The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

The Spanish Future Tense

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

The future tense (el futuro) says what will happen: hablaré means “I will speak.”
Future tense of the regular verbs hablar (to speak), comer (to eat), and vivir (to live), with endings highlighted
Subject-AR verbs: hablar-ER verbs: comer-IR verbs: vivir
yohablarécomeréviviré
túhablaráscomerásvivirás
él / ella / ustedhablarácomerávivirá
nosotroshablaremoscomeremosviviremos
vosotroshablaréiscomeréisviviréis
ellos / ellas / ustedeshablaráncomeránvivirán

This one is easy to form, because the endings go right on the end of the infinitive.

On this page

When to use the future tense

Use the future to talk about what will happen. In everyday conversation, ir a + infinitive is often more natural, so the future shows up most in these situations.

  1. Predictions

    What you think will happen.

    • Mañana lloverá en todo el país.

      Tomorrow it will rain across the whole country.

    • Creo que te gustará la película.

      I think you’ll like the movie.

  2. Promises and decisions

    Things you promise to do, or decide to do as you say it.

    • Te llamaré esta noche.

      I’ll call you tonight.

    • Te lo prometo: no llegaré tarde.

      I promise: I won’t be late.

  3. Formal announcements

    News, schedules, and instructions, where the future sounds more official.

    • El presidente hablará a las nueve.

      The president will speak at nine.

    • Las clases empezarán el 3 de septiembre.

      Classes will start on September 3.

  4. What happens if…

    After si (if) + the present tense, the future says what will happen next.

    • Si llueve, no iremos a la playa.

      If it rains, we won’t go to the beach.

    • Si estudias, aprobarás el examen.

      If you study, you’ll pass the exam.

Using the future to make guesses

The future has a second job that surprises English speakers: guessing about the present. Estará en casa doesn't mean she will be at home. It means she's probably at home, or I bet she's at home.

  1. Fact
    Son las tres.

    It’s three o’clock.

    Guess
    Serán las tres.

    It must be about three.

  2. Fact
    Está en casa.

    She’s at home.

    Guess
    Estará en casa.

    She’s probably at home.

  3. Fact
    Tiene treinta años.

    He’s thirty.

    Guess
    Tendrá treinta años.

    He must be about thirty.

In a question, it means I wonder…:

  • ¿Dónde estará mi teléfono?

    I wonder where my phone is.

  • ¿Qué hora será?

    I wonder what time it is.

  • ¿Quién será a esta hora?

    Who could that be at this hour?

To guess about the past, Spanish uses the conditional the same way: Serían las tres (It was probably about three).

Irregular verbs

Twelve common verbs have an irregular stem in the future. They still take the regular endings, so once you know the stem, the rest is easy. They fall into three groups.

Drop the e

The e of the infinitive ending drops out.

Future tense of poder (to be able to)
yopodré
nosotrospodremos
túpodrás
vosotrospodréis
él / ella / ustedpodrá
ellos / ellas / ustedespodrán

  • ¿Podrás venir mañana?

    Will you be able to come tomorrow?

  • Nunca sabremos la verdad.

    We’ll never know the truth.

A d replaces the vowel

The e or i of the infinitive ending turns into a d.

Future tense of tener (to have)
yotendré
nosotrostendremos
tútendrás
vosotrostendréis
él / ella / ustedtendrá
ellos / ellas / ustedestendrán

  • Tendré tiempo el viernes.

    I’ll have time on Friday.

  • ¿A qué hora saldrán?

    What time will they leave?

Two one-offs

Decir and hacer shorten to dir‑ and har‑.

Future tense of decir (to say, tell)
yodiré
nosotrosdiremos
túdirás
vosotrosdiréis
él / ella / usteddirá
ellos / ellas / ustedesdirán

  • No se lo diré a nadie.

    I won’t tell anyone.

  • ¿Qué harás este verano?

    What will you do this summer?

Hay (there is, there are) becomes habrá:

  • Mañana habrá una reunión.

    There will be a meeting tomorrow.

  • No habrá clase el lunes.

    There won’t be class on Monday.

The conditional uses these same irregular stems: tendría, podría, diría.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Using the regular stem on an irregular verb

    Incorrect:Mañana no teneré tiempo.
    Correct:Mañana no tendré tiempo.

    Tener is one of the twelve verbs with an irregular stem: tendr‑. The endings are still the regular ones.

  2. Using the future after si

    Incorrect:Si lloverá, no iremos.
    Correct:Si llueve, no iremos.

    After si (if), Spanish uses the present, even when you mean the future. The future goes in the other half of the sentence.

  3. Leaving out the infinitive

    Incorrect:Mañana hablé con ella.
    Correct:Mañana hablaré con ella.

    The endings go on the whole infinitive: hablar + é. Without the ‑ar, hablé is the preterite: I spoke.

  4. Translating “will” in a request

    Sounds unnatural:¿Me ayudarás con las maletas?
    Correct:¿Me ayudas con las maletas?

    Will you help me? is a request, not a prediction, so Spanish uses the present. ¿Me ayudarás? sounds like you're asking whether they'll help at some point.

  5. Using the future for everyday plans

    Sounds unnatural:Esta noche cenaré pizza.
    Correct:Esta noche voy a cenar pizza.

    It's correct, but in conversation it sounds formal, a bit like Tonight I shall have pizza. For everyday plans, ir a + infinitive is more natural.

Questions about the future tense

What is the difference between hablaré and voy a hablar?

Both talk about the future. Voy a hablar is the everyday choice, especially for plans. Hablaré tends to sound more formal, and it's common for predictions, promises, and in writing.

In most conversations, ir a is what you'll hear.

Does the future tense sound formal in Spanish?

A little, in everyday conversation about plans: Esta noche cenaré pizza sounds more formal than Esta noche voy a cenar pizza. For predictions, promises, and guesses (Estará en casa) it sounds completely natural, and it's standard in writing and the news.

What is the future of probability?

It's the future used to guess about the present: Estará en casa means "She's probably at home," and ¿Dónde estará? means "I wonder where she is." To guess about the past, Spanish uses the conditional the same way: Serían las tres ("It was probably three").

How many irregular verbs are there in the future tense?

Twelve common ones, all with a new stem and the regular endings: poder, querer, saber, haber, caber, tener, poner, venir, salir, valer, decir, and hacer. Verbs built on them work the same way (mantener → mantendré).

Is "will" always the future tense in Spanish?

No. When "will" makes a request or an offer, Spanish uses the present: "Will you help me?" is ¿Me ayudas?, and "I'll get the door" is Yo abro.

Next upThe conditional“Would”: polite requests, advice, “if” sentences, and guesses about the past.

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