the first stressed word.
• ćemo (a clitic) naturally comes second.

You can change the order in several ways, all grammatical but with slightly different emphasis:

• Mi ćemo stići na vrijeme. – Emphasis on we.
• Na vrijeme ćemo stići. – Emphasis on on time.
• Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – Neutral: simple statement that the arrival (as a completed event) will happen on time.

You would not usually say Ćemo stići na vrijeme. at the beginning of a sentence; putting ćemo first sounds wrong in standard Croatian.

What is the difference between stići and doći?

Both can translate as to arrive, but they are not identical:

• stići – literally to reach, to make it (somewhere / in time). It often focuses on:

  • completing a journey,
  • managing to arrive by a certain time,
  • the success of reaching something.
  • Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – We’ll make it on time.

• doći – literally to come. It focuses more on the motion toward the speaker or place, less on the idea of deadline or success.

  • Doći ćemo u sedam. – We’ll come at seven.

Sometimes both are possible, but stići naturally combines with time expressions like na vrijeme, na vrijeme kući, do kraja dana (by the end of the day), etc., where the idea is to manage to arrive (by then).

What is the difference between stići and stizati?

This is an aspect difference (perfective vs. imperfective):

• stići – perfective: focuses on the completed arrival.

  • Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – We will arrive (and the arrival will be completed) on time.

• stizati – imperfective: focuses on ongoing, repeated, or habitual action.

  • Stizat ćemo na vrijeme. – We will (generally / regularly) be arriving on time.
  • Često stižemo kasno. – We often arrive late.

For a single, one‑off future arrival, stići is the natural choice.

What exactly does na vrijeme mean, and why is na used here?

Na vrijeme is an idiomatic phrase meaning on time.

• na is a preposition often translated as on / onto / at.
• vrijeme (time) is here in the accusative singular (same form as nominative for this noun).

Literally, na vrijeme could be read as onto time / to time, but it’s best learned as a fixed expression = on time, in time.

Other common uses:

• doći na vrijeme – to come on time
• biti na vrijeme – to be on time
• stigni na vrijeme – arrive on time (imperative, singular)

Can I say Stići ćemo vrijeme without na?

No. Stići vrijeme by itself is not idiomatic and sounds wrong in standard Croatian.

To express on time, you need the preposition:

• Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

Without na, you would need a different structure entirely, e.g.:

• Stići ćemo prije početka. – We will arrive before the start.
• Stići ćemo točno u pet. – We will arrive exactly at five.

So for on time, remember the fixed expression na vrijeme.

Is there any difference between Stići ćemo na vrijeme. and Na vrijeme ćemo stići.?

Both mean We will arrive on time, but the emphasis shifts:

• Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – Neutral, focus slightly on the fact of arriving.
• Na vrijeme ćemo stići. – Puts na vrijeme first, so it sounds more like:
  • We will (indeed) be on time / We will manage to be on time.

In everyday speech both are common; the difference is subtle and mostly about what you want to highlight.

How do you make this sentence negative?

To negate the future, you use ne + ću/ćeš/…, which fuses into neću, nećeš, neće, nećemo, nećete, neće.

So:

• Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – We will arrive on time.
• Nećemo stići na vrijeme. – We will not arrive on time.

Note:

• You don’t say ne ćemo; the correct fused form is nećemo.
• The infinitive stići stays the same.

How do you pronounce Stići ćemo na vrijeme., especially ć?

Approximate pronunciation (Croatian has very regular spelling):

• Stići – STEE‑tchy

  • s as in see
  • ti here blends towards tɕ before ć, but you can think stitchy with a softer ch.
  • ć is a soft ch, similar to the t in British tune or Tuesday when pronounced carefully: [t͡ɕ]

• ćemo – CHE‑mo

  • će = che (with a soft, not strongly explosive ch)
• na – nah (short)
• vrijeme – roughly VRYE‑meh
  • vri‑ like vr
    • ye
  • je pronounced like ye in yes
  • me like meh

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• STEE‑tchy CHE‑mo nah VRYE‑meh

Main thing to remember: ć is softer than č. English doesn’t have this contrast, but aiming for a light ch is usually understandable.

Which case is vrijeme in, and does it change form here?

Vrijeme is a neuter noun.

• Nominative singular: vrijeme
• Accusative singular: vrijeme

After na with this meaning (goal/result: on time), you use the accusative case. For this noun, the nominative and accusative forms look the same, so vrijeme doesn’t visibly change.

So in na vrijeme, vrijeme is accusative singular even though it looks like nominative.

How would this sentence look with other subjects (I, you, they, polite you)?

Using the same structure [subject] + stići + future auxiliary, you get:

• Stići ću na vrijeme. – I will arrive on time.
• Stići ćeš na vrijeme. – You (singular informal) will arrive on time.
• Stići će na vrijeme. – He/She/It will arrive on time.
• Stići ćemo na vrijeme. – We will arrive on time.
• Stići ćete na vrijeme. – You (plural or polite singular) will arrive on time.
• Stići će na vrijeme. – They will arrive on time.

Note that ćete is used both for you plural and polite you when addressing one person formally. Context tells you which is intended.