We can’t deny that Spanish verb tenses are hard. First of all, there are a lot of them, which makes it difficult to remember. Also, sometimes, they don’t have their equivalents in English, like what happens with the subjunctive. Luckily, this doesn’t really happen with the Spanish future tense.
In fact, the future tenses in Spanish are quite similar to English. Look at the following examples:
- Comeré paella mañana. → I will eat paella tomorrow.
- Voy a comer paella mañana. → I am going to eat paella tomorrow.
- Estaré comiendo paella mañana. → I will be eating paella tomorrow.
- Habré comido paella mañana. → I will have eaten paella tomorrow.
As you see, you can translate literally all these sentences. However, things are not always simple.
Learn here how to use the Spanish future tense to talk about either your future plans or what may happen in the future, among with other situations.
Find information below regarding the four ways we use in Spanish to talk about future events and their uses with examples and audios.
Spanish Future Tense
In Spanish, there are mainly four future tenses:
- Simple future tense
- With ir + a
- Future progressive tense
- Future perfect tense
The Simple Future Tense
The simple future tense corresponds to ‘shall’, ‘will’, ‘might’, ‘may’ in English.
We mainly use the simple future tense in four situations:
TO TALK ABOUT FUTURE PLANS
Firstly, the simple future tense is used to express actions that will happen in the immediate or remote future.
When something is happening in the near future and there is an element that indicates future time, you can also use the present tense.
EXAMPLES
- Iremos a la fiesta de cumpleaños. → We will go to the birthday party.
- Viajaré a España el año que viene. → I am traveling to Spain next year.
INTENTION OR PREDICTION
Secondly, if you are going to talk about what may happen in the future, you can use this tense too.
EXAMPLES
- Creo que lloverá esta noche. → I think it will rain tonight.
- Aprobaré el examen. → I will pass the text.
CONJECTURES, POSSIBILITIES, AND PROBABILITIES
In addition, you can use the simple future tense to talk about conjecture, possibilities, and probabilities in the present or future. Context will determine if it refers to the present or future.
EXAMPLES
- ¿Quién llamará? → I wonder who’s calling or who will call?
- Serán las tres de la tarde. → It must be 3pm or it’s probably 3pm.
TO DESCRIBE FUTURE ACTION STATED BY A CONDITION
Finally, you can also use the simple future tense in conditional sentences.
Here, the sentence that starts with ‘si’ is in the present tense and the other one, in the simple future tense.
EXAMPLES
- Si llueve, te mojarás. → If it rains, you will get wet.
- Si tengo tiempo, iré al concierto. → If I have time, I will go to the concert.
The Future With Ir + a
This form is translated as ‘to be going to’ in English.
TO TALK ABOUT THE NEAR FUTURE
When you form a sentence with ‘ir + a’ expresses actions that will happen in the near future.
EXAMPLES
- Voy a bailar mañana. → I am going to dance tomorrow.
- Va a llover. → It is going to rain.
The Future Progressive Tense
The future progressive corresponds to ‘will be -ing’ in English.
It expresses two types of actions:
EVENTS THAT WILL BE HAPPENING AT A CERTAIN TIME IN THE FUTURE
EXAMPLES
- Mañana a las 8 estaremos trabajando. → We will be working tomorrow at 8.
- A esta hora mañana estaremos viajando a España. → This time tomorrow we will be traveling to Spain.
CONJECTURES, POSSIBILITIES, AND PROBABILITIES IN THE PRESENT
EXAMPLES
- Estarán trabajando ahora. → They must be working now or they are probably working now.
- ¿Quién estará llamando? → I wonder who’s calling.
The Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect corresponds to ‘will have + past participle’, ‘must have + past participle’, ‘may have + past participle’,’might have + past participle’, ‘could have + past participle’.
You use it to talk about:
EVENT THAT WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE FUTURE
The future perfect indicates an event that will have finished before another action occurs in the future or before a particular point in the future.
EXAMPLES
- Para cuando llegue, ellos ya habrán comido. → By the time I arrive, they will already have eaten.
- Habré acabado mis clases para enero. → I will have finished my classes by January.
CONJECTURES, POSSIBILITIES, AND PROBABILITIES IN THE PAST
When we are guessing about what could have happened in the past, we use the future perfect tense.
EXAMPLES
- Ana habrá trabajado hasta tarde. → Ana must have worked until late.
- Habrá pasado algo. → Something may have happened.
Where to Practice the Spanish Future Tense
Below, you have a list of links where you will find exercises to practice the future tense in Spanish.
Conjugations
Written Practice
- Spanish Demystified – Written Practice 1 from chapter 12 (page 230).
- The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice – A, B, C, D, E, F and G from chapter 6 (pages 73-76).
Oral Practice
- Spanish Demystified – Oral Practice 1 from chapter 12 (page 230).
Quizzes
- Simple Future Regular Forms and Tenses
- Spanish Future Perfect Indicative
- Irregular Simple Future Forms
Gap Fill Exercises
- Simple future tense
- Future with ir + a
- Future Perfect tense
Everything
- Activities – Type keyword ‘future’
- Future
Others
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this post help you understand the Spanish future tense.
I advise you to practice with the examples here and try to make up some others. Also, practice with the exercises that you will find in the links mentioned above.
If you want, I can help you practice the future tenses in Spanish by using them while having a conversation during our online Spanish conversation classes.
In addition, we can practice in the comment section below by answering the following questions in Spanish:
- What are your plans for the future?
- What is the weather going to be like in your city?
- Will you be studying Spanish tomorrow at this time?
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