Questions & Answers about Kada primim paket, odmah ću te pozvati.
Why is primim in the present tense if the sentence talks about the future?
In Serbian, after time words like kada (when), a present-tense form is often used to refer to a future event.
So in Kada primim paket..., primim is grammatically present, but the meaning is future: when I receive the package.
This is very natural in Serbian and is similar to English in a way:
- When I get home, I’ll call you. Not: When I will get home...
Also, primim is from a perfective verb, which makes it especially suitable here because it refers to a completed future action.
Why is it primim and not primam?
Because primiti and primati are different aspects of the verb:
- primiti = to receive, to get once, as a completed event (perfective)
- primati = to be receiving / to receive repeatedly or habitually (imperfective)
In this sentence, the speaker means one completed event: first the package arrives, then the speaker calls. So Serbian uses the perfective form:
- kada primim paket = when I receive the package
If you said primam, it would sound more like an ongoing or repeated action, which does not fit this context well.
What exactly is ću, and why is it separated from ?