Learn how to use the future tense in Spanish
Learning how to express the future in Spanish opens up all kinds of conversations—talking about plans, dreams, predictions, or what you’re going to eat for dinner tonight. In English we mostly rely on "will" and "going to," but in Spanish, the future tense has its own structure and patterns. There are also multiple ways to express the future depending on the situation, just like in English.
When I was learning Spanish, I found it helpful to first learn the actual future tense (futuro simple), but also recognize that native speakers often use the present tense and "ir + a + infinitive" to talk about future events. Let’s break it all down and give you plenty of examples to practice with.
Forming the Simple Future in Spanish
In the simple future tense (futuro simple), regular verbs all use the same set of endings, which are added to the **infinitive** form of the verb. That means you don’t drop the -ar, -er, or -ir endings first. Easy, right?
Here are the endings for regular verbs: é, ás, á, emos, éis, án
Let’s look at the conjugations for three regular verbs: hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), and vivir (to live).
Hablar (to speak)
| Subject | Hablar |
|---|---|
| Yo | hablaré |
| Tú | hablarás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hablará |
| Nosotros | hablaremos |
| Vosotros | hablaréis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablarán |
Comer (to eat)
| Subject | Comer |
|---|---|
| Yo | comeré |
| Tú | comerás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | comerá |
| Nosotros | comeremos |
| Vosotros | comeréis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | comerán |
Vivir (to live)
| Subject | Vivir |
|---|---|
| Yo | viviré |
| Tú | vivirás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | vivirá |
| Nosotros | viviremos |
| Vosotros | viviréis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | vivirán |
Irregular Verbs
Some verbs don’t follow the regular pattern and have irregular stems, but they still use the same future endings. Here are a few:
decir → diré, dirás, dirá, etc.
tener → tendré, tendrás, tendrá, etc.
hacer → haré, harás, hará, etc.
salir → saldré, saldrás, saldrá, etc.
Other Ways to Express the Future
1. Ir + a + infinitive: This is often used in spoken Spanish and works like “going to” in English.
Voy a estudiar esta noche. (I’m going to study tonight.)
2. Present Tense with Future Meaning: Sometimes, the present tense is used for something happening in the near future.
Mañana viajamos a Ciudad de México. (We’re traveling to Mexico City tomorrow.)
Common Future-Time Expressions
- mañana – tomorrow
- la próxima semana – next week
- el año que viene – next year
- en el futuro – in the future
- más tarde – later
Practice Makes Progress
Try forming your own sentences about what you plan to do tomorrow or next week. Use both the simple future and “ir + a + infinitive.” The more you practice, the more natural it’ll feel. Keep building!
Download Lingobi to keep practicing and make future tense second nature.