Verbs: Future Tense

01

The Future Auxiliary

The unstressed forms are ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će. They join the infinitive to make the future.

• Dat ću vam aspirin.

  I will give you an aspirin.

• Naš proizvod će riješiti probleme.

  Our product will solve the problems.

• Posjetit ću muzej u četvrtak.

  I will visit the museum on Thursday.

02

Two Word Orders

Because ću and friends are clitics, they cannot start a sentence and stand in second position. This gives two shapes that mean the same thing.

• With a pronoun or other word first, the auxiliary keeps its place and the full infinitive follows: ja ću jesti.
• With the verb first, the infinitive drops its final -i and fuses with the clitic: jest ću, kupit ću, poslat ću.

• Ja ću kupiti stan.

  I will buy an apartment.

• ja first, so ću takes the second slot and kupiti stays whole

• Kupit ću stan.

  I will buy an apartment.

• nothing in front of the verb, so kupiti drops its final -i to kupit and ću follows it
• same meaning, same two pieces - only the order and that one letter differ

• Poslat ću ti razglednicu.

  I will send you a postcard.

03

The Negative Future

The negative auxiliary is a single fused word: neću, nećeš, neće, nećemo, nećete, neće, followed by the full infinitive.

• Danas neću doći.

  I will not come today.

• Neće biti skup.

  It will not be expensive.

04

The Future of 'biti'

biti forms its future regularly: bit ću, bit ćeš, and so on.

• Bit će hladno.

  It will be cold.

• Za pet minuta bit će deset.

  In five minutes it will be ten.

05

Talking About Plans

The future is used for predictions, promises and plans, just like English "will".

• Sutra ću oprati kosu.

  Tomorrow I will wash my hair.

• Trebat ćeš novi ruksak.

  You will need a new backpack.

06

Future in Time and 'if' Clauses

After kad (when) and ako (if), Bosnian does not repeat the future auxiliary in the subordinate clause; it uses the perfective present there, while the main clause carries the real future.

• Poslat ću ti razglednicu kad stignem.

  I will send you a postcard when I arrive.

• Ako postaviš pitanje, dobit ćeš odgovor.

  If you ask a question, you will get an answer.

The rule is about the kad clause, not about the main one, so it holds even when the main clause is a command rather than a future.

• Nazovite nas kad stignete.

  Call us when you arrive.

07

The Reflexive in the Future

With a reflexive verb, se joins the clitic cluster in second position.

• Hoćete li se vratiti sutra?

  Will you come back tomorrow?

• Udebljat ćeš se ako jedeš samo nezdravu hranu.

  You will get fat if you eat only unhealthy food.

08

More Everyday Examples

Nothing in the future changes for a question or for a negative subject: the auxiliary keeps its second slot and the infinitive does the rest, whether the sentence asks, promises or predicts.

• Šta ćeš raditi sutra?

  What will you do tomorrow? (a question word takes slot one)

• Učinit ću to kasnije.

  I will do it later. (the verb takes slot one, so it loses its final -i)

• Meso će uskoro izgorjeti.

  The meat will burn soon. (the subject takes slot one)