The Spanish future tense and ir a + infinitive
Spanish has two common ways to talk about the future. Voy a comer is “I’m going to eat”. Comeré is “I will eat”. Both are correct, and in everyday speech the first is used more. Below: when to use each, how to form them, the irregular verbs, and a third way that English speakers often miss, the plain present tense.
When to use ir a + infinitive
Use ir a with an infinitive for plans and intentions. Voy a llamar a mi madre esta noche is “I’m going to call my mother tonight”. ¿Qué vas a hacer el fin de semana? is “What are you going to do at the weekend?”
Use it for things that are about to happen and that you can see coming. Va a llover is “It’s going to rain”. Cuidado, te vas a caer is “Careful, you’re going to fall”.
Use it in conversation by default. If you are unsure which future to choose, ir a is almost never wrong in speech.
When to use the simple future
Use the simple future for predictions and statements about the future that are not personal plans. Mañana hará sol en el sur is “Tomorrow it will be sunny in the south”. You hear and read it constantly in weather forecasts, horoscopes and the news.
Use it for promises and firm statements. Te llamaré, te lo prometo is “I’ll call you, I promise”. No lo haré is “I won’t do it”.
Use it in formal and written Spanish. You will see it in official letters, instructions and announcements: La reunión se celebrará el martes, “The meeting will be held on Tuesday”.
Use it to guess about the present. This is the use learners miss most. ¿Dónde estará Ana? means “I wonder where Ana is”, and Serán las diez means “It must be about ten”. Here the verb is about the present, and you use the future form to show that it is a guess.
When to use the present
Use the present for scheduled events and arrangements. El tren sale a las ocho is “The train leaves at eight”. Mañana trabajo is “I’m working tomorrow”.
Use the present for offers and quick decisions where in English you say “shall” or “I’ll”. ¿Te ayudo? is “Shall I help you?” Vale, lo pido yo is “Okay, I’ll order it” in Spain. A future form here sounds stiff.
How to form ir a + infinitive
Conjugate ir in the present, add a, then the infinitive. The infinitive never changes.
| Person | ir | + a + infinitive | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | voy | voy a comer | I’m going to eat |
| tú | vas | vas a comer | you’re going to eat |
| vos | vas | vas a comer | you’re going to eat |
| él, ella, usted | va | va a comer | he, she is going to eat / you are |
| nosotros | vamos | vamos a comer | we’re going to eat |
| vosotros | vais | vais a comer | you’re going to eat (Spain) |
| ellos, ustedes | van | van a comer | they’re going to eat / you are |
Vamos a comer can also mean “let’s eat”. You tell which from the context.
Object and reflexive pronouns go before ir or on the end of the infinitive: Lo voy a comprar or Voy a comprarlo.
For the past, use iba a: Iba a llamarte, pero se me olvidó, “I was going to call you, but I forgot”.
How to form the simple future
Take the whole infinitive and add the endings. The endings are the same for -ar, -er and -ir verbs.
| Person | Ending | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| tú, vos | -ás | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| él, ella, usted | -á | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| nosotros | -emos | hablaremos | comeremos | viviremos |
| vosotros | -éis | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| ellos, ustedes | -án | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
Every form except nosotros has a written accent. Hablare without it is a different, rare form.
With vos, use the same future as with tú: vos hablarás. In Argentina the simple future is rare in speech anyway.
The irregular future stems
Twelve common verbs change the stem. The endings stay the same.
| Infinitive | Stem | yo | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tendr- | tendré | I will have |
| poner | pondr- | pondré | I will put |
| salir | saldr- | saldré | I will leave |
| venir | vendr- | vendré | I will come |
| valer | valdr- | valdré | I will be worth |
| poder | podr- | podré | I will be able to |
| saber | sabr- | sabré | I will know |
| haber | habr- | habré | I will have (auxiliary) |
| querer | querr- | querré | I will want |
| caber | cabr- | cabré | I will fit |
| decir | dir- | diré | I will say |
| hacer | har- | haré | I will do |
The future of hay is habrá, “there will be”. Verbs built on these stems follow them: mantener gives mantendré, proponer gives propondré, deshacer gives desharé.
The conditional has exactly the same stems: tendría, podría, diría. See the conditional tense.
The future perfect
For something that will have happened by a point in the future, use the future of haber with a participle: Para las seis habré terminado, “By six I’ll have finished”. Use it also to guess about the recent past: Habrá perdido el autobús, “He must have missed the bus”.
Time words for the future
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| tomorrow | mañana | Mañana por la mañana is tomorrow morning |
| the day after tomorrow | pasado mañana | |
| next week | la semana que viene or la próxima semana | Both common everywhere |
| next year | el año que viene or el próximo año | |
| in two days | dentro de dos días | En dos días is also heard, especially in Latin America |
| later | luego or más tarde | |
| soon | pronto | |
| one day, some day | algún día |
Dentro de is the safe choice for “in” a length of time from now: Vuelvo dentro de una hora, “I’ll be back in an hour”.
Worked examples
- Voy a comer con mis padres. I’m going to have lunch with my parents.
- ¿Vas a venir a la fiesta? Are you going to come to the party?
- Va a hacer frío esta noche. It’s going to be cold tonight.
- Mañana tengo médico. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow. (Spain)
- ¿Abro la ventana? Shall I open the window?
- Te escribiré cuando llegue. I’ll write to you when I arrive.
- El año que viene viviremos en Valencia. Next year we’ll be living in Valencia.
- No te preocupes, todo saldrá bien. Don’t worry, everything will turn out fine.
- ¿Podrás ayudarme el sábado? Will you be able to help me on Saturday?
- ¿Quién será a estas horas? Who can that be at this time?
- Tendrá unos cuarenta años. He must be about forty.
- Cuando tenga tiempo, lo haré. When I have time, I’ll do it.
In example 12 there is a rule worth learning early. After cuando referring to the future, use the present subjunctive, never the future: cuando tenga, never cuando tendré.
Common mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Voy comer. | Voy a comer. | Always include the a. |
| Teneré. | Tendré. | Tener has an irregular stem. |
| Poderé. | Podré. | Same for poder. |
| Haceré. | Haré. | And for hacer. |
| Si lloverá, no iremos. | Si llueve, no iremos. | After si meaning “if”, use the present. |
| Cuando llegaré, te llamo. | Cuando llegue, te llamo. | Use the subjunctive after cuando about the future. |
| ¿Abriré la ventana? | ¿Abro la ventana? | Use the present for offers. |
| ¿Me pasarás la sal? | ¿Me pasas la sal? | Use the present for requests. |
| Hablare mañana. | Hablaré mañana. | The accent is part of the ending. |
Regional notes
In everyday speech across Latin America, including Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, ir a is the usual way to talk about the future. The simple future is heard more for guesses (¿Qué hora será?), for promises, and in formal or written Spanish. In Argentina a sentence such as Mañana iré al cine sounds formal in conversation, and Mañana voy a ir al cine or just Mañana voy al cine is what people say.
People in Spain use ir a in conversation too, but they use the simple future in everyday speech more than people in Latin America do.
Vosotros forms (vais a, hablaréis) are used only in Spain. Everywhere else the plural “you” is ustedes: van a, hablarán.
Practise it
The Vozelu grammar course has two lessons on this: “The simple future” and “Future with ir a”. To take them, create an account. In the lessons you read how each form is built and when to use it, then you type the forms in full sentences and are told what you got wrong, including irregular stems and missing accents.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between voy a comer and comeré? Voy a comer is a plan or something about to happen, like “I’m going to eat”. Comeré is a prediction or promise, like “I will eat”, and sounds more formal in speech.
Which future tense is more common in Spanish? In conversation, ir a + infinitive, especially in Latin America. In writing and news, the simple future.
How do you form the future tense in Spanish? Add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the whole infinitive. Twelve common verbs, including tener, hacer, decir and poder, change their stem.
Why does “¿Dónde estará?” mean “I wonder where he is”? Spanish speakers use the simple future to guess about the present. Estará en casa means “He’s probably at home”.
Can I use the present tense for the future? Yes, for arrangements and timetables, as in Mañana trabajo, and with a time word so that the future is clear. In English you do the same with “I’m working tomorrow”.
What is “shall” in Spanish? For offers and suggestions, use the present as a question: ¿Te ayudo? (Shall I help you?), ¿Vamos? (Shall we go?).
Is “voy a ir” correct? Yes. Voy a ir al médico is normal Spanish for “I’m going to go to the doctor”.