Future Tense
There are two common ways to express future plans in Spanish:
- Simple Future Tense
- “Ir a + infinitive”
1. Simple Future Tense
This tense is more formal and used for plans, predictions, and promises. It’s also used when you’re fairly certain about something happening in the future.
- Formation:
Take the infinitive form of the verb and add the following endings:- -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án
| Subject | Example: Hablar (to speak) |
|---|---|
| Yo | hablaré |
| Tú | hablarás |
| Él/Ella/Usted | hablará |
| Nosotros/as | hablaremos |
| Vosotros/as | hablaréis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | hablarán |
- Examples:
- Estudiaré mañana. (I will study tomorrow.)
- Iremos al cine el sábado. (We will go to the cinema on Saturday.)
- ¿Hablarás con ella? (Will you speak with her?)
2. “Ir a + infinitive”
This construction is more common in spoken Spanish and is often used to talk about immediate or planned actions. It’s equivalent to “going to + verb” in English.
- Formation:
Conjugate the verb ir (to go) in the present tense, add “a,” and then the infinitive form of the main verb.
| Subject | Conjugation of Ir | Example: Hablar |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a hablar | (I am going to speak) |
| Tú | vas a hablar | (You are going to speak) |
| Él/Ella/Usted | va a hablar | (He/She/You are going to speak) |
| Nosotros/as | vamos a hablar | (We are going to speak) |
| Vosotros/as | vais a hablar | (You all are going to speak) |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | van a hablar | (They/You all are going to speak) |
- Examples:
- Voy a estudiar mañana. (I am going to study tomorrow.)
- Vamos a viajar a México en enero. (We are going to travel to Mexico in January.)
- ¿Vas a llamarme más tarde? (Are you going to call me later?)
Comparison
Simple Future: Hará frío en invierno. (It will be cold in winter.)
- A general prediction based on knowledge about winter.
Ir a + Infinitive: Va a hacer frío mañana. (It’s going to be cold tomorrow.)
- There’s likely evidence of cold weather tomorrow, like a weather report.
Certainty/Formality:
The simple future feels more formal and certain.
“Ir a + infinitive” feels more casual and immediate.
Simple Future Tense: é, -ás, -á, -emos, -án
Ir a + infinitive: voy, vas, va, vamos, van
In Mexican Spanish, “ir a + infinitive” is by far the most common way to talk about the future in casual, everyday speech.
Spanish tends to favor “ir a + infinitive” in everyday speech for both casual future intentions and predictions based on evidence. The simple future is often seen as more formal or literary in comparison.
For someone focusing on conversational Spanish, “ir a + infinitive” will cover the majority of future expressions you’ll need in daily life. It’s the go-to form for casual, everyday speech, especially in Latin America.
The simple future is worth knowing, even if you won’t use it as often. It does appear in news reports or formal contexts.