The Future Tense

The future tense is used in Spanish when referring to events that will occur in the future (obviously!). Most elementary Spanish students usually delve into the use of future tenses by learning the following format:

ir + a + infinitve verb

So, using this formula, we could say "Fernando va a bailar con Miranda."

Now, this means "Fernando is going to dance with Miranda." That's great, and a subtle difference in meaning can occur when we replace that basic "ir + a" formula. Instead, we could express this statement as "Fernando will dance with Miranda." Not much of a difference in meaning, surely, but nevertheless utilized in the Spanish language.

A lot of times, Spanish speakers will simply conjugate the verb in the present tense if there is a unit of time associated:

"Roberto me ayuda el sábado."
"Robert will help me on Saturday."

Spanish speakers also love to use the future tense to describe surprise, wonder, or conjecture. Suppose there is a knock on the door? One might wonder, "Who is that?" or "Who could that be?" Well, using the Spanish verb estar (to be), we can express this in a nice, concise sentence utilizing the future tense:

"¿Quién estará a la puerta?"

To form the future tense, you don't really have to have a Master's degree. Just take the infinitive of the verb you want, and add the correct suffix that associates to the corresponding conjugation. For the verb hablar to talk, it is conjugated to the future tense as follows:

Yo hablaré. I will talk.
Tú hablarás. You will talk.
El, ella, Ud. hablará. He, she, You(formal) will talk.
Nosotros hablaremos. We will talk.
Vosotros hablaráis. You all will talk.
Ellos, ellas, Uds. hablarán. They will talk.


Now, the following verbs have irregular bases when forming the future tense, most likely because they are common verbs and frequently used:

poner (to put) pondr-
salir (to leave) saldr-
poder (to be able to) podr-
venir (to come) vendr-
querer (to want) querr-
decir (to say, to tell) dir-
tener (to have) tendr-
saber (to know) sabr-

Here are some examples:

Yo podré verte este fin de semana. I will be able to see you this weekend.
Tú tendrás que revisar la computadora. You will have to check the computer.
Nosotros vendremos a la fiesta a las 3. We will come to the party at 3.


Practice these conjugations, but don't panic if you don't get the hang of it right away. It'll take a little getting used to.

¡Sigue estudiando!

Professor Joel