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Spanish Future Tense.How to form it, examples and exercises.

What is Future Tense in Spanish

The Future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. It's equivalent to the English future tense formed with "will" or "shall." This tense is straightforward and is an essential part of Spanish grammar for indicating future intentions or predictions.

To form the Spanish Future Tense:

  • Take the infinitive form of the verb.
  • Add the future tense endings to the infinitive.

Future tense endings:

Pronoun Ending
yo
-ás
él/ella/usted
nosotros/nosotras -emos
vosotros/vosotras -éis
ellos/ellas/ustedes -án

Example:

The verb hablar (to speak) in Futuro Simple:

  • yo hablaré (I will speak)
  • tú hablarás (you will speak)
  • él/ella/usted hablará (he/she/you will speak)
  • nosotros/nosotras hablaremos (we will speak)
  • vosotros/vosotras hablaréis (you all will speak)
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes hablarán (they/you all will speak)

Spanish Future Tense Conjugation

The Futuro Simple tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. Forming this tense involves adding specific endings to the base form of the verb. The endings for regular verbs are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Step-by-step explanation for regular verbs:

  1. Start with the infinitive form of the verb.
  2. Add the following endings to the infinitive:
Person Ending Example with hablar (to talk) Example with comer (to eat) Example with vivir (to live)
yo hablaré comeré viviré
-ás hablarás comerás vivirás
él/ella/usted hablará comerá vivirá
nosotros/nosotras -emos hablaremos comeremos viviremos
vosotros/vosotras -éis hablaréis comeréis viviréis
ellos/ellas/ustedes -án hablarán comerán vivirán

Irregular verbs:

For irregular verbs, the endings are the same, but the stem of the verb changes. Here are some common irregular verbs and their stems:

  • decir (to say) -> dir-
  • hacer (to do/make) -> har-
  • poder (to be able) -> podr-
  • poner (to put) -> pondr-
  • querer (to want) -> querr-
  • saber (to know) -> sabr-
  • salir (to leave) -> saldr-
  • tener (to have) -> tendr-
  • venir (to come) -> vendr-

Add the same endings as for regular verbs to these irregular stems. For example:

  • yo diré
  • dirás
  • él/ella/usted dirá
  • nosotros/nosotras diremos
  • vosotros/vosotras diréis
  • ellos/ellas/ustedes dirán

What are the uses of Spanish Future Tense

The Futuro Simple, or simple future tense, is versatile and can be used in various contexts and situations. Here are some common uses:

  • Prediction or Speculation: This tense is often used to predict future events or speculate about what might happen. Examples:
    • Mañana lloverá (It will rain tomorrow).
    • Creo que el próximo año viajaré a España (I think I will travel to Spain next year).
  • Promises or Intentions: Use Futuro Simple to express promises, commitments, or intentions. Examples:
    • Te llamaré más tarde (I will call you later).
    • Lo haré en cuanto pueda (I will do it as soon as I can).
  • Spontaneous Decisions: When making a decision at the moment of speaking, Futuro Simple can be applied. Examples:
    • Está bien, iré contigo (Alright, I will go with you).
    • Está decidido, compraré ese libro (It's decided, I will buy that book).
  • Formal Commands or Requests: This tense can also be used to give formal commands or make formal requests in some contexts. Examples:
    • Harás tu trabajo inmediatamente (You will do your work immediately).
    • Vendrás a mi oficina a las tres (You will come to my office at three).
  • Assumption or Probability: To express assumptions or probabilities about the present, the Futuro Simple is often used. Examples:
    • ¿Dónde está Juan? Estará en su oficina (Where is Juan? He is probably in his office).
    • Serán las ocho (It is probably eight o'clock).

When do you use Future Tense in Spanish

The Futuro Simple tense is crucial for expressing actions or events that will happen in the future. This tense primarily serves to convey certainty about future occurrences, making it an invaluable tool for clear and effective communication.

Here are some key reasons and advantages of using the Futuro Simple tense:

  • Expressing future plans and intentions: It helps in articulating what someone intends to do or what will happen. For instance, “Viajaré a España el próximo año” means “I will travel to Spain next year”.
  • Making predictions or assumptions: This tense is used to predict future events or make assumptions. For example, “El equipo ganará el partido” translates to “The team will win the match”.
  • Offering promises and commitments: It is also ideal for making promises or commitments, which can be critical in both personal and professional contexts. An example is “Te ayudaré con tu tarea”, meaning “I will help you with your homework”.
  • Indicating probabilities and speculations: The Futuro Simple aids in discussing probabilities or speculations about future events. For instance, “Estará lloviendo mañana” can be translated as “It will probably rain tomorrow”.

Utilizing the Futuro Simple tense allows speakers to articulate future actions with clarity, ensuring that the intended message is conveyed with precision. This clarity can prevent misunderstandings and enhance the overall quality of communication.

Irregular verbs in the Future Tense

The Futuro Simple tense in Spanish is used to express actions that will happen in the future. While most verbs follow a regular conjugation pattern, there are several verbs that are irregular in this tense. Below is a list and explanation of these irregular verbs.

The stems of these irregular verbs change, but the endings are the same as those for regular verbs. Here is a table detailing the irregular verbs and their altered stems:

Infinitive Stem Change Example
decir dir- diré (I will say)
hacer har- haré (I will do)
poder podr- podré (I will be able to)
querer querr- querré (I will want)
saber sabr- sabré (I will know)
poner pondr- pondré (I will put)
salir saldr- saldré (I will leave)
tener tendr- tendré (I will have)
venir vendr- vendré (I will come)
caber cabr- cabré (I will fit)
haber habr- habrá (there will be)

Notice that while the endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) remain consistent, the stem of each verb changes in a specific way. By memorizing these stems, you can correctly conjugate these irregular verbs in the Futuro Simple tense.

Test your knowledge

Collect the sentence by selecting the correct words in order.

I will visit my grandmother on Sunday. - Translate this sentence to Spanish.

Usage Examples Future Tense

  • Visitaré a mi abuela el domingo. - I will visit my grandmother on Sunday.
  • Ella cantará en la fiesta. - She will sing at the party.
  • Prepararemos la cena esta noche. - We will prepare dinner tonight.
  • Ellos aprenderán español. - They will learn Spanish.
  • Ana leerá un libro interesante. - Ana will read an interesting book.
  • Ellos desayunarán juntos el domingo. - They will have breakfast together on Sunday.
  • Ellos decorarán la sala para la fiesta. - They will decorate the room for the party.
  • Ellos ayudarán a su amigo con la mudanza. - They will help their friend with the move.
  • Miguel comprará un libro mañana. - Miguel will buy a book tomorrow.
  • El próximo año viajaremos a España. - Next year we will travel to Spain.
  • Ellos prepararán una sorpresa para su madre. - They will prepare a surprise for their mother.
  • Nosotros aprenderemos a bailar salsa. - We will learn to dance salsa.
  • Ellos aprenderán a nadar. - They will learn to swim.
  • Ellos enviarán un e-mail importante. - They will send an important email.
  • Asistiré a la reunión por la tarde. - I will attend the meeting in the afternoon.
  • Estudiarás mucho para el examen. - You will study a lot for the exam.
  • Buscarás el libro en la biblioteca. - You will look for the book in the library.
  • Él comerá en el nuevo restaurante. - He will eat at the new restaurant.
  • Ellos almorzarán en el restaurante. - They will have lunch at the restaurant.
  • Ella estudiará medicina. - She will study medicine.