Questions & Answers about Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu.
What does each word in Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu do?
- Sutra = tomorrow; it is an adverb of time.
- ćemo = we will; this is the 1st person plural future auxiliary.
- napraviti = to make; this is the infinitive of a perfective verb.
- tortu = cake as the direct object, in the accusative singular.
So grammatically, the sentence is: Tomorrow + we will + make + cake.
How is the future tense formed here?
This is the Serbian future I tense.
It is formed with:
- a present-tense form of hteti (to want) used as a future auxiliary
- plus the infinitive of the main verb
The future auxiliary forms are:
- ću = I will
- ćeš = you will
- će = he/she/it will
- ćemo = we will
- ćete = you will
- će = they will
So here:
- ćemo = we will
- napraviti = make
Together: we will make.
Why is ćemo written as a separate word?
Because in this pattern, the future auxiliary comes before the infinitive:
- ćemo napraviti
That is normal and correct.
But if the verb comes first, Serbian usually writes the future form as one word:
- napravićemo
So these are both possible:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu.
- Napravićemo tortu sutra.
What you normally do not write in standard spelling is:
- napraviti ćemo
Why does ćemo come right after sutra?
Because ćemo is a clitic. Clitics in Serbian usually go in the second position of the sentence or clause.
Here, Sutra is the first element, so ćemo naturally comes right after it:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu.
This word order is very natural and neutral.
Serbian word order is flexible, so you can also hear things like:
- Napravićemo tortu sutra.
- Tortu ćemo napraviti sutra.
But the clitic placement rule is one reason this sentence looks the way it does.
Why is the verb napraviti and not praviti?
This is about aspect, which is very important in Serbian.
- praviti = imperfective
- napraviti = perfective
In this sentence, napraviti is used because it suggests a completed result: tomorrow, we will make a cake and have it finished.
So:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu = we will make a cake tomorrow, with focus on the completed action/result.
If you said:
- Sutra ćemo praviti tortu
that would sound more like focusing on the process or activity of making it. It is possible, but the nuance is different.
Why is it tortu and not torta?
Because torta is the direct object of the verb, so it must be in the accusative case.
For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the accusative singular changes to -u:
- nominative: torta
- accusative: tortu
So:
- Torta je velika. = The cake is big.
- Pravimo tortu. = We are making a cake.
Why is there no word for we?
Because Serbian often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.
Here, ćemo already tells you the subject is we.
So:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu. = perfectly natural
- Mi ćemo sutra napraviti tortu. = also possible, but mi adds emphasis, like we in contrast to someone else
For example:
- Oni će kupiti kolače, a mi ćemo napraviti tortu.
They will buy pastries, and we will make a cake.
Why is there no word for a or the before tortu?
Because Serbian has no articles.
English makes a distinction between:
- a cake
- the cake
Serbian does not do this with separate words. The meaning depends on context.
So tortu can mean:
- a cake
- the cake
depending on the situation.
Could I also say Sutra ćemo da napravimo tortu?
Yes. In Serbian, both of these are common:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu.
- Sutra ćemo da napravimo tortu.
The second version uses da + present tense instead of the infinitive.
Both are natural in Serbian. The da + present structure is especially common in everyday speech. The infinitive version is also standard and very normal.
Is napraviti tortu the normal way to say make a cake, even though you bake it?
Yes. Napraviti tortu is a very natural everyday expression.
It means to make a cake in the general sense: prepare it, put it together, produce it.
If you specifically want to emphasize the baking part, you might use:
- ispeći tortu = to bake a cake
But in ordinary speech, napraviti tortu is completely normal.
Can I move sutra to another place in the sentence?
Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.
You can say:
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu.
- Napravićemo tortu sutra.
- Tortu ćemo napraviti sutra.
These all mean roughly the same thing, but the emphasis changes a little.
- Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu puts tomorrow first.
- Tortu ćemo napraviti sutra puts more focus on the cake.
- Napravićemo tortu sutra starts with the action.
How should I pronounce ćemo?
The tricky sound is ć.
- ć is a soft consonant, softer than č
- č is like the ch in church
- ć is lighter and softer, and English does not have an exact match
A rough pronunciation guide for the sentence is:
- Sutra ≈ SOO-tra
- ćemo ≈ something like tye-mo / a soft che-mo
- napraviti ≈ na-PRA-vi-ti
- tortu ≈ TOR-tu
The best way to learn ć is by listening to native speakers, because English spelling cannot show it perfectly.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning SerbianMaster Serbian — from Sutra ćemo napraviti tortu to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions