Table of Contents

• What Exactly is the Spanish Future Tense?
  • When to Use the Simple Future Tense
• How to Form the Simple Future Tense
  • Regular Verb Endings
  • Irregular Verbs: The "Dirty Dozen"
• Future Tense vs. "Ir a + Infinitive"
• Let's Practice!
• Key Takeaways

Spanish Future Tense: A Complete Guide to Talking About 'Will'

Ever wondered how to talk about your grand plans for next year, what you'll do this weekend, or even just make a guess about what will happen tomorrow? In Spanish, the key to unlocking these conversations is the Simple Future Tense, or el futuro simple.

While you might already know the "going to" future (ir a + infinitive), the simple future is a sleek, powerful tool that will make you sound more natural and precise. And the best part? It's surprisingly easy to form.

In this guide, we'll break down everything you need to master the Spanish future tense. You'll learn:

• How to form it for regular verbs (it's a one-size-fits-all formula!)
• How to handle the common irregular verbs
• The different situations where you should use it
• The key difference between the simple future and ir a + infinitive

Ready to look ahead? ¡Vamos!

Planning your next big adventure in Spanish

What Exactly is the Spanish Future Tense?

The futuro simple is the tense you use to talk about actions that will happen. Think of it as the direct equivalent of "will" in English.

• Mañana estudiaré para el examen. (Tomorrow I will study for the exam.)
• Ellos viajarán a México el próximo verano. (They will travel to Mexico next summer.)

But it's not just for plans! The future tense in Spanish has a few clever uses that go beyond simply stating what's to come.

When to Use the Simple Future Tense

Here are the main scenarios where you'll want to pull out the futuro simple:

1. To Talk About Future Actions and Events This is the most straightforward use. It's for things you plan, hope, or expect to happen in the future, especially if it's not immediate.

• El año que viene, compraremos una casa nueva. (Next year, we will buy a new house.)
• La conferencia empezará a las 10 de la mañana. (The conference will start at 10 in the morning.)

2. To Make Predictions or Guesses About the Future When you're not 100% certain, but you have a good idea of what will happen.

• Creo que lloverá esta tarde. (I think it will rain this afternoon.)
• Con tanto tráfico, llegaremos tarde. (With so much traffic, we will arrive late.)

3. To Make Promises or Express Willingness When you want to commit to doing something for someone.

• No te preocupes, yo te ayudaré con la mudanza. (Don't worry, I will help you with the move.)
• Terminaré el informe antes del viernes, te lo prometo. (I will finish the report before Friday, I promise you.)

4. To Express Probability or Conjecture in the PRESENT This is a super common and clever use in Spanish that often trips up learners. You can use the future tense to say "I wonder," "probably," or "must be" about something happening right now.

• ¿Dónde están mis llaves? - No sé, estarán en la cocina. (Where are my keys? - I don't know, they're probably in the kitchen.)
• Mi amigo no contesta el teléfono. Tendrá mucho trabajo. (My friend isn't answering the phone. He must have a lot of work.)
• ¿Qué hora es? - Serán las tres. (What time is it? - It's probably three o'clock.)

Using the future tense to make educated guesses about the present or the future

How to Form the Simple Future Tense

Get ready for some good news! Forming the future tense is one of the easiest conjugations in Spanish. Why? Because the endings are the same for ALL verbs: -ar, -er, and -ir.

The formula is simple: Infinitive Verb + Future Tense Ending

You don't remove the -ar, -er, or -ir. You just tack the ending right onto the full verb.

Regular Verb Endings

Here are the only endings you need to memorize:

Pronoun	Ending
yo	-é
tú	-ás
él/ella/usted	-á
nosotros/as	-emos
vosotros/as	-éis
ellos/ellas/ustedes	-án

Let's see it in action with a verb from each category:

-AR Verb: hablarto speak

• yo hablaré
• tú hablarás
• él hablará
• nosotros hablaremos
• vosotros hablaréis
• ellos hablarán

-ER Verb: comerto eat

• yo comeré
• tú comerás
• ella comerá
• nosotros comeremos
• vosotros comeréis
• ustedes comerán

-IR Verb: vivirto live

• yo viviré
• tú vivirás
• usted vivirá
• nosotros viviremos
• vosotros viviréis
• ellas vivirán

See? It's the same pattern every time. Easy!

Irregular Verbs: The "Dirty Dozen"

Of course, Spanish wouldn't be Spanish without a few rebels. There are about 12 common verbs that are irregular in the future tense.

But here's more good news: even the irregulars are pretty regular! They all use the exact same endings we just learned. The only thing that changes is the stem of the verb before you add the ending.

Here are the verbs you need to know. We can group them to make them easier to remember.

Group 1: The vowel-droppers (The 'e' of the infinitive ending is removed)

Infinitive	Irregular Stem	Example (yo form)
poder (to be able to)	podr-	yo podré
querer (to want)	querr-	yo querré
saber (to know)	sabr-	yo sabré
haber (to have - auxiliary)	habr-	habrá (there will be)
caber (to fit)	cabr-	yo cabré

Group 2: The 'd' inserters (The vowel is replaced by a 'd')

Infinitive	Irregular Stem	Example (yo form)
poner (to put)	pondr-	yo pondré
salir (to leave)	saldr-	yo saldré
tener (to have)	tendr-	yo tendré
valer (to be worth)	valdr-	yo valdré
venir (to come)	vendr-	yo vendré

Group 3: The truly unique ones

Infinitive	Irregular Stem	Example (yo form)
decir (to say/tell)	dir-	yo diré
hacer (to do/make)	har-	yo haré

Let's look at a few full conjugations:

• Tener (to have): tendré, tendrás, tendrá, tendremos, tendréis, tendrán
  • Mañana tendré una reunión importante. (Tomorrow I will have an important meeting.)
• Hacer (to do/make): haré, harás, hará, haremos, haréis, harán
  • ¿Qué harás este fin de semana? (What will you do this weekend?)
• Decir (to say/tell): diré, dirás, dirá, diremos, diréis, dirán
  • Te diré un secreto. (I will tell you a secret.)

Discussing near-future plans with friends often involves the 'ir a' future, but the simple future is key for sophistication.

Future Tense vs. "Ir a + Infinitive"

This is one of the most common points of confusion. When do you use estudiaré and when do you use voy a estudiar? Both can be translated as "I will study" or "I am going to study."

Here's a simple breakdown:

Simple Future (e.g., comeré)	"Ir a + Infinitive" (e.g., voy a comer)
More formal, common in writing.	More common in spoken, everyday conversation.
For events further in the future.	For near-future plans and intentions.
For predictions, promises, or conjecture.	For actions that are almost certain to happen.

In the first example, "It's going to rain!", the evidence is right there. It feels immediate and certain. In the second, "It will rain tomorrow," it's a more general prediction about the future.

The good news? In many everyday situations, they are interchangeable. Spanish speakers use ir a + infinitive a lot, so when in doubt, it's a safe bet. But using the futuro simple correctly, especially for predictions and promises, will make your Spanish sound much more sophisticated.

Let's Practice!

Time to put your knowledge to the test.

Key Takeaways

¡Felicidades! You've just learned a cornerstone of the Spanish language.

Remember these key points:

• The Simple Future Tense is your go-to for "will" statements, covering everything from plans and predictions to promises.
• Formation is easy: For regular verbs, just add the endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) directly to the infinitive.
• Irregulars change their stem, not their endings. Memorize the "dirty dozen," and you're all set.
• Don't forget its special power: use the future tense to make guesses about the present ("must be," "probably").

Keep practicing, and soon you'll be talking about the future like a pro. ¡Tu español será fantástico! (Your Spanish will be fantastic!)