Das Futur I is the German future tense. You’ll usually first meet die Zukunft, as it’s also known, as you move into the intermediate or B1 level. But how do you form the Futur I correctly and where does it go in the sentence? In this post, you’ll discover all you need to know about the German future tense including common pitfalls you need to avoid to get it right.
And….if you’re an upper beginner/lower intermediate learner eager to hear the future tense in action and get lots of practice at that and other key grammar patterns while expanding your vocab and honing those all important listening skills, check out my popular Weekly German Workouts course through this link:
=> Dr P’s Weekly German Workouts
How to form the German future tense (Futur I)
In English, we very often talk about the future using “shall” or “will” as an “auxiliary” plus the infinitive of the verb (the “dictionary form” of the verb that you can put “to” in front of: to go, to keep and so on): I shall eat, he will win etc.
Of course, in speech we usually contract shall/will to “-’ll”: I It’ll dry quickly. They’ll do the washing up after they’ve finished eating. He’ll be coming tomorrow.
In German, das Futur I/die Zukunft follows the same compound pattern: “auxiliary + infinitive”.
You’ve probably already met the verb werden used on its own to mean to become, to get:
ich werde dick – I’m becoming/getting fat
In Futur I, werden changes its role. It doesn’t mean “become”, it means “will/shall/-’ll”.
So, werden is also used as the auxiliary to express the future.
By the way, the German for auxilliary verb is Hilfsverb, literally “help verb”. German vocab is so much simpler than English! 🙂
Yes, it’s werden + infinitive = Futur I:
ich werde schlafen – I’ll sleep
wir werden gehen – we’ll go
Get the form of the Future I right: the two key aspects
First, to use the compound future, you need to be sure you’ve mastered the way werden changes according to who’s doing the werden-ing! In other words, make sure you’re on top of the conjugation of this important verb.
Conjugation of the verb werden:
| person | auxiliary (Hilfsverb) | main verb (Hauptverb) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | werde | schlafen |
| du | wirst | schlafen |
| er/sie/es | wird | schlafen |
| wir | werden | schlafen |
| ihr | werdet | schlafen |
| Sie/sie | werden | schlafen |
Keep an eye on the du and er/sie/es forms, as they’re irregular.
Second, pay attention to the position of the auxiliary and the main verb in the sentence
The second verb goes to the end of a simple sentence or main clause (the part of a longer, more complex sentence that could often stand on its own):
Ich werde heute Abend im Restaurant essen – I’ll eat in the restaurant tonight
Wir werden später nach Hause gehen – We’ll go home later
A subordinate clause or Nebensatz is the part of a longer, more complex sentence that adds more information about the main clause. In subordinate clauses, werden goes on the end, after the infinitive:
Sie wird ein Buch lesen > Er weiß, dass sie ein Buch lesen wird
She’ll read a book > He knows that she’ll read a book
If the verb is reflexive (the action is done to the doer) the reflexive pronoun (that identifies the doer) goes straight after werden:
Ich werde mich am Donnerstag vorbereiten – I’ll prepare on Thursday.
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When to use the German “werden” future tense
As English native speakers, we run the risk of overusing the Futur I, because we use our English compound future so much more often than Germans use their Futur I. That’s why you’ll often hear Germans making the opposite mistakes in English: “I come to see you next week”.
Neutral expressions regarding “future time” – the present is more common
If you just want to refer to future time, it’s common in German simply to use the present, especially with a time expression which already makes it clear that you’re talking about the future. For example, morgen, bald, später, nächstes Jahr, nächsten Monat, “morgen”, “nächste Woche”, “um 20 Uhr”:
Heute Abend kocht mein Mitbewohner Spaghetti – Tonight my housemates are cooking/will cook spaghetti
Morgen gehen wir einkaufen – Tomorrow we’re going shopping
Ich gehe nächste Woche auf Urlaub – My holiday starts/will start next week
Even without time expressions, Germans will just use the present if the meaning is clear from the context.
Sie holt uns nach der Besprechung ab – She’ll pick us up after the meeting.
In English we cannot use the simple present this way but we do use a present continuous (-ing form) with the future implied or, more often, with time word (though we do this much less than the Germans use their simple present): She’s picking us up after the meeting. I’m having dinner with Jack on Tuesday.They’re coming to see you tonight. He’s closing the shop at 5pm.
Often, Germans seem to switch between the present and Futur I just for variety. It can be just a matter of style (the Zukunft can sound more formal or literary).
Keine Sorge, das wird schon klappen – Don’t worry, it’ll work out
or, equally possible
Keine Sorge, das klappt schon – Don’t worry, it’ll work out
There are times in German, though, where using the present or Futur I changes the meaning:
Katrin wird in Berlin in einer Werbeagentur arbeiten – Katrin will work in an ad agency in Berlin.
If you use the present, you’d be saying that she’s already working there:
Katrin arbeitet in Berlin in einer Werbeagentur – Katrin works/is working in an ad agency in Berlin.
Times when Germans prefer Futur I
Germans do use the Futur I to talk about future predictions and intentions, about suppositions or doubts and to express probabilities.
We do this in English too: use the future tense to express a present take on the future.
Morgen wird es bestimmt regen – It’ll definitely rain tomorrow (a prediction)
Deutschland wird die Weltmeisterschaft gewinnen – Germany will win the world championships (a prediction)
Er wird bereits im Büro sein – He’ll already be in the office (a supposition or maybe a doubt)
You’ll often hear “wohl” as well in these contexts to add a sense of probability:
Sie wird wohl bereits im Restaurant sein – She’ll most likely be in the restaurant already
Er wird wohl krank sein – He’s probably ill/He’ll most likely be ill/ He’ll no doubt be ill.
You’ll hear Germans using the Futur I when they want to emphasise the future as well:
Das werde ich erst nächste Woche machen können – I won’t be able to do that until next week.
Notice how “erst” crops up here.
Futur I sometimes expresses present probability. We have exactly the same usage with the will/shall future in English:
If you hear a noise at the door you might say:
Das wird wohl der Briefträger sein – That’ll be the postman.
Future tense with modal verbs
Did you notice that in the last example we used the modal verb können? The modal verbs are used in relation to another verb which expresses the state or action itself. The modals are about attitude or standpoint and are often connected to desire, likelihood, ability, permission or obligation.
The other five modal verbs are müssen (to have to), dürfen (to be allowed to), wollen (to want), mögen (to like) and sollen (to be supposed to).
When you use modals with the “werden future”/Futur I in a main clause, the modal stands last:
Du wirst morgen gehen müssen – You’ll have to go tomorrow
As you’d expect, Germans often simply use the present (as, with modals, we often do in English too):
Du musst morgen gehen – You’ll have to go tomorrow/You must go tomorrow
In a subordinate clause the “infinitive pair” stay together.
Er hat gesagt, morgen wirst du gehen müssen or
Er hat gesagt, dass du morgen gehen müssen wirst
The German “wollen” future
Germans sometimes use the verb wollen (to want, will) to express an intention in the future with a more forceful effect than using the present or Futur I:
Wir wollen bald ein langes Wochenende in Berlin verbringen – We’re going to/we are planning to spend a long weekend in Berlin soon
Wir wollen uns bald einen neuen Computer anschaffen – We’re going to buy ourselves a new computer soon
In comparison, the Futur I here would sound more like a prediction than a firm intention:
Wir werden uns bald einen neuen Computer anschaffen – we’ll buy ourselves a new computer soon.
Sometimes using wollen is a way to express the immediate future:
Ich will es gleich holen – I’ll fetch it now
Es will regnen – it’s about to rain/it’s going to rain
The German future tense: avoid these mistakes!
Now you’re armed with all you need to know to get the German future tense right.
To finish, here are the key German future tense mistakes that you need to avoid:
Don’t get the conjugation of werden wrong. In the singular du and er/sie/es forms, there’s a sneaky “e” to “i” vowel change and “d” disappears in the du form: ich werde but du wirst, er/sie/es wird (the final “d” there sounds like a “t”).
Don’t overuse the werden future. Remember, if it’s clear from the context that you’re talking about the future, you can usually use the present.
Don’t try a literal translation of the English “going to” future (as in “Do this and you’re going to make a mistake”): Xgehen (zu)X. No! That’s not possible in German. Use the present or the Futur I:
He’s going to come tomorrow = Er kommt morgen or Er wird morgen kommen.
Don’t use future for requests as in “Will you do this for me?”. For this, German uses the modal verbs “wollen” or “mӧgen”:
“Will you please come in?” = Wollen Sie bitte hereinkommen or Mӧchten Sie bitte hereinkommen.
Will you please wait? = Wollen Sie bitte warten?
That’s it! What you need next is lots of practice, including coming across the future through authentic listening and reading. If you’re an upper beginner German learner moving into intermediate, my popular Weekly German Workouts course offers you just this, plus clear explanation and (for those who like them) lots of practice exercises. Check out the info and enrolment page.
=> Dr P’s Weekly German Workouts
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| Discover how YOU can use Dr P's free Weekly Workout Routine to get ready for more confident German conversations in a matter of weeks. Click here to get the training ! |
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