German Future Tense
The German future tense is very similar to the future tense in English. To talk about something in the future, you can use the present tense as you do in English.
For example:
We’re flying to France next year. ⇨ Wir fliegen nächstes Jahr nach Frankreich.
Ich spiele morgen Gittare. ⇨ I’m playing the guitar tomorrow.
However there is a dedicated German future tense used to talk about something that will happen in the future. Quite often it is used to emphasise something that will definitely happen in the future.
Some example sentences:
He will drive to Spain. ⇨ Er wird nach Spanien fahren.
You will go shopping tomorrow. ⇨ Du wirst morgen einkaufen gehen.
How is the German future tense formed?
The German future tense is formed using the normal present tense of the verb werden. When used on its own in a future tense sentence, it means to become, however in English we will often say will become / will get / will be instead.
Table: The verb werden
| Pronoun | werden | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde | I become |
| du | wirst | you become |
| er / sie / es | wird | he / she / it becomes |
| wir | werden | we become |
| ihr | werdet | you become |
| sie / Sie | werden | they / you become |
Example sentences:
I will be 25 on Saturday. ⇨ Ich werde am Samstag 25 Jahre alt. (Literal: I become on Saturday 25 years old.)
He will soon be a father. ⇨ Er wird bald Vater. (Literal: He becomes soon father.)
You will get better every day. ⇨ Ihr werdet jeden Tag besser. (Literal: You become every day better.)
German Future Tense with additional Verb
When you want to talk about doing something in the future, you will need to construct the sentence in two parts.
- The first part is as above with the present tense form of the verb werden.
- The second part is the verb which explains what you will be doing. This verb goes to the end of the sentence.
Example sentences:
They will buy a car. ⇨ Sie werden ein Auto kaufen. (Literal: They will a car buy.)
You will win tomorrow. ⇨ Du wirst morgen gewinnen. (Literal: You will tomorrow win.)
I will kiss you. ⇨ Ich werde dich küssen. (Literal: I will you kiss.)
Note: With reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun (mich, dich, sich etc) comes straight after the present tense form of werden.
We hope this helps you learn how the German future tense is used. If you have any comments please feel free to leave them below.
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