Radije ću uštedeti novac.

Radije means rather / preferably / would rather.

In this sentence, it shows a preference:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac. = I’d rather save money.

It often corresponds to English would rather or prefer to, depending on context.

Ću is the 1st person singular future auxiliary, meaning I will.

So:

• ću = I will

In Serbian, the future tense is often formed with:

• ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će
  • infinitive

So:

• uštedeti = to save
• ću uštedeti = I will save

With radije, the full sense becomes:

• I would rather save money literally something like
• Rather I will save money

Serbian word order is fairly flexible, and moving radije to the front gives it emphasis.

Compare:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac. = I’d rather save money.
  
  • emphasis on the preference
• Ja ću radije uštedeti novac.
  
  • also possible, but ja adds emphasis to I
• Ja ću uštedeti novac radije.
  
  • much less natural in most contexts

Putting radije first is very natural when you want to highlight the idea of preference.

This is because ću is a clitic.

In Serbian, clitics usually go in the second position in the sentence or clause. They cannot normally stand freely wherever you want.

So in:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac.

the first element is Radije, and the clitic ću comes right after it.

This second-position behavior is very common with:

• short forms of to be
• future auxiliary forms like ću
• object clitics like ga, je, mi, ti, etc.

Because after ću, Serbian commonly uses the infinitive to form the future tense.

Structure:

• ću + infinitive

So:

• ću uštedeti = I will save

This is one normal way to make the future.

You may also hear another structure in many varieties of Serbian:

• ću da uštedim

So both can be possible depending on style and region:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac.
• Radije ću da uštedim novac.

Both mean essentially the same thing.

Both are related, but they are not exactly the same in aspect.

• štedeti = to save / be saving / economize
  often more imperfective
• uštedeti = to save up / manage to save / save completely
  often more perfective

In this sentence, uštedeti suggests a more complete or goal-oriented action: actually saving the money.

Very roughly:

• štedeti novac = to be saving money / to save money in general
• uštedeti novac = to save money successfully / to put money aside

Serbian often uses aspect very naturally in future statements, and the perfective verb here sounds very normal.

Because novac is the direct object of uštedeti, so it appears in the accusative.

For this noun, the accusative singular looks the same as the nominative singular:

• novac = money

So:

• uštedeti novac = to save money

You do not see a form change here, but grammatically it is functioning as the object.

Because Serbian often drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

Here, ću already tells you the subject is I:

• ću = I will

So ja is not necessary.

You would include ja only if you want extra emphasis or contrast:

• Ja ću radije uštedeti novac, a ti ga potroši.
  = I’d rather save the money, and you spend it.

It is very close, but not always identical in tone.

• Radije ću uštedeti novac. = I’d rather save money.
• Više volim da uštedim novac. = I prefer to save money.

Radije often sounds more like choosing one option instead of another:

• I’d rather save money than spend it

So radije usually implies comparison, even if the second option is not stated.

Yes. That is one of the most common uses of radije.

Even if the alternative is not spoken, it is often understood:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac.
  = I’d rather save the money
  (than spend it / than go out / than buy something unnecessary)

If you want to state the alternative explicitly, you can do that:

• Radije ću uštedeti novac nego ga potrošiti.
  = I’d rather save the money than spend it.

Yes, but that changes the nuance.

• Radije ću uštedeti novac.
  = I’d rather save money / I will rather save money
• Radije bih uštedeo/uštedela novac.
  = I would rather save money

The version with bih is more explicitly conditional and often feels closer to the English structure would rather.

Also note that with bih, the past active participle agrees with gender:

• uštedeo = masculine speaker
• uštedela = feminine speaker

Your original sentence with ću avoids gender marking.

You may see both, depending on the standard and regional variety.

• uštedeti is common in Ekavian Serbian
• uštedjeti is the corresponding Ijekavian form

Likewise:

• vreme / vrijeme
• mleko / mlijeko

So if you encounter Radije ću uštedjeti novac, it is the same sentence in another standard pronunciation/spelling pattern.

It is pronounced roughly RAH-dee-yeh, with three syllables:

• ra-di-je

A few pronunciation notes:

• r is trilled or tapped
• j sounds like English y
• the stress is typically on the first syllable: RAdije

So:

• radije ≈ RAH-dee-yeh