Explanation
In Spanish, there are four main ways to talk about a future action. In addition to the four ways listed below, the future subjunctive and future perfect subjunctive are also used, but their use is rare in modern Spanish. However, they are useful tenses to be able to recognize.
This guide serves as an overview of the Spanish future tenses. For more information on each future tense, click on the links provided.
What is the Future Tense in Spanish?
The Spanish simple future (el futuro simple) is used to talk about what will or shall happen, often without indicating a specific point in time.
Spanish Simple Future Forms
Let’s review how to conjugate the simple future tense. The same endings are used for all verbs, regardless of whether the verb ends in -ar, -er, or -ir.
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| yo | -é |
| tú | -ás |
| usted, él, ella | -á |
| nosotros | -emos |
| vosotros | -éis |
| ustedes, ellos, ellas | -án |
When using the simple future tense, we mustn't forget about the irregulars! These verbs use the same endings as the regular verbs, but they have different stems. Check out the table below.
Check out the following examples of the simple future tense.
| examples |
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Informal Future
The informal future uses a combination of a conjugated form of irin the present indicative, the preposition a, and an infinitive. It is used to express events in the immediate future and for set plans.
Informal Future Formula
ir + a + infinitive
Check out the following examples.
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Future Perfect
The Spanish future perfect indicative (el futuro compuesto) is used to talk about something that will have been completed at a certain point in the future. It is formed by using a combination of the simple future of the verb haberwith a past participle.
Future Perfect Formula
simple future of haber + past participle
Check out the following examples.
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Future Progressive
The Spanish future progressive tense is used to talk about something that will be happening at some point in the future. The future progressive is formed using the verb estarin the simple future in combination with a present participle.
Future Progressive Formula
simple future of estar + present participle
Take a look at the following examples.
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Tense about tenses in Spanish? Never fear! Read more about other tenses in these articles:
