Talking about the Future
In this lesson you'll learn how to talk about events that will happen in the future in the German Language. You'll also learn some more common German verbs.
Flashcards and a quiz are included in the lesson to help you learn the future form of German Verbs.
Introduction
In German the present tense is often used to talk about what is going to happen in the future when the time the event will happen is included in the sentence. For example:
- Ich gehe heute - I'm going today, or I'll go today.
- Ich gehe morgen - I'm going tomorrow, or I'll go tomorrow.
- Ich gehe nächste Woche - I'll go next week
The helper verb werden can also be used to indicate an action will happen in the future.
Using Werden to Indicate the Future
The future tense in German is formed by using present tense of the helper verb werden along with the infinitive of the verb. For example, Ich werde gehen means I will go. The future tense is formed the same way for all verbs.
The future tense is usually used when:
- making predictions
- making promises
- expressing doubts or assumptions.
The future tense is also used to emphasize that an event will happen in the future.
The following table shows the future tense for the verb machen. The same pattern is used for all other verbs.
| machen | to make |
|---|---|
| ich werde machen | I will make |
| du wirst machen | you will make (familiar singular) |
| er/sie/es wird machen | he/she/it will make |
| wir werden machen | we will make |
| ihr werdet machen | you will make (familiar plural) |
| Sie werden machen | you will make (polite) |
| sie werden machen | they will make |
Examples
Here are some examples of how to use the future tense.
| Ich werde ihm helfen. | I will help him. |
| Wenn er zurückkommt, wird er mir bestimmt helfen. | When he returns, he'll surely help me. |
| Das wirst du bereuen. | You'll regret that. |
| Ich werde dir morgen helfen. | I'll help you tomorrow. |
| Ich werde nicht zu spät. | I won't be too late. |
| Sie wird wohl heute Abend ankommen. | She will probably arrive this evening. |
Vocabulary
Here are some more common German verbs.
| ändern | change, modify, switch |
| danken | thank |
| drücken | press |
| erinnern | remember |
| fangen (fing, gefangen) | catch |
| fragen | ask |
| glühen | glow |
| hoffen | hope |
| holen | fetch, get |
| hören | hear, listen |
| lachen | laugh |
| landen | land |
| lieben | love |
| schauen | look |
| schieben | push |
| schließen (schloss, geschlossen) | shut |
| spielen | play |
| wachsen (wuchs, gewachsen) | grow |
| werfen (warf, geworfen) | throw |
| wundern | wonder |
| wünschen | wish |
| zeigen | point, show |
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Verb Flashcards
This section contains flashcards to help you learn the German verbs covered in this lesson.
Practice
Practice writing sentences with the German verbs included in this lesson. Try using the verbs in different tenses such as present, past, future, etc.
Here is a text area where you can practice writing German.
Quiz
This quiz covers the future tense of German verbs.