Poslije ćemo gledati film.

We will watch a movie later.

Breakdown of Poslije ćemo gledati film.

• gledati: to watch
• film: movie
• htjeti: will
• poslije: later

Questions & Answers about Poslije ćemo gledati film.

What tense is ćemo gledati?

It is the future tense in Croatian, usually called futur I.

In this sentence, the future is made with:

• the auxiliary ćemo = we will
• the infinitive gledati = to watch

So the pattern is:

• ćemo gledati = we will watch

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Why is it ćemo gledati and not a single conjugated verb form?

Because Croatian often forms the future with:

• a form of htjeti (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će)
• plus the infinitive of the main verb

So instead of conjugating gledati by itself for the future, Croatian uses:

• ja ću gledati
• mi ćemo gledati

This is different from English, where will watch is also two words, so the idea is actually fairly similar.

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Why is gledati in the infinitive, not something like gledamo?

Because after the future auxiliary ću / ćeš / će / ćemo / ćete / će, the main verb normally stays in the infinitive.

So:

• gledamo = we watch / we are watching
• ćemo gledati = we will watch

That is why gledati does not change here.

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Why is ćemo in second position in the sentence?

Because ćemo is a clitic in Croatian. Clitics usually go in the second position of the sentence or clause.

In Poslije ćemo gledati film, the first element is Poslije, so the clitic ćemo comes right after it.

That is very natural Croatian word order.

Compare:

• Poslije ćemo gledati film.
• Film ćemo gledati poslije.

Both are possible, but ćemo still tends to appear near the beginning, after the first stressed element.

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Could I also say Gledat ćemo film poslije?

Yes. That is also correct.

When the infinitive comes before the future clitic, Croatian often uses the shortened form:

• gledat ćemo

instead of:

• gledati ćemo
  This is generally avoided in standard Croatian.

So these are both natural ideas:

• Poslije ćemo gledati film.
• Gledat ćemo film poslije.

The meaning is basically the same, but the emphasis changes a little depending on word order.

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What exactly is poslije here?

Poslije means later, afterwards, or after that, depending on context.

In this sentence it works like an adverb of time.

Common related words:

• poslije = later / afterwards
• kasnije = later
• nakon toga = after that

In everyday Croatian, poslije is very common.

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Is poslije the same as posle?

They are very close, but poslije is the standard Croatian form.

• poslije = standard Croatian
• posle = common in Serbian and in some regional speech

So if you are learning standard Croatian, poslije is the form to use.

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Why is it film and not some different ending?

Because film is the direct object of gledati, so it is in the accusative case.

However, for many inanimate masculine nouns in Croatian, the accusative looks exactly the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: film
• accusative: film

That is why the form does not change here.

Compare with an animate masculine noun, where the accusative usually does change:

• vidim čovjeka = I see the man

But:

• gledam film = I’m watching a film

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Why is there no word for the or a before film?

Because Croatian has no articles.

English distinguishes:

• a film
• the film

Croatian usually just says:

• film

The exact meaning depends on context.

So film could mean:

• a film
• the film
• sometimes even just movie/film in a general sense

You learn which one is meant from the situation, not from an article.

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Could this sentence use pogledati instead of gledati?

Yes, and the difference is about aspect.

• gledati is imperfective
• pogledati is perfective

With gledati film, the focus is simply on the activity of watching. With pogledati film, the focus is more on watching it through to completion.

So:

• Poslije ćemo gledati film. = We’ll be watching a film later / We’ll watch a film later.
• Poslije ćemo pogledati film. = We’ll watch a film later, with more of a complete event feeling.

In many contexts both are possible, but Croatian speakers choose aspect carefully depending on what they want to emphasize.

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How do you pronounce ćemo?

It is pronounced approximately like CHYEH-mo, but the ć sound is softer than English ch.

A rough guide:

• će sounds somewhat like chye
• mo sounds like mo

The letter ć is one of the sounds English speakers often need to practice. It is softer than č.

So:

• ćemo has a soft ć
• not a hard English-style ch

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Is the word order flexible here?

Yes, Croatian word order is more flexible than English, but it is not random.

You can move parts around for emphasis, as long as clitics like ćemo are placed correctly.

Possible versions include:

• Poslije ćemo gledati film.
• Film ćemo gledati poslije.
• Poslije film ćemo gledati.
  This is possible in a special context, but less neutral.

The most neutral version here is:

• Poslije ćemo gledati film.

It naturally puts the time expression first: Later, we’ll watch a film.