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Spanish Future Tense

The Spanish simple future adds -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the whole infinitive. Use it for predictions, promises and guesses; for plans, Spanish often prefers ir a + infinitive.

  • CEFR B1
  • 10-question quiz
  • 1 exercise
Simple future: infinitive + ending
  1. hablar→hablaréI will speak
  2. comer→comerásyou will eat
  3. vivir→viviráshe will live
  4. llamar→llamaremoswe will call
  5. tener→tendréisyou all will have (Spain)
  6. llegar→llegaránthey will arrive

The Simple Future (Futuro simple), is used to describe actions that will happen in the future, without indicating a specific point in time. To form the future tense, add the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis,-án to the infinitive. Some verbs have irregular stems in the future tense.

The future tense is formed in two ways: the informal future, which consists of adding “ir + a + infinitive”, and the simple future which is formed by a single word. Future plans, arrangements, and intentions are usually expressed either by the present simple or by the present simple of the verb “ir” “a” followed by the infinitive:

Mañana tengo una reunión                 I am having a meeting tomorrow.

Ella no viene hoy.                                 She is not coming today.

Voy a comprar una revista.                  I’m going to buy a magazine.

In talking about the future in general, including arrangements and intentions, the speaker can use the future tense.

Llegarán a las seis.                                 They will arrive at six.

Mañana los llamaremos                           We will call them tomorrow.

The Spanish simple future is used to express what shall or will happen, and it is also used to express what someone might or may be doing in the present.

Jugarás para el equipo nacional.

You will play for the national team.

Él hablará con su jefe esta noche.

He will talk with his boss tonight.

To form the simple future, simply add the correct ending to the infinitive of a verb. All verbs ending in (ar-er-ir) have the same endings in the simple future tense.

Yo te veré en el parque mañana.                 I will meet you at the park tomorrow.

Ella escribirá la carta a Pedro.                             She will write Pedro the letter.

General predictions are usually expressed in the future tense:

Lloverá en el norte.                                               It will rain in the north

Mis niños tendrán los ojos marrones.                   My children will have brown eyes.

Predictions with a high degree of certainty can be expressed by the present simple or by “ir a.”

Mañana llueve aquí.                                               It is going to rain here tomorrow.

Mañana va a llover aquí                                         It’s going to rain here tomorrow.

The present simple can only refer to the future if there is a future element in the sentence, whether stated or simply understood.

Mañana juego al fútbol.                                         I’m playing soccer tomorrow.

Juego al fútbol.                                                       I play soccer.

Promises and future deductions are also expressed by the future tense:

A las ocho estarán cenando.                                   They will be having dinner at eight.

Te prometo que lo haré.                                           I promise you (that) I will do it.

Present deductions are also expressed by the future tense (Serán las diez – It must be about ten o’clock). Strong determination is expressed by the future tense, although in negative sentences the verb “querer” can also be used:

Lo haré.                                                                   I will do it.

No quiero ir a esa reunión.                                       I do not want to go to that meeting.

Will be + ing, has a literal translation only to refer to actions that will presumably be taking place at a certain time in the future:

Para esta hora mañana estaremos visitando París. At this time tomorrow, we’ll be visiting Paris.

The Spanish future perfect is very similar to its English counterpart, except in those cases in which “for” and “how long” are used:

No habrán muerto en vano.                                     They won’t have died in vain.

Lo habrán terminado para entonces.                       They will have finished it by then.

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
llegar → llegaréto arriveLlegaré a la oficina a las nueve.
tener → tendréto have (irregular stem tendr-)Tendré más tiempo libre después del proyecto.
hacer → haréto do, to make (irregular stem har-)Haré la presentación el lunes.
decir → diréto say, to tell (irregular stem dir-)Le diré al cliente que el pedido llega mañana.
venir → vendréto come (irregular stem vendr-)Vendré a la reunión con mi compañera.
salir → saldréto leave, to go out (irregular stem saldr-)Saldré del trabajo temprano el viernes.
ir a + infinitiveto be going to (plans)Voy a llamar al proveedor esta tarde.
habré + participleI will have done (future perfect)Para el viernes habré terminado el informe.
la próxima semananext weekLa próxima semana viajaremos a Madrid.

Practice: Spanish Future Tense

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Complete with the future

Write the simple future form of the verb in parentheses.

  1. Pedro ______ (llegar) a Barcelona mañana por la tarde.

    Pedro will arrive in Barcelona tomorrow afternoon.

    Show answer

    llegará

  2. Cristina ______ (comer) en el comedor esta noche.

    Cristina will eat in the dining room tonight.

    Show answer

    comerá

  3. Ellos ______ (viajar) a Francia la próxima semana.

    They will travel to France next week.

    Show answer

    viajarán

  4. Tú ______ (venir) en el vuelo 787 pasado mañana.

    You will come on flight 787 the day after tomorrow.

    Show answer

    vendrás

  5. Tú ______ (ser) mi ayudante para limpiar la casa.

    You will be my helper to clean the house.

    Show answer

    serás

  6. Elisa ______ (comprar) la ropa en la tienda más grande.

    Elisa will buy the clothes in the biggest store.

    Show answer

    comprará

  7. Ellos ______ (decir) la oración antes de comer.

    They will say grace before eating.

    Show answer

    dirán

  8. Yo ______ (limpiar) los cuartos con agua y jabón.

    I will clean the rooms with soap and water.

    Show answer

    limpiaré

  9. Tú ______ (tener) más dinero la próxima semana.

    You will have more money next week.

    Show answer

    tendrás

  10. Elisa ______ (estar) más grande cuando la veas el próximo año.

    Elisa will be bigger when you see her next year.

    Show answer

    estará

Quiz: 10 questions

1. (Ir) ______ a cenar afuera. (I will go out for dinner.)
2. (Visitar) ______ a mi hermano durante el fin de semana. (I'm going to visit my brother over the weekend.)
3. (Tener) ______ más tiempo libre después del examen. (You will have more free time after the exam.)
4. ¿(Cerrar) ______ la tienda? (Will they have closed the store?)
5. (Perder) ______ 2 kg yendo al gimnasio. (I will lose 2 kg by going to the gym.)
6. María no está en la oficina, (salir) ______ más temprano. (María is not in the office; she must have left earlier.)
7. Will we meet up tonight?
8. (Terminar) ______ el trabajo para el próximo mes. (I will have finished the assignment by next month.)
9. (Comer) ______ pizza esta noche. (We are going to eat pizza tonight.)
10. Ellos (venir) ______ a visitarnos esta noche. (They will come to visit us tonight.)

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