{"id":143150,"date":"2024-03-04T19:19:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T00:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-future-tense\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T11:06:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T16:06:19","slug":"spanish-future-tense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-future-tense\/","title":{"rendered":"Future Tense in Spanish (Uses, Conjugations and Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The simple future tense in Spanish is formed by taking the infinitive form of the verb and adding one of the following endings to it: -\u00e9, -\u00e1s, -\u00e1, -emos, -\u00e9is<\/em> and -\u00e1n <\/em>(which ending you use depends on the subject.) However, that’s not the only way you can express the future!<\/p>\n

Keep reading for everything you need to know about the future tense in Spanish\u2014conjugations, when to use it, irregular verbs and more. Plus, you’ll find different ways to express the future in addition to the above method.
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Before we get started, if you’re pressed for time, here is your cheat sheet to the key ways of expressing the future tense in Spanish:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Type of future tense<\/th>How to form<\/th>Usage<\/th>Example sentence<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Simple future<\/td>verb in future form<\/td>To make predictions about the future, assumptions about the present or to give commands.<\/td> El pr\u00f3ximo a\u00f1o terminar\u00e9 mis estudios. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\nNext year, I will finish my studies.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Near future<\/td>ir<\/em> + a<\/em> + verb in infinitive form<\/td>To express actions that are going to be completed in the near future.<\/td> Voy a terminar mis deberes antes de la cena. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\nI'm going to finish my homework before dinner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Present tense<\/td>verb in present form<\/td>To express future actions with present tense verbs, typically in contexts like schedules or timetables.<\/td> El tren sale a las 7 de la ma\u00f1ana. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\nThe train leaves at 7 in the morning.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Future perfect<\/td>haber<\/em> in future form + past participle<\/td>To express actions that will have been completed before a certain point in the future.<\/td> Para ma\u00f1ana ya habr\u00e9 terminado el libro. <\/a>\n <\/em>
\nBy tomorrow I will have finished the book.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Let’s take a look at how these different forms work in a little more detail.<\/p>\n

The Simple Future Tense in Spanish<\/h2>\n

The future tense in Spanish is much like “will” in English. We use it to make predictions<\/strong> about the future, assumptions<\/strong> or guesses about the present\u00a0and give commands.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

Llover\u00e1<\/strong> ma\u00f1ana. <\/em>(It will rain tomorrow.)<\/p>\n

Estar\u00e1<\/strong> en la cama. <\/em>(He’ll be in bed.)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Callar\u00e1s<\/strong>! <\/em>(You will\/shall be quiet!)<\/p>\n

Most importantly, we also use it to talk about the distant future.<\/strong>\u00a0So if you want to talk about next year’s\u00a0vacation<\/a>,<\/a>\u00a0you would say:<\/p>\n

El a\u00f1o que viene iremos<\/strong> a Nueva York <\/em>(Next year we’re going to New York)<\/p>\n

Simple Future Tense Conjugation<\/h3>\n

When we talk about “the future form” in Spanish, we refer to the future simple tense.<\/p>\n

To form the future tense in Spanish, we need to take the infinitive form of the verb and add these endings to it: -\u00e9, -\u00e1s, -\u00e1, -emos, -\u00e9is<\/em> and -\u00e1n.\u00a0<\/em>Each ending corresponds to a different subject, and\u00a0are the same whether you’re using an –ar<\/em><\/strong>, –er<\/em><\/strong>, or –ir<\/em><\/strong> verb.<\/p>\n

Note that there is an accent on the first letter of every ending, except the “we” form –emos<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Endings<\/strong><\/th>Example Using Hablar<\/i><\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td>-\u00e9<\/i><\/td> Hablar\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td>-\u00e1s<\/i><\/td> Hablar\u00e1s<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td>-\u00e1<\/i><\/td> Hablar\u00e1<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td>-emos<\/i><\/td> Hablaremos<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td>-\u00e9is<\/i><\/td> Hablar\u00e9is<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td>-\u00e1n<\/i><\/td> Hablar\u00e1n<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Irregular Verbs in Simple Future Tense<\/h3>\n

Some verbs are irregular and don’t follow exactly the same pattern as above: though they use the same endings<\/strong> as the regular verbs, the stems will change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Here are some common irregular verbs that are worth learning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Infinitive Verb<\/th>Irregular Future Form<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Tener<\/i><\/td> Tendr<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Poner<\/i><\/td> Pondr<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Decir<\/i><\/td> Dir<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Querer<\/i><\/td> Querr<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hacer<\/i><\/td> Har<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Venir<\/i><\/td> Vendr<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Saber<\/i><\/td> Sabr<\/strong>\u00e9<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Other Uses of the Simple Future Tense<\/h3>\n

“If” statements.<\/strong> The simple future tense is commonly used in “if” statements. For example:<\/p>\n

Si tengo dinero suficiente, ir\u00e9<\/strong> de compras<\/em> contigo<\/em>. \u2014 If I have enough money, I will go shopping with you.<\/p>\n

Si t\u00fa te vas, el dolor me comer\u00e1<\/strong>. <\/em>\u2014 If you leave, the pain will consume (lit. eat) me. (This is a line from an Enrique Iglesias song!<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Talking about the past and present.<\/strong> Believe it or not, you can sometimes use the future tense to talk about the past and present! More specifically, it’s used to express possibility and probability about an action that’s occurring right now. For example:<\/p>\n

\u00bfAd\u00f3nde habr\u00e1 <\/b>ido\u00a0Mary?<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Where could Mary have gone\/Where has Mary gone?<\/p>\n

Ella estar\u00e1<\/strong> estudiando ahora.<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 She is probably studying right now\/She will be studying right now.<\/p>\n

Reported<\/strong> speech.<\/strong> You’ll frequently hear the Spanish future tense in reported speech\u2014like news clips, news articles, newspapers and more. For example:<\/p>\n

Ser\u00e1n<\/strong> las cinco y media cuando llegue el presidente. <\/em>\u2014 It will be 5:30 when the president arrives.<\/p>\n

Habr\u00e1n<\/strong> sido 100 a\u00f1os desde la muerte del guerrero. <\/em>\u2014 It will have been 100 years since the death of the warrior.<\/p>\n

More Ways to Talk About the Future in Spanish<\/h2>\n

Ir\u00a0<\/em>+\u00a0A + <\/em>Infinitive Future Form<\/h3>\n

Just like in English, we use the phrase “going to” when talking about things we have already planned that are typically in the near future.<\/p>\n

Vamos a ir<\/strong> de compras.<\/em> (We’re going shopping.)<\/p>\n

Voy a viajar<\/strong> a Guatemala. <\/i>(I’m going to travel to Guatemala.)<\/p>\n

So how do we make the Spanish equivalent of “going to?”<\/p>\n

It takes a simple formula:<\/p>\n

Ir\u00a0<\/em>+\u00a0a\u00a0<\/em>+ infinitive<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s an example of the formula in action, using hablar\u00a0<\/em>(to talk) as an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Ir<\/i> Conjugations<\/strong><\/th>Ir<\/i> + A<\/i> + Infinitive<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td>Voy<\/i><\/td> Voy<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td>Vas<\/i><\/td> Vas<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td>Va<\/i><\/td> Va<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td>Vamos<\/i><\/td> Vamos<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td>Vais<\/i><\/td> Vais<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td>Van<\/i><\/td> Van<\/strong> a hablar<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

As long as you use the\u00a0ir\u00a0<\/em>+\u00a0a,\u00a0<\/em>you can use this with the infinitive of any verb.<\/p>\n

Using Present Tense<\/h3>\n

You may not realize it, but we use the present tense<\/a> to talk about the future all the time in English. Think about what you would say if I asked what time you were leaving the house tomorrow.<\/p>\n

You would likely say “I’m leaving at eight” instead of “I’m going to leave at eight” or “I will leave at eight.”<\/p>\n

It’s similar in Spanish, though they tend to use the simple present tense instead of the present continuous tense<\/a> that we usually use in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Salgo<\/strong> a las ocho. <\/em>(I’m leaving at eight.)<\/p>\n

Use the present tense to talk about the future in Spanish anytime you would in English<\/strong>, usually when someone asks you in the present about something you’re planning to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Future Perfect<\/h3>\n

The future perfect tense<\/a> is used when you want to talk about something that hasn’t happened yet but will.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For this, you need to use the future indicative form of\u00a0haber\u00a0<\/em>plus the past participle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You can create the past participle of a verb by dropping the –ar, -er\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0-ir <\/em>ending and adding -ado<\/em> for ar<\/em> verbs or -ido<\/em> for er<\/em> and ir<\/em> verbs.<\/p>\n

Here is what that would look like using\u00a0hablar\u00a0<\/em>as an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Subject<\/th>Future Perfect<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Yo<\/i><\/td> Habr\u00e9 hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
T\u00fa<\/i><\/td> Habr\u00e1s hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00c9l\/Ella\/Usted<\/i><\/td> Habr\u00e1 hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nosotros<\/i><\/td> Habremos hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vosotros<\/i><\/td> Habr\u00e9is hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ellos\/Ellas\/Ustedes<\/i><\/td> Habr\u00e1n hablado<\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Here are some examples of the future perfect in use:<\/p>\n

Habremos terminado<\/strong> antes de que llegue. <\/em>(We will have finished before he arrives.)<\/p>\n

Habr\u00e9 ido<\/strong> a la universidad. <\/em>(I will have gone to college.)<\/p>\n

Useful Spanish Future Vocabulary<\/h2>\n

Here are some words you should know if you want to talk about future plans:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ma\u00f1ana <\/a>\n <\/td>Tomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pasado ma\u00f1ana <\/a>\n <\/td>The day after tomorrow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
La semana que viene <\/a>\n <\/td>Next week<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
El fin de semana que viene <\/a>\n <\/td>Next weekend<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
El mes que viene <\/a>\n <\/td>Next month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
El a\u00f1o que viene <\/a>\n <\/td>Next year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nunca <\/a>\n <\/td>Never<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Un d\u00eda <\/a>\n <\/td>One day<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

How to Practice the Spanish Future Tense<\/h2>\n

There are plenty of resources out there to help you practice Spanish grammar, including the future tenses. There are\u00a0exercises<\/a>\u00a0on the web as well as\u00a0Spanish grammar apps<\/a>\u00a0to help you learn and review.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the best way to drill these into your mind is to see how native speakers use them: Maybe you can find a Spanish-language TV series<\/a>\u00a0about time travel, or just find a copy of\u00a0The Time Machine\u00a0<\/i>in Spanish. Whatever you do, watch out for how these verbs are conjugated!<\/p>\n

You could also use an online immersion program.\u00a0FluentU<\/a>, for example, teaches Spanish through short videos about many different topics (covering the past, present, and yes, future<\/i>).

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. If you decide to sign up now, you can take advantage of our current sale!<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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