Saznaćemo kada izdavanje počinje.

Breakdown of Saznaćemo kada izdavanje počinje.

počinjati
to start
kada
when
izdavanje
issuance
saznati
to find out

Questions & Answers about Saznaćemo kada izdavanje počinje.

What does saznaćemo mean grammatically?

Saznaćemo is the 1st person plural future tense of saznati, meaning we will find out / we will learn.

It breaks down like this:

  • saznati = to find out, to learn
  • -ćemo = future ending meaning we will

So saznaćemo = we will find out.

This verb is perfective, so it refers to a completed act of finding something out.

Why is saznaćemo written as one word?

In Serbian, the future tense is often formed with the auxiliary ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će.

With infinitives ending in -ti, there are two common patterns:

  • separate: mi ćemo saznati
  • contracted/standard written form: saznaćemo

So saznaćemo is basically a fused form of ćemo with the verb stem.

Both ideas are related to the future, but in this sentence the one-word form is completely normal.

What is the base verb of saznaćemo, and does it have an imperfective partner?

The base verb is saznati.

Its usual aspectual partner is saznavati:

  • saznati = perfective, to find out as a completed event
  • saznavati = imperfective, to be finding out / to find out repeatedly / over time

In this sentence, saznati is used because the speaker means a single future result: we will find out.

What does kada mean here?

Kada means when.

In this sentence it introduces a subordinate clause:

  • Saznaćemo = we will find out
  • kada izdavanje počinje = when the issuing/publishing begins

So kada connects the two parts: We will find out when ... begins.

Can kada be replaced by kad?

Yes, very often.

  • kada = when
  • kad = when

In everyday speech, kad is extremely common. Kada can sound a little more neutral, careful, or formal, but both are standard in many contexts.

So you could also hear:

  • Saznaćemo kad izdavanje počinje.
Why is počinje in the present tense if the meaning is about the future?

This is very common in Serbian.

After words like kada (when), Serbian often uses the present tense where English might use a future meaning.

So:

  • počinje literally looks like begins / is beginning
  • but in context it can mean will begin

This is normal in subordinate time clauses. Serbian does not always use an explicit future form there.

What verb is počinje from?

Počinje comes from počinjati / početi, meaning to begin / to start.

More specifically:

  • početi = perfective, to begin
  • počinjati = imperfective, to be beginning / to begin habitually

The form počinje is a 3rd person singular present form, matching the singular noun izdavanje.

Why is it počinje and not počinju?

Because the subject of that clause is izdavanje, which is singular.

  • izdavanje = issuing / publication / release
  • it is grammatically neuter singular

So the verb must also be singular:

  • izdavanje počinje = issuing/publication begins

If the subject were plural, then you would use počinju.

What exactly does izdavanje mean?

Izdavanje is a verbal noun, often translated depending on context as:

  • issuing
  • publication
  • release
  • sometimes publishing

It comes from the verb izdavati / izdati, whose meaning depends a lot on context. It can relate to:

  • issuing documents
  • publishing books, magazines, etc.
  • releasing something officially

So the exact English translation of izdavanje depends on what is being issued or published.

How is izdavanje formed?

It is formed from the verb stem plus the noun-forming ending -anje.

This is a very common pattern in Serbian:

  • čitati → čitanje = reading
  • pisati → pisanje = writing
  • izdavati → izdavanje = issuing / publishing

So izdavanje is not a finite verb here. It is a noun.

Why isn’t there a word for that, like in English We will find out when the publication begins?

Serbian does not need a separate that in this sentence.

The clause introduced by kada already works as the object/content of saznaćemo:

  • Saznaćemo = we will find out
  • kada izdavanje počinje = when the publication begins

So the structure is complete without anything extra.

Could the sentence order be changed?

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible, though some versions sound more neutral than others.

Neutral order:

  • Saznaćemo kada izdavanje počinje.

You could also say:

  • Kada izdavanje počinje, saznaćemo.

But that sounds more marked or stylistically different, and in many contexts the original version is the most natural.

Could Serbian also say Saznaćemo kada će izdavanje početi?

Yes, that is also possible.

Compare:

  • Saznaćemo kada izdavanje počinje.
  • Saznaćemo kada će izdavanje početi.

Both can mean roughly the same thing: We will find out when the issuing/publication will begin.

The version with počinje is very natural because Serbian often uses the present tense in time clauses.
The version with će početi makes the future more explicit.

Is there anything important about aspect in this sentence?

Yes, aspect matters a lot.

  • saznaćemo uses a perfective verb (saznati) because the finding out is seen as a completed result.
  • počinje is from an imperfective present form, which is very normal in subordinate clauses after kada.

A learner should notice that Serbian often combines:

  • a perfective future in the main clause
  • a present-tense subordinate clause with future meaning

That pattern is very common and natural.

How would this sentence sound in a more everyday spoken style?

A very natural spoken version would be:

  • Saznaćemo kad izdavanje počinje.

That is mostly just replacing kada with kad.

Depending on context, people might also rephrase the noun:

  • Saznaćemo kad počinje izdavanje.

Both are understandable, though the original sentence is already perfectly normal.

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