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Learn Hardcore Serbian: Večeras ću pročitati poruku. - Tonight I will read the message.

Hardcore Serbian
/Lesson 13
/Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

Tonight I will read the message.

Breakdown of Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

Questions & Answers about Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

What tense is ću pročitati?

It is Future I in Serbian, meaning I will read.

In this sentence, Future I is formed with:

ću = the 1st person singular future auxiliary
pročitati = the infinitive to read / to read through

So ću pročitati means I will read.

Why is pročitati in the infinitive and not conjugated?

Because Serbian often forms the future with:

a future auxiliary: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će
plus the infinitive of the main verb

So instead of conjugating pročitati by itself, Serbian uses ću pročitati.

The person is already shown by ću, which means I will.

What exactly does ću mean here?

Here ću is an auxiliary used to make the future tense. In this sentence it means will.

It comes from the verb hteti (to want), but in a sentence like this it usually does not mean want. It is just the normal future marker.

So:

ja ću = I will
ti ćeš = you will
on/ona/ono će = he/she/it will

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Why is ću placed after večeras?

Because ću is a clitic, and clitics in Serbian usually stand in the second position of the sentence or clause.

Here the first element is Večeras (tonight), so ću comes right after it:

Večeras ću pročitati poruku.

This word order is very natural in Serbian.

Can the word order be changed?

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible, and changing it usually changes the emphasis, not the basic meaning.

For example:

Večeras ću pročitati poruku. = emphasis on tonight
Poruku ću pročitati večeras. = emphasis on the message
Pročitaću poruku večeras. = a very natural alternative, with the future attached to the verb

The core meaning stays the same.

Could I also say Pročitaću poruku večeras?

Yes. That is a very common and natural alternative.

Pročitaću is the fused future form:

pročitati + ću → pročitaću

So these are both correct:

Večeras ću pročitati poruku.
Pročitaću poruku večeras.

They mean essentially the same thing, but the sentence focus is a little different.

What is the difference between pročitati and čitati?

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Serbian.

čitati = to read, imperfective
pročitati = to read through / finish reading, perfective

In this sentence, pročitati suggests a completed action: the speaker plans to read the message and finish it.

So:

Večeras ću čitati. = Tonight I’ll be reading.
Večeras ću pročitati poruku. = Tonight I’ll read the message (and finish reading it).

Why is it poruku and not poruka?

Because poruku is in the accusative singular, which is the case used for a direct object.

The base form is:

poruka = message (nominative)

But after a verb like pročitati (to read), the direct object goes into the accusative:

pročitati poruku = to read a/the message

For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative singular ends in -u:

poruka → poruku
knjiga → knjigu

Does poruku mean the message or a message?

It can mean either the message or a message, depending on context.

Serbian does not have articles like a and the, so the sentence itself does not explicitly mark that difference.

So poruku could mean:

the message
a message

You understand which one is meant from the situation.

What kind of message does poruka mean?

Poruka is a broad word. It can mean:

a text message
a written message
an email or note
a message in a general sense

The exact meaning depends on context. In modern everyday speech, many people will often understand poruka as a text message unless the context suggests something else.

Why is there no word for I in the sentence?

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

Here ću already shows 1st person singular, so ja is not necessary.

Večeras ću pročitati poruku. = neutral and natural
Ja ću večeras pročitati poruku. = possible, but ja adds emphasis, like I will read the message tonight

This is very common in Serbian.

What exactly does večeras mean?

Večeras means tonight or this evening.

It is an adverb, so it does not change form for case, gender, or number in this sentence.

It tells you when the action will happen:

Večeras = tonight
sutra = tomorrow
danas = today

How is ću pronounced?

Ću is pronounced with the Serbian sound ć, which is softer than English ch.

A rough approximation for English speakers is something like tyoo or a very soft chyoo, but neither is exact.

Two useful points:

č and ć are different sounds in Serbian
ću is softer than a word beginning with ču

So it is worth listening to native audio and repeating it, because English does not have this exact sound.

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