Kad budemo imali više vremena, ići ćemo u galeriju i poslije na kavu pokraj rijeke.

Breakdown of Kad budemo imali više vremena, ići ćemo u galeriju i poslije na kavu pokraj rijeke.

biti
to be
kava
coffee
imati
to have
ići
to go
u
to
na
for
i
and
kad
when
htjeti
will
vrijeme
time
više
more
rijeka
river
pokraj
by
poslije
afterwards
galerija
gallery
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Questions & Answers about Kad budemo imali više vremena, ići ćemo u galeriju i poslije na kavu pokraj rijeke.

Why is it Kad budemo imali and not Kad ćemo imati?

Because after kad meaning when in a future-time clause, Croatian normally uses future II rather than future I.

  • budemo imali = future II
  • ići ćemo = future I

So the structure is:

  • Kad budemo imali više vremena = When we have more time
  • ići ćemo u galeriju... = we’ll go to the gallery...

This is different from English:

  • English usually says When we have more time...
  • Croatian usually says Kad budemo imali više vremena...

So even though English uses a present form after when, Croatian uses future II here.

How is budemo imali formed?

It is the future II form of imati.

It is built from:

  • budemo = a form of biti
  • imali = the participle form of imati

Together: budemo imali = we will have / when we have

The -li ending in imali agrees with the implied subject we (mi), so it is plural.

Why is the subject mi not written anywhere?

Because Croatian often drops subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

Here:

  • budemo imali clearly means we will have
  • ići ćemo clearly means we will go

So mi is unnecessary unless you want emphasis:

  • Kad budemo imali više vremena, mi ćemo ići u galeriju...

That would sound more emphatic, like we will go.

Why is it ići ćemo instead of ćemo ići?

Because ćemo is a clitic, and clitics normally do not stand at the very beginning of a clause.

So after the comma, Croatian puts ići first and then ćemo:

  • ići ćemo

This is a normal future I pattern.

You can also say:

  • Mi ćemo ići u galeriju.
  • Onda ćemo ići u galeriju.

But by itself, starting a clause with just Ćemo ići... is not normal.

Why is it u galeriju and not u galeriji?

Because u can take different cases depending on meaning:

  • u + accusative = motion into / to
  • u + locative = location in

So:

  • ići u galeriju = to go to the gallery
  • biti u galeriji = to be in the gallery

Here there is movement, so Croatian uses the accusative:

  • galerijagaleriju
Why does Croatian say na kavu?

This is a very common expression:

  • ići na kavu = to go for coffee

It does not mean literally onto coffee. It is just how Croatian expresses this idea.

The preposition na is often used for going to events, activities, or things you go out for:

  • na kavu = for coffee
  • na ručak = for lunch
  • na koncert = to a concert

Because there is movement, na takes the accusative here:

  • kavakavu
Why is there no second verb before na kavu?

Because Croatian often omits a repeated verb when it is easy to understand from context.

The full idea is:

  • ići ćemo u galeriju i poslije ići ćemo na kavu pokraj rijeke

But repeating ići ćemo would sound unnecessary, so Croatian leaves it out:

  • ići ćemo u galeriju i poslije na kavu pokraj rijeke

In natural English, we do this too:

  • We’ll go to the gallery and afterwards for coffee by the river. Really meaning:
  • We’ll go to the gallery and afterwards go for coffee by the river.
What does poslije mean here?

Here poslije means afterwards, later, or after that.

So:

  • i poslije na kavu = and afterwards for coffee

It tells you the order of events:

  1. first the gallery
  2. then coffee

You could also see related words such as:

  • kasnije = later
  • poslije toga = after that

But poslije here is short and natural.

Why is it više vremena and not više vrijeme?

Because after words of quantity such as više (more), Croatian usually puts the noun in the genitive.

So:

  • vrijeme = time
  • više vremena = more time

This is very common:

  • puno vremena = a lot of time
  • malo vremena = little time
  • više novca = more money

So vremena is the correct form after više.

Why is it pokraj rijeke?

Because pokraj takes the genitive case.

So:

  • rijeka = river
  • pokraj rijeke = by / beside / next to the river

This phrase describes the location of the coffee outing.

Other similar expressions are:

  • kraj rijeke = by the river
  • uz rijeku = along the river / by the river

But in this sentence, pokraj rijeke specifically means beside the river or near the river.

Is kad the same as kada?

Yes, in this sentence they mean the same thing: when.

  • kad = shorter, very common, natural in speech and writing
  • kada = slightly fuller, sometimes a bit more formal or emphatic

So both are possible:

  • Kad budemo imali više vremena...
  • Kada budemo imali više vremena...

The meaning does not change here.