Spanish Grammar Bank
FUTURE TENSE IN SPANISH
In Spanish, the Futuro Simple de Indicativo tense – also referred to as Futuro Simple (in English, Simple Future) – is generally used to refer to situations that take place after the moment the statement is made,.
We use the simple future tense to describe actions that will occur after the moment of speaking, we can allude to intentions, plans, scheduled events, etc.
SIMPLE FUTURE
Forming the Futuro Simple in Spanish is relatively simple. Generally, in Spanish, the verb itself is conjugated by adding specific endings to the infinitive form, whereas in English we simply use auxiliary verbs (such as ‘shall’ and ‘will’) to form the future tense.
FOR REGULAR VERBS
When forming the Futuro Simple in Spanish with regular verbs, these will maintain their infinitive endings and a specific pattern of endings is added.
Said specific endings are the same for all three verb conjugations (-ar, -er and -ir).
To conjugate regular verbs in the future tense, attach the corresponding endings below to the infinitive form of the verb (-ar, -er and -ir).
PATTERN
Remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) + add corresponding conjugation
| Yo | -é |
| Tú | -ás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | -á |
| Nosotros/as | -emos |
| Vosotros/as | -éis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | -án |
EXAMPLES
USING THE VERB ANDAR (to walk)
| Yo | andaré | I will walk. |
| Tú | andarás | You will walk. |
| Él/Ella/Usted | andará | He/She/You (formal, singular) will walk. |
| Nosotros/as | andaremos | We will walk. |
| Vosotros/as | andaréis | You (all) will walk. |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | andarán | They/You (formal, plural) will walk. |
USING THE VERB BEBER (to drink)
| Yo | beberé | I will drink. |
| Tú | beberás | You will drink. |
| Él/Ella/Usted | beberá | He/She/You (formal, singular) will drink. |
| Nosotros/as | beberemos | We will drink. |
| Vosotros/as | beberéis | You (all) will drink. |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | beberán | They/You (formal, plural) will drink. |
FOR IRREGULAR VERBS
In Spanish, some verbs in the Futuro Simple tense have an irregular stem, although they use the same set of endings as the simple future regular verbs (-ar, -er and -ir).
The stems of these irregular verbs in the simple future tense in Spanish undergo a spelling change while following the regular pattern of conjugations of the regular verbs of the future tense.
These are some of the most common irregular simple future tense stems:
| Infinitive | Stem |
|---|---|
| decir (to say) | dir- |
| hacer (to do/to make) | har- |
| poder (to be able to) | 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- |
EXAMPLES
USING THE VERB DECIR (to say)
| Yo | diré | I will say. |
| Tú | dirás | You will say. |
| Él/Ella/Usted | dirá | He/She/You (formal, singular) will say. |
| Nosotros/as | diremos | We will say. |
| Vosotros/as | diréis | You (all) will say. |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | dirán | They/You (formal, plural) will say. |
USING THE VERB HACER (to do)
| Yo | haré | I will do. |
| Tú | harás | You will do. |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hará | He/She/You (formal, singular) will do. |
| Nosotros/as | haremos | We will do. |
| Vosotros/as | haréis | You (all) will do. |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | harán | They/You (formal, plural) will do. |
USAGES OF SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
The use of the Futuro Simple tense in Spanish allows for a varied range of contexts, aside from expressing future actions per se.
Aside from expressing future actions, the simple future tense in Spanish also serves other multiple functions to include a wide range of speech actions, such as to make, give or express:
• promises
• expressions of encouragement
• threats
• orders
• recommendations
• warnings
• requests
• predictions or categorical statements
Examples:
| context | spanish | english |
|---|---|---|
| Promises | Te llevaré a cenar. | I will take you to dinner. |
| Expressions of encouragement | Te encontrarás mejor mañana. | You will feel better tomorrow. |
| Threats | Os arrenpentiréis de esto. | You all will regret this. |
| Orders | Cerrarás la puerta ahora mismo | You will close the door right now. |
| Recommendations | Un buen medico te ayudará. | A good doctor will help you. |
| Warnings | Si no bajas las escaleras despacio, tropezarás. | If you do not go down the stairs slowly, you will trip. |
| Requests | ¿Me traerás un café? | Will you bring me a coffee? |
| Predictions | La bolsa subirá el mes que viene | The stock market go up next month. |
| Categorical statements | El agua hervirá a cien grados. | Water will boil at one hundred degrees. |
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FAQs
How to use the future tense with regular verbs?
When forming the Futuro Simple in Spanish with regular verbs, these will maintain their infinitive endings and a specific pattern of endings is added.
Said specific endings are the same for all three verb conjugations (-ar, -er and -ir).
To conjugate regular verbs in the future tense, attach the corresponding endings below to the infinitive form of the verb (-ar, -er and -ir).
Yo: -é
Tú: -ás
Él/Ella/Usted: -á
Nosotros/as: -emos
Vosotros/as: -éis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -án
How to use the future tense with irregular verbs?
In Spanish, some verbs in the Futuro Simple tense have an irregular stem, although they use the same set of endings as the simple future regular verbs (-ar, -er and -ir).
The stems of these irregular verbs in the simple future tense in Spanish undergo a spelling change while following the regular pattern of conjugations of the regular verbs of the future tense.
These are some of the most common irregular simple future tense stems:
decir (to say): dir-
hacer (to do/to make): har-
poder (to be able to): 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-
When to use the future tense in Spanish?
The use of the Futuro Simple tense in Spanish allows for a varied range of contexts, aside from expressing future actions per se.
Aside from expressing future actions, the simple future tense in Spanish also serves other multiple functions to include a wide range of speech actions, such as to make, give or express:
• promises
• expressions of encouragement
• threats
• orders
• recommendations
• warnings
• requests
• predictions or categorical statements
How to use the past tense in Spanish?
Conjugating verbs in the past tense in Spanish will depend on the type of verb:
Regular verb (-ar verbs, -er verbs, -ir verbs.) or irregular verb.
Each will have different endings, so you need to learn them.
Check out our lesson on Spanish past tense here.
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