Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

will (future auxiliary)

Breakdown of Stići ćemo na vrijeme.

• 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?