- Master the formation of the simple future tense by adding endings to the infinitive
- Learn the common irregular future stems like tendr-, har-, and dir-
- Understand the different uses: future events, predictions, probability, and soft commands
- Recognise the difference between simple future and ir + a + infinitive (immediate future)
- Practice using future tense with time expressions like mañana, la próxima semana, and en el futuro
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Simple Future Tense: Will Do, Will Be
What You'll Learn
Overview / Usage
The simple future tense expresses actions that will happen in the future. It's formed by adding endings directly to the infinitive - making it one of the easiest Spanish tenses to conjugate!
🔮 Simple Future: What Will Happen
The simple future describes actions that will take place in the future, makes predictions, expresses probability, and can soften commands.
English Examples:
"I will travel next year"
"She will be happy"
"It will probably rain"
"I will travel next year"
"She will be happy"
"It will probably rain"
Spanish Examples:
"Viajaré el año que viene"
"Ella estará feliz"
"Probablemente lloverá"
"Viajaré el año que viene"
"Ella estará feliz"
"Probablemente lloverá"
💡 Simple Future vs Immediate Future
Simple Future (hablaré): More formal, distant future, predictions
Immediate Future (voy a hablar): More common in speech, near future, plans
Structure & Formation
📋 Simple Future Formation
Simple Future = Infinitive + Endings
Unlike most tenses, the simple future adds endings directly to the complete infinitive form (hablar, comer, vivir). The same set of endings works for ALL regular verbs, regardless of their infinitive ending!
Future Tense Endings (All Verbs)
-é-ás-á-emos-éis-án
🔑 Key Pattern Points:
- All endings have accent marks - every single one!
- Same endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs - no need to memorise three sets
- Use the full infinitive as the stem (hablar → hablaré, comer → comeré)
- Very predictable - only 12 common irregular verbs change the stem
📊 Complete Future Conjugation Tables
-AR Verbs: hablar (to speak)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo hablaré I will speak | nosotros hablaremos we will speak |
tú hablarás you will speak | vosotros hablaréis you all will speak |
él/ella hablará he/she will speak | ellos/ellas hablarán they will speak |
-ER Verbs: comer (to eat)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo comeré I will eat | nosotros comeremos we will eat |
tú comerás you will eat | vosotros comeréis you all will eat |
él/ella comerá he/she will eat | ellos/ellas comerán they will eat |
-IR Verbs: vivir (to live)
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo viviré I will live | nosotros viviremos we will live |
tú vivirás you will live | vosotros viviréis you all will live |
él/ella vivirá he/she will live | ellos/ellas vivirán they will live |
⚠️ Irregular Future Stems
Only 12 common verbs have irregular stems in the future tense. They keep the regular endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) but change the stem.
Three Patterns for Irregular Stems:
1. Drop vowel, add -dr-
tener → tendr-
poner → pondr-
venir → vendr-
salir → saldr-
valer → valdr-
poner → pondr-
venir → vendr-
salir → saldr-
valer → valdr-
2. Drop vowels entirely
hacer → har-
decir → dir-
caber → cabr-
decir → dir-
caber → cabr-
3. Completely irregular
poder → podr-
saber → sabr-
querer → querr-
haber → habr-
saber → sabr-
querer → querr-
haber → habr-
📊 Common Irregular Future Tables
tener (to have)
Stem: tendr-
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo tendré I will have | nosotros tendremos we will have |
tú tendrás you will have | vosotros tendréis you all will have |
él/ella tendrá he/she will have | ellos/ellas tendrán they will have |
hacer (to do/make)
Stem: har-
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo haré I will do/make | nosotros haremos we will do/make |
tú harás you will do/make | vosotros haréis you all will do/make |
él/ella hará he/she will do/make | ellos/ellas harán they will do/make |
poder (to be able to)
Stem: podr-
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
yo podré I will be able to | nosotros podremos we will be able to |
tú podrás you will be able to | vosotros podréis you all will be able to |
él/ella podrá he/she will be able to | ellos/ellas podrán they will be able to |
All Irregular Future Stems:
poner
to put
Stem: pondr-
yo pondré
salir
to leave
Stem: saldr-
yo saldré
venir
to come
Stem: vendr-
yo vendré
decir
to say
Stem: dir-
yo diré
querer
to want
Stem: querr-
yo querré
saber
to know
Stem: sabr-
yo sabré
valer
to be worth
Stem: valdr-
yo valdré
caber
to fit
Stem: cabr-
yo cabré
haber
to have (aux)
Stem: habr-
yo habré
Examples
🎯 Uses of the Simple Future
1️⃣ Future Events
Mañana hablaré con ella
Tomorrow I will speak with her
El año que viene viajaremos a España
Next year we will travel to Spain
2️⃣ Predictions
Será un buen día
It will be a good day
Creo que lloverá esta noche
I think it will rain tonight
3️⃣ Probability/Conjecture
¿Dónde está Juan? Estará en casa
Where's Juan? He's probably at home
Serán las tres
It must be three o'clock
4️⃣ Soft Commands
No matarás
Thou shalt not kill
Harás tu tarea ahora
You will do your homework now
🕐 Future Time Expressions
These time expressions often signal that you should use the simple future tense:
mañana
tomorrow
Mañana estudiaré
la próxima semana
next week
La próxima semana viajaré
el año que viene
next year
El año que viene me graduaré
en el futuro
in the future
En el futuro viviré allí
dentro de...
in... (time)
Dentro de dos horas llegaré
algún día
someday
Algún día lo entenderé
📖 Story in the Future
El próximo verano visitaré a mi familia
Next summer I will visit my family
Pasaremos dos semanas en la playa
We will spend two weeks at the beach
Mis hermanos vendrán también
My siblings will come too
Haremos muchas actividades juntos
We will do many activities together
Será un verano inolvidable
It will be an unforgettable summer
Después volveré al trabajo
Then I will return to work
Gotchas / Common Mistakes
❌ Don't Forget the Accent Marks
ALL future endings need accent marks - no exceptions!
Wrong: hablare, comeras, vivira
Correct: hablaré, comerás, vivirá
💡 Simple Future vs Ir + a + Infinitive
Simple Future (hablaré): More formal, distant future, predictions
Algún día hablaré perfectamente
Someday I will speak perfectly
Ir + a (voy a hablar): More common, immediate plans
Ahora voy a hablar con él
Now I'm going to speak with him
✅ Memorize the 12 Irregular Stems
Only 12 verbs have irregular stems - all keep regular endings!
Drop e/i, add -dr-: tener, poner, venir, salir, valer
Drop vowels: hacer, decir, caber
Irregular: poder, saber, querer, haber
Drop vowels: hacer, decir, caber
Irregular: poder, saber, querer, haber
🎯 Future of Probability
The future tense can express probability or conjecture about the present:
¿Qué hora es? Serán las tres
What time is it? It must be three (I suppose)
¿Dónde está María? Estará en casa
Where's María? She's probably at home
Quick Test / Mini Quiz
📝 Interactive Simple Future Quiz
Test your knowledge of Spanish simple future tense - regular and irregular forms!
1
🗣️ How do you say 'I will speak' in Spanish?
2
🎯 What's the correct future form: 'We will eat'?
3
⚡ Which is the correct irregular future: 'I will have'?
4
🔮 Choose the correct translation: 'She will be happy'
5
📅 What's the future form: 'They will come tomorrow'?
6
🎬 Which sentence uses the future of probability correctly?
7
🏃 What's the correct form: 'I will make' (hacer)?
8
💬 Choose: 'You will be able to do it' (tú, poder)
Useful Resources
Coming soon...