Future Tense in Spanish | Conjugation & Examples
The future tense in Spanish is used similarly to the future tense in English to express actions that will happen in the future.
Unlike the present tense in Spanish, the simple future tense is conjugated the same for verbs ending in “-ar,” “-er,” and “-ir.”
| Subject | Verb ending |
|---|---|
| Yo | -é |
| Tú | -ás |
| El, ella, usted | -á |
| Nosotros | -emos |
| Vosotros | -éis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | -án |
Nosotros comeremos en un restaurante. [We will eat in a restaurant.]
Nosotros viviremos en España en el futuro. [We will live in Spain in the future.]
To use the future tense in Spanish in the negative, add a “no” in front of the verb. To form questions, invert the subject-verb order and surround the sentence with “¿” and “?”
Nosotros no comeremos en un restaurante. [We will not eat in a restaurant.]
¿Vivirán en España en el futuro? [Will they live in Spain in the future?]
Future tense conjugation in Spanish
Similar to the future in English, the future tense in Spanish can be expressed by using:
- The simple future (e.g., “hablaré” or “I will speak”)
- The informal future (e.g., “voy a hablar” or “I’m going to speak”).
The simple future tense in Spanish
The simple future (“el futuro” in Spanish) is a verb tense of the indicative mood used to talk about future events.
To conjugate verbs in the future tense in Spanish, add the appropriate verb ending to the infinitive form.
| Subject | Verb ending | Example with “hablar”
[“to speak”] |
Example with “comer”
[“to eat”] |
Example with “vivir”
[“to live”] |
| Yo [“I”] | -é | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| Tú [“you,” informal] | -ás | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| Usted [“you,” formal] | -á | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| El, ella [“he,” “she”] | -á | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| Nosotros or nosotras [“we”] | -emos | hablaremos
|
comeremos | viviremos |
| Vosotros or nosotras [“you,” informal] | –éis | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| Ustedes [“you,” formal] | -án | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
| Ellos, ellas [”they”] | -án | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
¿Comerás paella en Valencia? [Will you eat paella in Valencia?]
Carla vivirá mejor en Canadá. [Carla will live better in Canada.]
The informal future in Spanish
The informal future in Spanish is also called the periphrastic future (el futuro perifrástico). It expresses that you are “going to” do something (e.g., “I’m going to read”).
To use it, you need:
- The verb “ir” [“to go”], conjugated in the present
- The preposition “a” [“to”]
- The infinitive form of the main verb
Here, “ir” works as an auxiliary verb, “helping” to express the main action. Since you conjugate “ir,” you do not have to conjugate the main verb.
| Subject | “Ir” in the present tense | Example with infinitive | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo [“I”] | voy | Voy a hablar | I’m going to speak |
| Tú [“you,” informal] | vas | Vas a comer | You’re going to eat |
| Usted [“you,” formal] | va | Va a vivir | You’re going to live |
| El, ella [“he,” “she”] | va | Va a estudiar | He or she is going to study |
| Nosotros or nosotras [“we”] | vamos | Vamos a aprender | We are going to learn |
| Vosotros or nosotras [“you,” informal] | vais | Vais a dormir | You’re going to sleep |
| Ustedes [“you,” formal] | van | Van a estar | They’re going to be |
| Ellos, ellas [”they”] | van | Van a ir | They’re going to go |
Vamos a estudiar para el examen en casa de Lucas. [We’re going to study for the exam at Lucas’s house.]
Vais a dormir en la casa de la abuela esta noche. [You’re going to sleep at grandma’s house tonight.]
That said, sometimes you should include them if your meaning isn’t clear from the verb alone.
For example, “va a estudiar” could mean “él,” “ella,” “Sofia,” etc. To specify, you can add the name or pronoun (e.g., “Sofia va a estudiar” or “él va a estudiar”) so that there’s no doubt.
Irregular future tense verbs in Spanish
Like English, Spanish has regular and irregular verbs. Irregular verbs do not follow conjugation patterns. When conjugated in the future tense in Spanish, irregular verbs usually undergo a stem change.
There are many irregular verbs in Spanish, and some commonly used verbs are irregular in the future.
| Subject | Decir
[“to say”] |
Poner
[“to put”] |
Querer
[“to want”] |
Saber
[“to know”] |
Tener
[“to have”] |
Venir
[“to come”] |
| Yo | diré | pondré | querré | sabré | tendré | vendré |
| Tú | dirás | pondrás | querrás | sabrás | tendrás | vendrás |
| El, ella, usted | dirá | pondrá | querrá | sabrá | tendrá | vendrá |
| Nosotros | diremos | pondremos | querremos | sabremos | tendremos | vendremos |
| Vosotros | diréis | pondréis | querréis | sabréis | tendréis | vendréis |
| Ellos, ellas, ustedes | dirán | pondrán | querrán | sabrán | tendrán | vendrán |
Los niños querrán croquetas para cenar. [The children will want croquettes for dinner.]
En una semana, tendremos nuestro nuevo perro. [In a week, we’ll have our new dog.]
- Ir [to go]
- Ser [to be]
- Estar [to be]
- Dormir [to sleep]
For example, “I sleep” in the present tense is “yo duermo,” with a stem change. However, in the future, it’s “yo dormiré,” with no stem change.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you conjugate Spanish verbs correctly, regardless of tense and regularity.
When to use the Spanish future tense
In general, use the informal future when referring to certain actions happening in the near future. Use the simple future to refer to events that aren’t certain or that will happen farther ahead in the future.
| Reason | Future tense | Example sentence | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actions happening very soon | Informal | Voy a salir en cinco minutos. | I’m leaving in five minutes. |
| Actions you’re certain will happen | Informal | Vamos a cenar este finde con los vecinos. | We’re going to have dinner with the neighbors this weekend. |
| In colloquial, informal speech | Informal | ¿Qué vas a hacer este finde? | What are you going to do this weekend? |
| Intentions for the future | Simple | Dentro de diez años, viajaré por todo el mundo. | In ten years, I’ll travel the world. |
| Assumptions and predictions about the future | Simple | No aprobarán el examen. | They won’t pass the exam. |
| Speculations in the present | Simple | La tienda está cerrada. Será porque es festivo. | The store is closed. It must be because it’s a holiday. |
| Promises or solemn commitments | Simple | Prometo que nunca te abandonaré. | I promise I will never abandon you. |
| Formal commands (often with “shall”) | Simple | El consejo publicará los resultados de la votación en el sitio web oficial. | The council shall publish the voting results on its official website. |
| First conditional (likely conditions and their probably results) | Simple | Si llueve mañana, no iremos a la playa. | If it rains tomorrow, we won’t go to the beach. |
For example:
Frequently asked questions about future tense in Spanish
- What is hacer in the future tense in Spanish?
-
“Hacer” [“to make” or “to do”] in the future tense in Spanish is an irregular verb. The infinitive undergoes a stem change:
- Yo haré
- Tú harás
- El, ella, or usted hará
- Nosotros haremos
- Vosotros haréis
- Ellos, ellas, or ustedes harán
In Spanish, subject pronouns are optional. For example, both “nosotros haremos” and “haremos” mean “we will do/make.”
Make sure you conjugate verbs in Spanish correctly with a QuillBot Grammar Check.
- What is tener in the future tense in Spanish?
-
“Tener” [“to have”] in the future tense in Spanish is irregular; change the “e” in the infinitive to a “d” in the future tense:
- Yo tendré
- Tú tendrás
- El, ella, or usted tendrá
- Nosotros tendremos
- Vosotros tendréis
- Ellos, ellas, or ustedes tendrán
Personal pronouns are optional in Spanish. For example, both “vosotros tendréis” and “tendréis” mean “you will have.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check will make sure you conjugate “tener” and other Spanish verbs correctly.
- What is ir in the future tense in Spanish?
-
“Ir” [“to go”] is a regular verb in the future tense in Spanish, despite being irregular in other tenses.
To conjugate it, add the future tense verb endings on to the infinitive:
- Yo iré
- Tú irás
- El, ella, or usted irá
- Nosotros iremos
- Vosotros iréis
- Ellos, ellas, or ustedes irán
In Spanish, personal pronouns are optional. For example, both “irás” and “tú irás” mean “you will go.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you conjugate “ir” and other verbs correctly in Spanish.
- What is venir in the future tense in Spanish?
-
“Venir” [“to come”] is an irregular verb. “Venir” in the future tense in Spanish takes a “d” in place of the “i” in the infinitive:
- Yo vendré
- Tú vendrás
- El, ella, or usted vendrá
- Nosotros vendremos
- Vosotros vendréis
- Ellos, ellas, or ustedes vendrán
Subject pronouns are optional in Spanish. For example, both “vendré” and “yo vendré” mean “I will come.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you correctly conjugate the future tense in Spanish.
- What are the future tense endings in Spanish?
-
The future tense verb endings in Spanish are added to the end of the infinitive.
Future tense endings in Spanish Subject Ending Yo -é Tú -ás Él, ella, usted -á Nosotros -emos Vosotros -éis Ellos, ellas, ustedes -án For example, “comeré” means “I will eat,” from the verb “comer,” which means eat in Spanish.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can make sure you conjugate the future tense in Spanish correctly.
