The second future
In short
| biti | + l-participle | |
|---|---|---|
| ja | budem | završio / završila |
| ti | budeš | završio / završila |
| on / ona / ono | bude | završio / završila / završilo |
| mi | budemo | završili / završile |
| vi | budete | završili / završile |
| oni / one | budu | završili / završile |
Only after ako, kad, čim, dok about the future. Main clause: ordinary future (doći ću) or imperative. Negative: ne budem stigao.
B1 · Lesson 32 · Futur drugi
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
Plans often hang on something that has not happened yet: if I finish in time, when you get there, as soon as we find a flat. English puts that condition in the present tense ("when you get there") even though it is about the future. Serbian has a tense made for exactly this slot: the second future (futur drugi).
How it is built
Take the forms budem, budeš, bude, budemo, budete, budu (a special present of biti) and add the same l-participle you already use in the past tense (završio, stigla, našli). The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, exactly as in the past tense.
| Person | biti | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|---|
| ja (I) | budem | budem završio | budem završila |
| ti (you) | budeš | budeš završio | budeš završila |
| on / ona / ono | bude | bude završio | bude završila (ono: bude završilo) |
| mi (we) | budemo | budemo završili | budemo završile |
| vi (you all, polite you) | budete | budete završili | budete završile |
| oni / one | budu | budu završili | budu završile |
Unlike sam, si, je, the forms budem, budeš... are full words, not clitics. They can stand directly after ako, kad, čim or dok: Ako budem stigao..., Čim budemo našli stan... A noun subject simply comes first: Ako šef bude odobrio odmor...
The division of labour
This is the whole rule. The sentence splits in two. The subordinate clause — after ako (if), kad (when), čim (as soon as) or dok (while) — takes the second future. The main clause takes the ordinary future with ću, ćeš... that you know from A1, or an imperative.
| Subordinate clause: second future | Main clause: future or imperative |
|---|---|
| Ako budem završio posao na vreme, | doći ću na večeru. |
| Kad budeš stigla na aerodrom, | pozovi me. |
| Čim budemo našli stan, | preselićemo se. |
The two halves can come in either order: Javiću ti se čim budem rezervisao hotel. The second future still sits after čim.
The four doors: ako, kad, čim, dok
- ako — a condition that may or may not happen: Ako budem dobila slobodan dan... (if I get a day off)
- kad — a future moment you expect to come: Kad budeš završila fakultet... (when you finish university)
- čim — as soon as: Čim bude dobio vizu... (as soon as he gets the visa)
- dok — while, for a stretch of time: Dok roditelji budu bili na odmoru... (while my parents are on holiday)
Most verbs here are perfective (završiti, stići, naći): something has to be finished before the main event happens. With dok and with ongoing states you get imperfectives: Dok budu bili..., Ako budeš imao vremena...
Saying no
Put ne in front of budem, as a separate word: Ako ne budemo stigli do osam, počnite bez nas. (If we are not there by eight, start without us.)
The shortcut you will hear
In everyday speech many people use the plain present after ako and kad: Ako stignem na vreme, doći ću. That is correct Serbian and you learned it with ako. The second future is the fuller, more careful version — it is standard in writing, in formal speech and in plenty of ordinary conversation, and you will certainly meet it. In this lesson, when a sentence has budem, use budem.
Never put the second future in a main clause, and never use the future with ću after ako, kad, čim or dok when you mean a future event. Ako ću stići and Budem stigao sutra are both wrong. Ask yourself: is this the condition (budem + participle) or the result (ću + infinitive)?
Match the participle to who does it, just like the past tense: a woman says Ako budem dobila..., a man says Ako budem dobio..., and to a group of women you say Ako budete otkazale...
Check what you read
6 of the 16 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
Ako(biti) završio posao na vreme, doći ću na večeru.
Ako ne(biti) stigla do osam, nemoj me čekati.
Kad(biti) stigla na aerodrom, pozovi me.
Javiću ti se čim ja ___ rezervisala sobu.
Hoćeš li me pozvati kad ti ___ saznao rezultate?
Ako šef ___ odobrio odmor, putovaćemo u julu.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Ako devojke budu kasnile, sačekaćemo ih.
If the girls are late, we'll wait for them.
Šta ćeš raditi kad budeš magistrirala?
What will you do when you finish your master's? (to a woman)
Čim budemo našli stan, preselićemo se.
As soon as we find a flat, we'll move. (a mixed group speaking)
Kad dete bude zaspalo, gledaćemo film.
When the child has fallen asleep, we'll watch a film.
Javiću ti se čim budem rezervisao hotel.
I'll get in touch with you as soon as I've booked the hotel. (man speaking)
Kad budemo otplatili poslednju ratu kredita, proslavićemo.
When we pay off the last instalment of the loan, we'll celebrate. (a mixed group speaking)
Kad budeš stigla na aerodrom, pozovi me.
When you get to the airport, call me. (to a woman)
Ako budete otkazale rezervaciju, nećete dobiti novac nazad.
If you cancel the reservation, you won't get the money back. (to a group of women)
Kad budete potpisali ugovor, dobićete ključeve od stana.
When you sign the contract, you'll get the keys to the flat. (to a group)
Hoćeš li me pozvati kad budeš saznao rezultate?
Will you call me when you find out the results? (to a man)
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 30
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
As soon as we find a flat, we'll move. (a mixed group speaking)