German Future Tense

Conveying the future in German can be done in several ways - by using werden, by combining the present tense with future time phrases, or by using phrases like ich hoffe, ich plane zu, ich habe vor.

What is the future tense?

We use the future tense in German to talk about our plans for the future. This could be what you are going to have for tea this evening, or something you will do in many years to come.

In English it can mean that you 'will' or are 'going to' do something.

There are three steps to forming the future tense in German.

1. Select your personal pronoun, eg ich, du, wir etc.
2. Use part of the verb werden as an auxiliary verb.
3. Select the infinitive verb you want to use. This goes to the end of the clause or sentence.

Step one - Personal pronouns

Pronouns refer to who you are talking about in a sentence.

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When do we use du, ihr and Sie?

• For younger people and people you know well, the word du is used – Was wirst du am Wochenende machen?
• For a group of people you know well, use ihr – Was werdet ihr am Wochenende machen?
• For older people and in more formal situations, like talking to your teachers, you use Sie – Was werden Sie am Wochenende machen?

Step two - Using 'werden'

The verb werden is a strong verb, and its stem changes for the second and third person singular - du and er/sie/es. Used on its own, werden means 'to become' or 'to get', but when used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive, its meaning changes to the future - 'will' or 'going to'.

Step three - Using infinitives

Infinitives are the forms of the verb that you find in the dictionary. They are the fullest form of the verb, before you take off endings to form different tenses. All infinitives in English start with the word 'to' in front of them, whereas all infinitives in German end in either -en or -n.

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Here are some examples of how to form the future tense using werden and an infinitive:

• Sie wird heute Abend Lachs mit Salat essen. – She's going to eat salmon with salad this evening.
• Wir werden zusammen in einer Band spielen. – We're going to play together in a band.
• Ich werde meine Traumfrau heiraten und als Schauspieler arbeiten. - I will marry my dream woman and work as an actor.

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