Spanish Future Tense: Regular and Irregular Conjugations

Introduction

The Spanish future tense is one of the most straightforward yet essential tenses for Spanish learners to master. Unlike English, which relies on auxiliary verbs like will or going to, Spanish uses simple conjugated verb forms to express future actions. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about regular and irregular future tense conjugations, helping you speak about tomorrow with confidence and accuracy.

Understanding the Spanish Future Tense

The Spanish future tense, known as futuro simple or futuro imperfecto, expresses actions that will happen in the future. This tense is remarkably user-friendly because it uses the same set of endings for all three verb groups, and the stem typically remains unchanged from the infinitive form.

The future tense serves multiple purposes beyond simply stating what will happen. It can express probability, make predictions, give commands, and even show politeness in certain contexts. Understanding these nuances will help you sound more natural when speaking Spanish.

Regular Future Tense Conjugations

Regular verbs in the future tense follow a predictable pattern that makes learning them straightforward. The beauty of Spanish future tense lies in its consistency across all three verb groups: -ar, -er, and -ir verbs all use identical endings.

Future Tense Endings

The future tense endings are added directly to the infinitive form of the verb. Here are the endings you need to memorize:

Yo: -é
Tú: -ás
Él/Ella/Usted: -á
Nosotros/Nosotras: -emos
Vosotros/Vosotras: -éis
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes: -án

Examples with -AR Verbs

Let’s look at hablar (to speak) as our first example:

Yo hablaré (I will speak)
Tú hablarás (You will speak)
Él/Ella/Usted hablará (He/She/You formal will speak)
Nosotros/Nosotras hablaremos (We will speak)
Vosotros/Vosotras hablaréis (You all will speak)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablarán (They/You all will speak)

Another common -ar verb is trabajar (to work):

Mañana trabajaré desde casa (Tomorrow I will work from home)
¿Trabajarás el fin de semana? (Will you work on the weekend?)
Ella trabajará en el nuevo proyecto (She will work on the new project)

Examples with -ER Verbs

The verb comer (to eat) demonstrates how -er verbs work in the future tense:

Yo comeré (I will eat)
Tú comerás (You will eat)
Él/Ella/Usted comerá (He/She/You formal will eat)
Nosotros/Nosotras comeremos (We will eat)
Vosotros/Vosotras comeréis (You all will eat)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comerán (They/You all will eat)

Let’s see aprender (to learn) in context:

Los estudiantes aprenderán español rápidamente (The students will learn Spanish quickly)
¿Aprenderás a tocar la guitarra? (Will you learn to play guitar?)
Nosotros aprenderemos mucho en esta clase (We will learn a lot in this class)

Examples with -IR Verbs

The verb vivir (to live) shows how -ir verbs conjugate in the future:

Yo viviré (I will live)
Tú vivirás (You will live)
Él/Ella/Usted vivirá (He/She/You formal will live)
Nosotros/Nosotras viviremos (We will live)
Vosotros/Vosotras viviréis (You all will live)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes vivirán (They/You all will live)

Here’s escribir (to write) in practical sentences:

Mañana escribiré una carta importante (Tomorrow I will write an important letter)
Los autores escribirán un nuevo libro (The authors will write a new book)
¿Escribirás tu informe esta noche? (Will you write your report tonight?)

Irregular Future Tense Conjugations

While most Spanish verbs follow the regular pattern, there are several important irregular verbs that modify their stem before adding the future tense endings. These irregularities affect the stem, but the endings remain the same as regular verbs.

Common Irregular Verbs: Drop the Vowel

Some verbs drop the final vowel from their infinitive before adding future endings. The most common ones include:

Haber (to have – auxiliary): habr-
Poder (to be able): podr-
Querer (to want): querr-
Saber (to know): sabr-

Let’s conjugate poder:

Yo podré (I will be able)
Tú podrás (You will be able)
Él/Ella/Usted podrá (He/She/You formal will be able)
Nosotros/Nosotras podremos (We will be able)
Vosotros/Vosotras podréis (You all will be able)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes podrán (They/You all will be able)

Examples in context:

Podrás terminar el proyecto a tiempo (You will be able to finish the project on time)
No podremos llegar antes de las ocho (We won’t be able to arrive before eight)
¿Podrán ustedes ayudarnos? (Will you all be able to help us?)

Common Irregular Verbs: Add Consonant

Another group of irregular verbs adds a consonant to create their future stem:

Poner (to put): pondr-
Salir (to leave): saldr-
Tener (to have): tendr-
Venir (to come): vendr-

Let’s examine tener conjugations:

Yo tendré (I will have)
Tú tendrás (You will have)
Él/Ella/Usted tendrá (He/She/You formal will have)
Nosotros/Nosotras tendremos (We will have)
Vosotros/Vosotras tendréis (You all will have)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes tendrán (They/You all will have)

Practical examples:

Tendrás que estudiar más para el examen (You will have to study more for the exam)
El próximo año tendremos más tiempo libre (Next year we will have more free time)
¿Tendrán suficiente dinero para el viaje? (Will they have enough money for the trip?)

Completely Irregular Verbs

Some verbs have completely irregular stems that must be memorized:

Decir (to say): dir-
Hacer (to do/make): har-

Let’s conjugate decir:

Yo diré (I will say)
Tú dirás (You will say)
Él/Ella/Usted dirá (He/She/You formal will say)
Nosotros/Nosotras diremos (We will say)
Vosotros/Vosotras diréis (You all will say)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes dirán (They/You all will say)

And hacer:

Yo haré (I will do/make)
Tú harás (You will do/make)
Él/Ella/Usted hará (He/She/You formal will do/make)
Nosotros/Nosotras haremos (We will do/make)
Vosotros/Vosotras haréis (You all will do/make)
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes harán (They/You all will do/make)

Examples:

Te diré la verdad mañana (I will tell you the truth tomorrow)
¿Qué harás durante las vacaciones? (What will you do during vacation?)
Ellos harán la tarea esta noche (They will do the homework tonight)

Uses of the Spanish Future Tense

The Spanish future tense has several important uses beyond simply expressing future actions. Understanding these different applications will help you use the tense more naturally and effectively.

Expressing Future Actions

The most straightforward use is to describe actions that will happen in the future:

Mañana viajaré a Barcelona (Tomorrow I will travel to Barcelona)
El próximo mes comenzaremos el nuevo proyecto (Next month we will begin the new project)
¿Estudiarás medicina el año que viene? (Will you study medicine next year?)

Expressing Probability or Supposition

The future tense can express probability or supposition about present situations:

¿Dónde estará María? Estará en casa (Where could María be? She’s probably at home)
¿Qué hora será? Serán las tres (What time could it be? It’s probably three o’clock)
Juan no contesta el teléfono. Estará ocupado (Juan isn’t answering the phone. He’s probably busy)

Making Predictions

The future tense is perfect for making predictions about what might happen:

Este año lloverá mucho en primavera (This year it will rain a lot in spring)
La economía mejorará el próximo trimestre (The economy will improve next quarter)
Los precios subirán después de las fiestas (Prices will rise after the holidays)

Giving Commands or Instructions

In formal contexts, the future tense can express commands or instructions:

No matarás (Thou shalt not kill)
Respetarás a tus mayores (You will respect your elders)
Cumplirás con tus obligaciones (You will fulfill your obligations)

Time Expressions with Future Tense

Certain time expressions frequently accompany the future tense, helping to establish when actions will occur. Learning these expressions will make your Spanish sound more natural and precise.

Common Time Expressions

Mañana (tomorrow): Mañana estudiaré para el examen (Tomorrow I will study for the exam)
Pasado mañana (day after tomorrow): Pasado mañana iremos al cine (Day after tomorrow we will go to the movies)
La próxima semana (next week): La próxima semana comenzarán las clases (Next week classes will begin)
El próximo mes (next month): El próximo mes me mudaré a otro apartamento (Next month I will move to another apartment)
El año que viene (next year): El año que viene visitaremos Europa (Next year we will visit Europe)

Specific Time References

Dentro de (within/in): Dentro de dos horas terminaré el trabajo (Within two hours I will finish the work)
En (in): En cinco minutos saldré de casa (In five minutes I will leave home)
Hasta (until): No regresaré hasta el domingo (I won’t return until Sunday)
A partir de (starting from): A partir de mañana trabajaré desde casa (Starting tomorrow I will work from home)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Learning the future tense involves avoiding several common pitfalls that many Spanish learners encounter. Being aware of these mistakes will help you use the tense more accurately.

Confusing Future with Conditional

Don’t confuse the future tense endings with conditional tense endings. The future uses -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án, while the conditional uses -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían.

Future: Comeré pizza mañana (I will eat pizza tomorrow)
Conditional: Comería pizza si tuviera hambre (I would eat pizza if I were hungry)

Forgetting Irregular Stems

Remember that irregular verbs change their stems but keep the same endings as regular verbs. Don’t say podré instead of podré, or teneré instead of tendré.

Overusing the Future Tense

In conversational Spanish, speakers often use ir a + infinitive instead of the future tense for immediate future actions. The future tense sounds more formal or distant.

More natural: Voy a comer ahora (I’m going to eat now)
More formal: Comeré ahora (I will eat now)

Regional Variations and Cultural Notes

The use of future tense varies across Spanish-speaking regions, and understanding these differences will help you communicate more effectively with native speakers from different countries.

Latin American vs. Peninsular Spanish

In most Latin American countries, the vosotros form is not used in everyday speech. Instead, ustedes serves for both formal and informal plural address. This means you’ll encounter ustedes hablarán instead of vosotros hablaréis in most of the Americas.

Preference for Ir a + Infinitive

Many Spanish speakers, particularly in Latin America, prefer using ir a + infinitive for near future actions, reserving the future tense for more distant or formal contexts.

Common: Voy a estudiar esta noche (I’m going to study tonight)
Less common: Estudiaré esta noche (I will study tonight)

Regional Vocabulary Differences

Some verbs have different meanings or usage patterns in different regions. For example, coger (to take/catch) is commonly used in Spain but avoided in many Latin American countries where it has vulgar connotations.

Practice Strategies and Learning Tips

Mastering the Spanish future tense requires consistent practice and effective learning strategies. Here are proven methods to help you internalize these conjugations and use them naturally.

Memorization Techniques

Create memory aids for irregular verbs. For example, remember that poder, saber, querer, and haber all drop their final vowel before adding future endings. Group similar patterns together to make memorization easier.

Daily Practice Exercises

Start each day by conjugating five different verbs in the future tense. Mix regular and irregular verbs to challenge yourself. Write sentences using these conjugations in contexts relevant to your daily life.

Example routine:

Monday: trabajar, poder, comer, venir, estudiar
Tuesday: hablar, tener, vivir, hacer, aprender

Contextual Learning

Practice using the future tense in real-life contexts. Make predictions about the weather, plan your weekend activities, or discuss your career goals. This contextual practice helps you remember conjugations naturally.

Reading and Listening Practice

Read Spanish news articles about future events, weather forecasts, or horoscopes. Listen to podcasts discussing upcoming events or future plans. This exposure helps you see how native speakers use the future tense naturally.

Advanced Applications

Once you’ve mastered basic future tense usage, you can explore more sophisticated applications that will elevate your Spanish proficiency.

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense combines the future tense of haber with past participles to express actions that will be completed by a certain point in the future.

Para las cinco, habré terminado el informe (By five o’clock, I will have finished the report)
Cuando llegues, ya habremos cenado (When you arrive, we will have already had dinner)

Subjunctive in Future Contexts

When expressing uncertainty about future events, Spanish often uses the subjunctive mood rather than the future tense:

No creo que llueva mañana (I don’t think it will rain tomorrow)
Es posible que vengan a la fiesta (It’s possible they will come to the party)

Formal and Academic Usage

In academic and formal writing, the future tense is preferred over ir a + infinitive. This gives your writing a more sophisticated tone:

Este estudio analizará los efectos del cambio climático (This study will analyze the effects of climate change)
Los resultados demostrarán la eficacia del nuevo tratamiento (The results will demonstrate the effectiveness of the new treatment)

Technology and Modern Usage

Modern technology has influenced how Spanish speakers use the future tense, particularly in digital communication and social media contexts.

Text Messages and Social Media

In informal digital communication, Spanish speakers often abbreviate or modify future tense forms. However, as a learner, focus on mastering the standard forms first.

Voice Assistants and AI

Spanish voice assistants typically use the future tense for responses about upcoming events or to confirm future actions:

El clima estará soleado mañana (The weather will be sunny tomorrow)
Programaré una alarma para las siete (I will set an alarm for seven)

Summary

The Spanish future tense is a fundamental grammar structure that enables you to express actions, make predictions, and communicate about upcoming events with clarity and precision. Regular verbs follow consistent patterns using the endings -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án added to the infinitive, while irregular verbs modify their stems but maintain these same endings. Mastering both regular and irregular conjugations, understanding the various uses of the future tense, and practicing with authentic contexts will significantly improve your Spanish communication skills and help you sound more natural when discussing future plans and possibilities.