A2 · Elementary

The simple future (futuro simple)

The future tense: the whole infinitive + an ending, with a fixed set of irregular stems.

Formation: infinitive + ending

The futuro simple is wonderfully easy for regular verbs: you simply attach the ending to the whole infinitive — no stem change, and this works for -ar, -er and -ir verbs alike:

-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án

All endings except -emos carry an accent.

hablarcomervivir
yohablarécomeréviviré
túhablaráscomerásvivirás
él/ella/ustedhablarácomerávivirá
nosotros/ashablaremoscomeremosviviremos
vosotros/ashablaréiscomeréisviviréis
ellos/ellas/ustedeshablaráncomeránvivirán

Examples

Mañana hablaré con el jefe.Tomorrow I will speak with the boss.
¿Comerás con nosotros esta noche?Will you eat with us tonight?
Viviremos en Madrid a partir de septiembre.We will live in Madrid starting in September.

Irregular stems

A fixed group of verbs has an irregular stem, but then simply uses the same endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án):

  • tener → tendr-
  • poder → podr-
  • hacer → har-
  • decir → dir-
  • saber → sabr-
  • poner → pondr-
  • venir → vendr-
  • salir → saldr-
  • querer → querr-
  • haber → habr-
tenerhacerpoderdecirsalir
yotendréharépodrédirésaldré
tútendrásharáspodrásdirássaldrás
él/ella/ustedtendráharápodrádirásaldrá
nosotros/astendremosharemospodremosdiremossaldremos
ellos/ellas/ustedestendránharánpodrándiránsaldrán

Examples

El año que viene tendré más tiempo libre.Next year I will have more free time.
¿Qué harás este fin de semana?What will you do this weekend?
No podremos venir a la boda.We won't be able to come to the wedding.
Ella dirá la verdad tarde o temprano.She will tell the truth sooner or later.

Use: plans and predictions

You use the futuro simple for future plans, predictions and promises — similar to 'will' in English. In spoken language ir a + infinitivo is often used for the near future, but the futuro simple remains completely normal, especially in written and more formal contexts.

Examples

El próximo año iré a la universidad.Next year I will go to university.
Los científicos dicen que la temperatura subirá.Scientists say the temperature will rise.
Te prometo que vendré a tu fiesta.I promise you I will come to your party.

Use: probability in the present

A special use of the futuro simple: you can also use it to express a guess about the present — something you're not sure of but think is probably true. In English this often translates as 'probably is' or 'must be'.

Examples

¿Qué hora es? — No sé, serán las tres.What time is it? — I don't know, it's probably three o'clock.
Alguien llama a la puerta. Será el cartero.Someone's knocking. It's probably the mailman.
Tendrá unos cuarenta años.He/she is probably around forty years old.

💡 Tips

💡
All the irregular stems in the futuro are also irregular in the condicional — learn them together, it saves double work.
💡
Mnemonic for the -dr- group: tener → ten**dr**é, poner → pon**dr**é, salir → sal**dr**é, venir → ven**dr**é — a 'd' is inserted before the r each time.
💡
hacer → har- and decir → dir- are the two 'shortest' irregular stems — they even lose a syllable.

🎯 Practise this topic with 10 interactive exercises (10)

🔧 Verbs: Future

Related grammar

The regular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The past tense for completed events: regular -ar, -er and -ir forms.
The irregular preterite (pretérito indefinido)
The most common verbs are irregular in the indefinido: ser/ir, tener, hacer, decir and more.
The imperfect past (pretérito imperfecto)
The past tense for habits, descriptions and background — almost always regular.
Indefinido versus imperfecto
Two past tenses, one choice: what happened (indefinido) versus what the situation was (imperfecto)?

← The present perfect (pretérito perfecto)The simple conditional (condicional simple) →

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