A2 Negation 1 min read Facile

Negation of Future Tenses

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To negate the future tense, place the short negative form of 'htjeti' before the infinitive verb.

  • Use 'neću' for 'I will not' (ja neću raditi).
  • Use 'nećeš' for 'you will not' (ti nećeš raditi).
  • Use 'neće' for 'he/she/it/we/you/they will not' (on/ona/mi/vi/oni neće raditi).
Subject + (ne + ću/ćeš/će) + Infinitive Verb

2. Negative Future Auxiliary (Neću)

Person Singular Plural
1st
neću
nećemo
2nd
nećeš
nećete
3rd
neće
neće

Meanings

The negation of the future tense is used to express that an action will not happen in the future.

1

Future denial

Expressing that an event is not planned or will not occur.

“Neće padati kiša.”

“Nećemo zakasniti.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Negation of Future Tenses
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
ću + infinitive
Radit ću
Negative
neću + infinitive
Neću raditi
Question
hoću li + infinitive
Hoću li raditi?
Negative Question
neću li + infinitive
Neću li raditi?
Short Answer
neću / hoću
Neću.
Refusal
neću + infinitive
Neću ići!

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Neću doći.

Neću doći. (Declining an invitation)

Neutre
Neću doći.

Neću doći. (Declining an invitation)

Informel
Neću doći.

Neću doći. (Declining an invitation)

Argot
Ne dolazim.

Ne dolazim. (Declining an invitation)

The Negative Future Tree

Neću

Singular

  • neću I will not
  • nećeš You will not
  • neće He/She/It will not

Plural

  • nećemo We will not
  • nećete You will not
  • neće They will not

Affirmative vs Negative Future

Affirmative
Radit ću I will work
Negative
Neću raditi I will not work
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Exemples par niveau

1

Neću ići.

I will not go.

2

Nećeš spavati.

You will not sleep.

3

Neće raditi.

He will not work.

4

Nećemo jesti.

We will not eat.

1

Neću kupiti taj auto.

I will not buy that car.

2

Nećete stići na vrijeme.

You will not arrive on time.

3

Neće biti problema.

There will not be a problem.

4

Nećemo gledati taj film.

We will not watch that movie.

1

Neću moći doći na sastanak.

I will not be able to come to the meeting.

2

Nećeš vjerovati što se dogodilo.

You will not believe what happened.

3

Nećemo dopustiti takvo ponašanje.

We will not allow such behavior.

4

Neće biti lako, ali uspjet ćemo.

It will not be easy, but we will succeed.

1

Neću se predomisliti bez obzira na sve.

I will not change my mind regardless of everything.

2

Nećete dobiti odgovor prije ponedjeljka.

You will not receive an answer before Monday.

3

Neće biti nikoga kod kuće.

There will not be anyone at home.

4

Nećemo se predati bez borbe.

We will not give up without a fight.

1

Neću pristati na takve uvjete pod bilo koju cijenu.

I will not agree to such terms at any cost.

2

Nećete naći bolju ponudu na tržištu.

You will not find a better offer on the market.

3

Neće biti prekasno za promjenu plana.

It will not be too late to change the plan.

4

Nećemo zaboraviti što ste učinili za nas.

We will not forget what you did for us.

1

Neću dopustiti da se ovakva nepravda nastavi.

I will not allow such injustice to continue.

2

Nećete biti u mogućnosti pristupiti sustavu bez lozinke.

You will not be able to access the system without a password.

3

Neće biti nikakve sumnje u vašu nevinost.

There will be no doubt about your innocence.

4

Nećemo se osvrtati na prošlost, već gledati u budućnost.

We will not look back at the past, but look into the future.

Facile à confondre

Negation of Future Tenses vs Present Tense Negation

Learners mix 'ne radim' (I don't work) with 'neću raditi' (I won't work).

Negation of Future Tenses vs Affirmative Future

Learners try to use 'ne' + 'ću' as two words.

Negation of Future Tenses vs Conditional

Learners confuse 'neću' with 'ne bih' (I wouldn't).

Erreurs courantes

✗

Ne ću raditi

✓

Neću raditi

Neću is one word.
✗

Neću radim

✓

Neću raditi

Must use infinitive.
✗

Ne radim ću

✓

Neću raditi

Wrong word order.
✗

Neću da radim

✓

Neću raditi

While 'da' is used for present, it's not needed here.
✗

Nećemo radimo

✓

Nećemo raditi

Infinitive needed.
✗

Nećeš ićiš

✓

Nećeš ići

Infinitive is 'ići'.
✗

Neće on raditi

✓

On neće raditi

Subject usually comes first.
✗

Neću biti raditi

✓

Neću raditi

Don't add 'biti' unless it's a continuous aspect.
✗

Neću da ću raditi

✓

Neću raditi

Double auxiliary error.
✗

Neće biti neću

✓

Neće biti

Double negation error.
✗

Neću imati učinio

✓

Neću učiniti

Future perfect is different.
✗

Neću da bi radio

✓

Neću raditi

Mixing conditional and future.
✗

Neću raditi sutra, neću.

✓

Neću raditi sutra.

Redundant negation.
✗

Neću biti da radim

✓

Neću raditi

Syntactic clutter.

Structures de phrases

Ja ___ ___ sutra.

Mi ___ ___ na vrijeme.

Oni ___ ___ taj film.

Ti ___ ___ to napraviti.

Real World Usage

Texting constant

Neću stići na kavu.

Work email very common

Neću moći završiti izvještaj.

Food delivery app common

Neću dodati umak.

Social media common

Neću više šutjeti!

Travel booking occasional

Neću otkazati rezervaciju.

Job interview occasional

Neću imati problema s tim.

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💡

The 'Neću' Rule

Always remember that 'neću' is one word. Never write 'ne ću'.
⚠️

Infinitive Only

After 'neću', you must use the infinitive (the verb ending in -ti).
🎯

Subject Omission

In Croatian, you can often drop the subject pronoun (Ja, Ti) because the auxiliary 'neću' already shows who is speaking.
💬

Politeness

If you are declining something, add 'nažalost' (unfortunately) before 'neću' to sound more polite.

Smart Tips

Just say 'Neću!' It's a complete sentence.

Ja neću raditi. → Neću!

Most verbs end in -ti. If you are unsure, check the dictionary for the base form.

Neću radim. → Neću raditi.

Add 'Nažalost' (Unfortunately) before your negative future sentence.

Neću doći. → Nažalost, neću doći.

Avoid slang contractions; stick to the full 'neću' form.

Neću doć. → Neću doći.

Prononciation

neh-choo

Neću

The 'ć' is a soft 'ch' sound, like in 'cheese'.

Declarative

Neću ići. ↘

Falling intonation for a statement.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Remember 'Ne-ću' as 'No-want'. If you don't want to do it, you use 'Ne-ću'.

Association visuelle

Imagine a giant red 'X' over a calendar. Every time you point to a day on that calendar, you say 'Neću' to show you won't be doing anything that day.

Rhyme

Neću, nećeš, neće, nećemo, nećete, neće, future negation is easy, you see!

Story

Marko is a very stubborn boy. His mom asks him to clean his room. He says 'Neću čistiti!' (I won't clean). She asks him to do homework. He says 'Neću raditi!' (I won't work). He is the king of the negative future.

Word Web

nećunećešnećenećemonećeteinfinitive

Défi

Write 5 things you will NOT do tomorrow using 'Neću' + infinitive.

Notes culturelles

In some coastal dialects, people might shorten 'neću' even further or use different auxiliary structures, but standard Croatian is always understood.

The word 'neću' is a contraction of the particle 'ne' (no) and the present tense form 'hoću' (I want).

Amorces de conversation

“

Hoćeš li ići u kino?

“

Hoćeš li raditi sutra?

“

Hoćete li stići na vrijeme?

“

Hoće li biti problema?

Sujets d'écriture

Write about 3 things you will not do this weekend.
Write a short note to a friend declining an invitation.
Write about a goal you have and what you will not let stop you.
Write a formal email declining a business offer.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct form.

Ja ___ (neću/nećeš) raditi sutra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću
The subject is 'Ja', so use 'neću'.
Find the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne ću ići u školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne ću
It should be 'Neću'.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću raditi.
Negative auxiliary + infinitive.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

stići / nećemo / na / vrijeme

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nećemo stići na vrijeme.
Standard word order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Hoćeš li doći? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću doći.
Full answer is preferred.
Match the subject to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću, nećemo, nećete
Correct conjugation.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Radit ću sutra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću raditi sutra.
Future negation.
Is this true? True False Rule

The negative auxiliary 'neću' is followed by a conjugated verb.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is followed by an infinitive.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct form.

Ja ___ (neću/nećeš) raditi sutra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću
The subject is 'Ja', so use 'neću'.
Find the mistake. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ne ću ići u školu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ne ću
It should be 'Neću'.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću raditi.
Negative auxiliary + infinitive.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

stići / nećemo / na / vrijeme

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nećemo stići na vrijeme.
Standard word order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Hoćeš li doći? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću doći.
Full answer is preferred.
Match the subject to the auxiliary. Match Pairs

Match: Ja, Mi, Vi

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: neću, nećemo, nećete
Correct conjugation.
Make it negative. Sentence Transformation

Radit ću sutra.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Neću raditi sutra.
Future negation.
Is this true? True False Rule

The negative auxiliary 'neću' is followed by a conjugated verb.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is followed by an infinitive.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It is a historical contraction of 'ne' and 'hoću'.

Yes, it is the standard way to negate the future.

Use 'neću biti'.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

Yes, as a short answer to a question.

Because the auxiliary 'neću' carries the tense/person, leaving the main verb in its base form.

The standard form is understood everywhere, though pronunciation varies.

Use 'Neću li' or 'Zar neću'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

German partial

Ich werde nicht arbeiten

Croatian integrates the negation into the auxiliary.

French low

Je ne travaillerai pas

French uses two particles; Croatian uses one auxiliary.

Spanish moderate

No trabajaré

Spanish conjugates the main verb; Croatian conjugates the auxiliary.

Japanese low

働かないつもりです

Japanese is agglutinative; Croatian is analytic.

Arabic partial

لن أعمل

Arabic uses a particle; Croatian uses an auxiliary verb.

Chinese partial

我不会工作

Chinese is isolating; Croatian is inflected.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Usage of Futur II in Conditional and Temporal Clauses

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Genitive for Negation of Existence (Nema...)
A0

Basic Negation with 'Ne'
A1

Negating Verbs with 'Ne'
A1

Negating Nouns and Adjectives
A2

Negation of Perfekt (Nisam radio)
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