Breakdown of Čim budemo imali vremena, kupićemo sladoled i sendviče blizu plaže.
imati
to have
i
and
blizu
near
kupiti
to buy
Questions & Answers about Čim budemo imali vremena, kupićemo sladoled i sendviče blizu plaže.
What does čim mean here?
Čim means as soon as or once.
It introduces a subordinate clause and shows that one action happens immediately after a certain moment or condition is reached:
- Čim budemo imali vremena... = As soon as we have time...
It is a very common word in Serbian for this kind of time relationship.
What is budemo imali exactly?
Budemo imali is the future II form of imati (to have).
It is built from:
- budemo = a form of biti
- imali = the past participle of imati
So:
- mi budemo imali = we will have / once we have
A useful detail: the participle agrees with the subject in number and gender. With a mixed group or a general we, Serbian normally uses imali. If the speakers were all female, it would be budemo imale.
Why does Serbian use budemo imali after čim, instead of imaćemo?
Because after words like čim, kad, and often ako, Serbian usually uses future II for a future action in a subordinate clause.
The idea is: