Questions & Answers about Reći ću ti tačno kada počinje predstava.
Why is it Reći ću and not Ja ću reći?
Both are possible, but Reći ću is very natural in Serbian.
A few things are happening here:
- ću is a clitic form of hteti used to make the future tense.
- Clitics usually prefer the second position in the sentence or clause.
- When the infinitive comes first, Serbian often splits the future construction:
- Reći ću
- instead of Ja ću reći
So:
- Reći ću ti... = a very normal, neutral way to say it
- Ja ću ti reći... = also correct, but ja adds emphasis, like I will tell you...
In other words, the sentence without ja sounds more neutral and natural unless you specifically want contrast or emphasis.
What tense is Reći ću?
Reći ću is the future tense.
It is made from:
- the infinitive or infinitive stem of the verb
- plus the clitic future forms of hteti: ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će
Here the verb is reći = to say / to tell, and:
- reći ću = I will say / I will tell
This is the standard way to form the future in Serbian.
Why is the verb reći and not or ?