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Future tense

• Formation
• Use

Formation

The forms of the future tense in Spanish hold few surprises. The endings are all regular, and there are only a few verbs that have irregular stems in the future. The endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) are added to the infinitive form of -ar, -er, or -ir verbs or, in the case of the few irregular verbs, to the future stem.

Examples:

-ar verbs

• hablaré
• hablarás
• hablará
• hablaremos
• hablaréis
• hablarán

  -er verbs

• comeré
• comerás
• comerá
• comeremos
• comeréis
• comerán

  -ir verbs

• viviré
• vivirás
• vivirá
• viviremos
• viviréis
• vivirán

 

While most future tense occurrences are regular, there are a few irregular future and conditional stems, and they should be committed to memory. Notice how regular most of them are in their irregularity. They are:

Verb --> Irregular stem --> Forms

decir --> dir- --> diré, dirás, dirá, etc.
haber --> habr- --> habré, habrás, habrá, etc.
hacer --> har- --> haré, harás, hará, etc.
poder --> podr- --> podré, podrás, podrá, etc.
poner --> pondr- --> pondré, pondrás, pondrá, etc.
querer --> querr- --> querré, querrás, querrá, etc.
saber --> sabr- --> sabré, sabrás, sabrá, etc.
salir --> saldr- --> saldré, saldrás, saldrá, etc.
tener --> tendr- --> tendré, tendrás, tendrá, etc.
venir --> vendr- --> vendré, vendrás, vendrá, etc.

Use

Primary use of the future tense
Substitutes for the future tense
The future of conjecture or probability

Primary use of future tense

In the most basic sense, the future tense in Spanish is used exactly as it is in English. For example:

• Hablaré con mi amigo. (I will speak with my friend.)
• Iremos a la playa mañana. (We will go to the beach tomorrow.)
• Habrá tiempo para eso. (There will be time for that.)

Substitutes for the future tense

It is also important to note that Spanish speakers tend to use the future tense much less than do English speakers. Following are the primary ways in which the simple future is avoided in Spanish:

• The simple present tense is often used instead of the future tense, especially when an adverbial marker is included.
  
  • Nos vemos mañana. (We'll see each other tomorrow.)
  • Escribo el contrato después. (I'll write the contract later.)
    
• 2. The present subjunctive is often used to express futurity.
  
  • Dudo que los dos estudien bien juntos. (I doubt the two will study well together.)
  • Espero que haga buen tiempo mañana. (I hope the weather will be good tomorrow.)
    
• When will in English carries with it a sense of willingness, the verb querer will substitute the future tense in Spanish.
  
  • ¿Quieres ayudarme? [Will you (please) help me?]
  • ¿No quieren entrar? (Won't you come in?)

The future of conjecture or probability

The future and future perfect tenses are frequently used to express conjecture or probability in the present or present perfect.

• ¿Qué hora será? (What time could it be?)
• Serán las cinco. [It is probably (It must be) five o'clock.]
• ¿Habrán terminado? (Do you suppose they've finished?)
  

Related topics:

Conditional tense
Verbs

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