Simple Future in Spanish

The simple future is a verb tense that helps us express actions or events that will happen in the future. This tense is very useful in Spanish, as it allows us to talk about plans, predictions, and promises.

In this article, we will learn what the simple future is, how it is formed, some special cases, and the common mistakes you can avoid. Let’s get started!

What is the Simple Future?

The simple future is a verb tense that we use in Spanish to express actions or facts that are going to happen later. It is also useful for making predictions, expressing assumptions, or even giving orders.

It is easy to use and very common in everyday communication in this language. Examples of sentences in the simple future:

• Mañana estudiaré para el examen. (Tomorrow I will study for the exam.) (plan)
• El tren llegará a las ocho. (The train will arrive at eight.) (future fact)
• Nosotros veremos esa película el viernes. (We will see that movie on Friday.) (plan)
• Seguramente lloverá esta noche. (It will surely rain tonight.) (prediction)
• Conseguirás el trabajo, ¡tienes talento! (You will get the job, you have talent!) (certainty/prediction)

As you can see, the simple future is useful not only for talking about many things that have not happened yet, but also about that we believe will happen.

How to Form the Simple Future in Spanish

The simple future in Spanish is quite easy to form. To conjugate a verb in the simple future, we simply take the verb in its infinitive form (such as hablar, comer, or vivir) and add the future endings.

The best part of this verb tense is that the same ending applies to all infinitive verbs that end in -ar, -er, and -ir.

Structure of the Simple Future

Examples with Regular Verbs:

-ar Verbs:

Example with the verb hablar (speak): Yo hablaré, tú hablarás, él/ella hablará, nosotros hablaremos, vosotros hablaréis, ellos/ellas hablarán. (I will speak, you will speak, he/she will speak, we will speak, you all will speak, they will speak.)

Examples of verbs in the simple future with -ar ending:

• Yo hablaré con el profesor mañana. (I will talk with the teacher tomorrow.)
• Tú hablarás con tus amigos el fin de semana. (You will talk with your friends on the weekend.)
• Ella hablará sobre el tema en la reunión. (She will talk about the topic in the meeting.)
• Nosotros hablaremos de nuestros planes. (We will talk about our plans.)
• Ellos hablarán con sus padres más tarde. (They will talk with their parents later.)

-er Verbs:

Example with the verb comer (eat): Yo comeré, tú comerás, él/ella comerá, nosotros comeremos, vosotros comeréis, ellos/ellas comerán. (I will eat, you will eat, he/she will eat, we will eat, you all will eat, they will eat.)

Examples of verbs in the simple future with -er ending:

• Yo comeré pizza esta noche. (I will eat pizza tonight.)
• Tú comerás en casa mañana. (You will eat at home tomorrow.)
• Él comerá algo ligero antes de ir. (He will eat something light before going.)
• Nosotros comeremos juntos el viernes. (We will eat together on Friday.)
• Ellos comerán después de la fiesta. (They will eat after the party.)

-ir Verbs:

Example with the verb vivir (live): Yo viviré, tú vivirás, él/ella vivirá, nosotros viviremos, vosotros viviréis, ellos/ellas vivirán. (I will live, you will live, he/she will live, we will live, you all will live, they will live.)

Examples of verbs in the simple future with -ir ending:

• Yo viviré en España el próximo año. (I will live in Spain next year.)
• Tú vivirás cerca de tu trabajo. (You will live near your work.)
• Ella vivirá en el centro de la ciudad. (She will live in the city center.)
• Nosotros viviremos en una casa nueva. (We will live in a new house.)
• Ellos vivirán juntos después de la boda. (They will live together after the wedding.)

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Special Cases and Exceptions in the Simple Future

There are some verbs in Spanish that do not follow the normal conjugation rules in the simple future. These are irregular verbs, and instead of using the complete form of the verb, we use them with a small modification in their root.

Next, we will look at the most common irregular verbs in the simple future.

Irregular Verbs in the Simple Future

Tener (to have): yo tendré, tú tendrás, él/ella tendrá, nosotros tendremos, vosotros tendréis, ellos/ellas tendrán. (I will have, you will have, he/she will have, we will have, you all will have, they will have.)

• Yo tendré tiempo mañana. (I will have time tomorrow.)
• Tú tendrás una reunión temprano. (You will have an early meeting.)
• Él tendrá un examen difícil. (He will have a difficult exam.)
• Nosotros tendremos una cena especial. (We will have a special dinner.)
• Ellos tendrán vacaciones pronto. (They will have vacation soon.)

Hacer (to do): yo haré, tú harás, él/ella hará, nosotros haremos, vosotros haréis, ellos/ellas harán. (I will do/make, you will do/make, he/she will do/make, we will do/make, you all will do/make, they will do/make.)

• Yo haré la tarea después. (I will do the homework later.)
• Tú harás un buen trabajo. (You will do a good job.)
• Ella hará el almuerzo mañana. (She will make lunch tomorrow.)
• Nosotros haremos ejercicio en la tarde. (We will exercise in the afternoon.)
• Ellos harán un viaje este verano. (They will take a trip this summer.)

Poder (to be able/can): yo podré, tú podrás, él/ella podrá, nosotros podremos, vosotros podréis, ellos/ellas podrán. (I will be able, you will be able, he/she will be able, we will be able, you all will be able, they will be able.)

• Yo podré ir a la fiesta. (I will be able to go to the party.)
• Tú podrás hacerlo. (You will be able to do it.)
• Él podrá estudiar tranquilo. (He will be able to study peacefully.)
• Nosotros podremos descansar. (We will be able to rest.)
• Ellos podrán viajar pronto. (They will be able to travel soon.)

Venir (to come): yo vendré, tú vendrás, él/ella vendrá, nosotros vendremos, vosotros vendréis, ellos/ellas vendrán. (I will come, you will come, he/she will come, we will come, you all will come, they will come.)

• Yo vendré a la fiesta. (I will come to the party.)
• Tú vendrás al almuerzo. (You will come to lunch.)
• Ella vendrá en taxi. (She will come by taxi.)
• Nosotros vendremos temprano. (We will come early.)
• Ellos vendrán juntos. (They will come together.)

Saber (to know): yo sabré, tú sabrás, él/ella sabrá, nosotros sabremos, vosotros sabréis, ellos/ellas sabrán. (I will know, you will know, he/she will know, we will know, you all will know, they will know.)

• Yo sabré la respuesta mañana. (I will know the answer tomorrow.)
• Tú sabrás más cuando estudies. (You will know more when you study.)
• Él sabrá el resultado pronto. (He will know the result soon.)
• Nosotros sabremos la fecha exacta. (We will know the exact date.)
• Ellos sabrán qué hacer. (They will know what to do.)

Common Mistakes with the Simple Future and How to Avoid Them

Here are some common mistakes that beginner students often make when using the simple future in Spanish, along with tips to help you avoid them:

Confusing the Simple Future with the Present

Sometimes, the context may lead us to think we should use the present tense, but in specific future situations, it is always correct to use the future tense.

• Incorrect: Mañana hablo con él. (Tomorrow I talk with him.)
• Correct: Mañana hablaré con él. (Tomorrow I will talk with him.)

Forgetting the Irregular Root in Irregular Verbs

As mentioned before, it is important to memorize the irregular verbs, as they do not follow the same conjugation rules as regular verbs.

• Incorrect: Yo no teneré tiempo.
• Correct: Yo no tendré tiempo. (I will not have time.)

Using the Wrong Ending

Remember that all endings in simple future tense are the same for verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir.

• Incorrect: Nosotros vivirámos en otra ciudad. 
• Correct: Nosotros viviremos en otra ciudad. (We will live in another city.)

Adding “voy a” When It Is Not Necessary

In sentences in the simple future, we do not need to include the verb “ir.”

• Incorrect: Voy a haceré la tarea. (I am going to will do the homework.)
• Correct: Haré la tarea. (I will do the homework.)

Using the Simple Future Instead of the Conditional

For hypotheses or unlikely situations, we use the conditional.

• Incorrect: Si fuera rico, compraré una casa. (If I were rich, I will buy a house.)
• Correct: Si fuera rico, compraría una casa. (If I were rich, I would buy a house.)

Practicing these details will help improve your use of the simple future in Spanish.

Summary

The simple future is essential for expressing events, promises, and predictions in Spanish. Reviewing this verb tense through the Promova app will allow you to speak confidently about what you plan to do or what you expect to happen.

Keep practicing, and you will see how your fluency in Spanish will quickly improve!