The Spanish Future

Time for a look at the Spanish future - not the future of Spain, but the use of the futrue tense in Spanish. The future tense, or el futuro, is formed in two basic ways. ¡Vamos a ver!...(let's see).

The first way - also the easy way:

The future can be expressed using the verb "ir + a + infinitive", this is equal to the English expression: "to be going to". Examples:

YO VOY A TRABAJAR MAÑANA. (I am going to work tomorrow.)
TÚ VAS A ESTUDIAR ESPAÑOL. (You are going to study Spanish.)
ÉL VA A VIVIR EN ECUADOR. (He is going to live in Ecuador.)
NOSOTROS VAMOS A COMPRAR LIBROS. (We are going to buy books.)
ELLOS VAN A ENTENDER LA TRADUCCIÓN. (They are going to understand the translation.)

Note: We studied "ir + a + infinitive" (to be going to) before. Do you remember?...

The second way it is a little bit more involved because we need to conjugate the verb that we want to use. Spanish future conjugations are formed (for regular verbs) by adding the following endings to their stems: é, ás, á, emos, án. This is equal to the English "will"

Note: the same endings are used for all three groups of verbs (ar, er, ir).

Vamos a ver algunos ejemplos (Let's see some examples)...

Hablar (to speak)

Yo hablaré (I will speak)
Tú hablarás (You will speak)
Él hablará (He will speak)
Nosotros hablaremos ( We will speak)
Ellos hablarán ( They will speak)

Comer (to eat)

Yo comeré (I will eat)
Tú comerás (You will eat)
Él comerá (He will eat)
Nosotros comeremos (We will eat)
Ellos comerán (They will eat)

Escribir (to write)

Yo escribiré (I will write)
Tú escribirás (You will write)
Él escribirá (He will write)
Nosotros escribiremos (We will write)
Ellos escribirán (They will write)

Note: Remember with the Present Tense and Past Tense we needed to take away the ending of the infinitive and replace it with the new ending, but with the Future Tense of regular verbs we don't need to replace the ending we need to add it.

Examples doing it both ways:

Comprar (to buy)
Yo voy a comprar un diccionario. (I am going to buy a dictionary.)
Yo compraré un diccionario. (I will buy a dictionary.)

Cantar (to sing)
Yo voy a cantar esta noche. (I am going to sing tonight.)
Yo cantaré esta noche. (I will sing tonight.)

Volver (to comeback)
Yo voy a volver a los Estados Unidos en dos meses. (I am going to come back to the United States in two months.)
Yo volveré en dos meses. (I will come back in two months.)

Ir (to go)
Yo voy a ir al hotel (I am going to go to the hotel.)
Yo iré al hotel (I will go to the hotel.)

Note: remember that a + el = al

Note: We Spanish speakers use the first way more often that the second way.

Here are some of the most common regular verbs that will form the future by adding the endings already mentioned (é, ás, á, emos, án).

ar

bailar = to dance
buscar = to look for
cambiar = to change
cantar = to sing
cenar = to dine
cocinar = to cook
comprar = to buy
descansar= to rest
enseñar= to teach
esperar = to wait for
estudiar = to study
fumar = to smoke
hablar = to speak
invitar = to invite
lavar = to wash
llamar = to call
llevar = to carry, to wear
mandar = to send
mirar = to look at
nadar =to swim
pagar = to pay for
preparar = to prepare
tomar = to take
trabajar = to work
viajar = to travel

er

aprender = to learn
beber = to drink
comer = to eat
comprender = to understand
correr = to run
creer = to believe
leer = to read
vender = to sell
ver = to see

ir

abrir = to open
admitir= to admit
asistir = to assist or attend
compartir = to share
discutir = to discuss
escribir = to write
recibir = to receive
subir = to climb or go up
sufrir = to suffer
vivir = to live

Idioms Often Used the Spanish Future Tense

Here some words and idioms often used with the future tense:

Mañana (tomorrow)
Pasado Mañana (the day after tomorrow)
En dos semanas (in two weeks)
En tres meses (in three months)
La semana próxima / la próxima semana (next week)
El mes próximo / el próximo mes (next month)
El año próximo / el próximo año (next year)
La semana que viene (next week)
El año que viene (next year)

The next lesson will also cover the Spanish future tense, but will look at some of the irregular verbs.