The future tense in Spanish is an important verb form that allows you to talk about what will or might happen in the future. Unlike English, where we often use the phrase “will” or “going to” to express future actions, Spanish has a specific set of verb endings that you add to the infinitive form of verbs.
Let’s break it down into simple steps so you can easily understand how to use the future tense in Spanish!
1. How to Form the Future Tense
In Spanish, forming the future tense is straightforward. You take the infinitive form of the verb (the base form, like hablar – to speak, comer – to eat, or vivir – to live) and add specific endings to it.
Here are the future tense endings for regular verbs:
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| Yo | -é |
| Tú | -ás |
| Él / Ella / Usted | -á |
| Nosotros | -emos |
| Vosotros | -éis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | -án |
These endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. Let’s see some examples:
- Hablar (to speak):
- Yo hablaré (I will speak)
- Tú hablarás (You will speak)
- Nosotros hablaremos (We will speak)
- Comer (to eat):
- Él comerá (He will eat)
- Vosotros comeréis (You all will eat)
- Vivir (to live):
- Ellos vivirán (They will live)
Notice that you don’t change the base verb (hablar, comer, vivir), you simply add the future tense endings.
2. Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense
While most verbs follow the regular pattern, there are some irregular verbs in the future tense. These verbs change their stem before adding the future tense endings, but the endings themselves remain the same as with regular verbs.
Here are some common irregular verbs and their stems in the future tense:
| Verb | Stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tener | tendr- | Yo tendré (I will have) |
| Hacer | har- | Tú harás (You will do/make) |
| Decir | dir- | Él dirá (He will say) |
| Poder | podr- | Nosotros podremos (We will be able to) |
| Venir | vendr- | Ellos vendrán (They will come) |
3. Common Uses of the Future Tense
The future tense in Spanish is used in a variety of situations. Let’s look at a few common ones:
a) To talk about future actions:
Just like in English, you can use the future tense to talk about what will happen in the future.
- Mañana estudiaré para el examen.
(Tomorrow, I will study for the exam.) - Ellos viajarán a España el próximo mes.
(They will travel to Spain next month.)
b) To express probability or speculation in the present:
In Spanish, the future tense is often used to make guesses or speculate about what might be happening right now.
- ¿Dónde estará María?
(Where could María be?)
This sentence is speculating about María’s current location. - Serán las tres de la tarde.
(It’s probably three in the afternoon.)
Here, you’re making a guess about the current time.
c) To make promises or commitments:
You can use the future tense to make promises or commitments about the future.
- Te llamaré más tarde.
(I will call you later.) - Nosotros te ayudaremos con el proyecto.
(We will help you with the project.)
4. Differences Between “Will” and “Going to” in Spanish
In English, there’s a distinction between “will” (something you plan to do) and “going to” (something more immediate or certain). In Spanish, while the future tense is used to express both, sometimes “ir a + infinitive” is used for near or certain future actions, similar to “going to” in English.
For example:
- Voy a estudiar.
(I am going to study.)
This suggests a more immediate or planned action. - Estudiaré.
(I will study.)
This could suggest either a plan or a more distant future action.
5. Practice with Examples
Let’s look at a few more examples so you can see the future tense in action:
- Ellos no entenderán si hablas muy rápido.
(They won’t understand if you speak too fast.) - ¿Qué haremos mañana?
(What will we do tomorrow?) - Pronto viviré en otra ciudad.
(I will soon live in another city.) - Vendré a la fiesta si puedo.
(I will come to the party if I can.)
Let´s practice
- Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the future in Spanish.
2. Select the correct conjugation of the verb in the future to complete the sentences.
3. Drag the correct conjugation of the verb to the appropriate space.
4. Write a sentence using the future in Spanish to describe what you will do tomorrow.
5. Read the sentence and mark whether it is true or false according to the correct use of the future.
