Uštedećemo novac.

Breakdown of Uštedećemo novac.

novac
money
uštedeti
to save money

Questions & Answers about Uštedećemo novac.

Why is there no separate word for we in this sentence?

Because Serbian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

In uštedećemo, the ending shows 1st person plural, so the meaning we is already built in.
You could add mi for emphasis, but it is not necessary:

  • Uštedećemo novac. = We will save money.
  • Mi ćemo uštedeti novac. = We will save money. (more emphasis on we)
Why is uštedećemo written as one word?

This is a normal way of forming the Serbian future tense.

The verb is uštedeti and the future auxiliary is ćemo. When the auxiliary comes after the infinitive, Serbian often writes them together as one word:

  • uštedećemo
  • compare: ćemo uštedeti in a different word order

So uštedećemo is basically:

  • uštede-
    • ćemo

This is very common in Serbian.

Why is it uštedećemo, not uštedićemo?

Because this future form is built from the infinitive stem, not from the present-tense stem.

The infinitive is uštedeti.
For the fused future form, you remove -ti and add the future auxiliary:

  • uštedeti → uštede-
    • ćemo = uštedećemo

Even though some other forms of the verb use uštedi-:

  • uštedim
  • uštediš
  • uštedi

the future written as one word still follows the infinitive pattern: uštedećemo.

What tense and person is uštedećemo?

It is future tense, 1st person plural.

So grammatically it means:

  • future
  • we

The auxiliary part -ćemo corresponds to we will.

Why is novac in that form?

Because novac is the direct object of the verb, so it is in the accusative case.

However, for many inanimate masculine nouns in Serbian, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular.

So:

  • nominative: novac
  • accusative: novac

That is why the word does not visibly change here.

What is the difference between uštedećemo and štedećemo?

This is mainly a question of aspect.

  • uštedeti is perfective
  • štedeti is imperfective

So:

  • uštedećemo novac suggests we will succeed in saving some money / we will end up with savings
  • štedećemo novac suggests we will be saving money / we will economize

In other words, uštedećemo focuses more on the result, while štedećemo focuses more on the process or activity.

Can the word order change?

Yes, Serbian word order is fairly flexible, but not every order sounds equally natural.

Possible versions include:

  • Uštedećemo novac.
  • Novac ćemo uštedeti.
  • Mi ćemo uštedeti novac.

A useful thing to remember is that ćemo is a clitic when written separately, and clitics usually do not stand at the very beginning of the sentence by themselves. So:

  • Ćemo uštedeti novac. — not normal standard word order
Why is there no word for the or some before novac?

Because Serbian has no articles like English a/an and the.

So novac can mean:

  • money
  • the money
  • sometimes some money

The exact meaning depends on context.

How do you pronounce Uštedećemo novac?

A rough English-friendly guide is:

oo-shteh-DEH-cheh-mo NO-vats

A few important letters:

  • š = sh as in ship
  • ć = a soft sound somewhat like a very мягкий ch/t sound; English has no exact match
  • c = ts as in cats

So novac sounds roughly like NO-vats.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
“What's the best way to learn Serbian grammar?”
Serbian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Serbian

Master Serbian — from Uštedećemo novac to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions