In German, the Future tense, also known as Futur I, is used to talk about future actions or events. It is used when we want to express what will happen in the future. The German Future tense is formed by using an auxiliary verb and the infinitive form of the main verb. In this tense, the auxiliary verb “werden” (to become) is conjugated according to the subject of the sentence, while the main verb remains in its infinitive form.
Conjugation of “werden” (to become) in the Future tense:
The conjugation of “werden” in the Future tense is as follows:
Ich werde (I will)
Du wirst (You will)
Er/Sie/Es wird (He/She/It will)
Wir werden (We will)
Ihr werdet (You all will)
Sie werden (They will)
Conjugation of regular verbs in the Future tense:
To form the Future tense for regular verbs, we use the conjugated form of “werden” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb. The main verb does not change its form.
Example sentence:
Ich werde morgen ins Kino gehen. (I will go to the cinema tomorrow.)
In this sentence, “werde” is the conjugated form of “werden,” and “gehen” is the infinitive form of the main verb.
Now let’s look at the conjugation of regular verbs in the Future tense for each category of persons.
First-person singular (I):
For the first-person singular (I), we use the conjugated form “werde” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Ich werde Deutsch lernen. (I will learn German.)
Second-person singular (You):
For the second-person singular (You), we use the conjugated form “wirst” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Du wirst bald ankommen. (You will arrive soon.)
Third-person singular (He/She/It):
For the third-person singular (He/She/It), we use the conjugated form “wird” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Er wird einen Kuchen backen. (He will bake a cake.)
First-person plural (We):
For the first-person plural (We), we use the conjugated form “werden” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Wir werden morgen einkaufen gehen. (We will go shopping tomorrow.)
Second-person plural (You all):
For the second-person plural (You all), we use the conjugated form “werdet” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Ihr werdet das Spiel gewinnen. (You all will win the game.)
Third-person plural (They):
For the third-person plural (They), we use the conjugated form “werden” followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.
Example sentence:
Sie werden später ankommen. (They will arrive later.)
Conjugation of irregular verbs in the Future tense:
Some verbs in German have irregular conjugations in the Future tense. Here are a few examples:
The verb “haben” (to have):
Ich werde haben (I will have)
Du wirst haben (You will have)
Er/Sie/Es wird haben (He/She/It will have)
Wir werden haben (We will have)
Ihr werdet haben (You all will have)
Sie werden haben (They will have)
Example sentence:
Er wird viel Geld haben. (He will have a lot of money.)
The verb “sein” (to be):
Ich werde sein (I will be)
Du wirst sein (You will be)
Er/Sie/Es wird sein (He/She/It will be)
Wir werden sein (We will be)
Ihr werdet sein (You all will be)
Sie werden sein (They will be)
Example sentence:
Wir werden glücklich sein. (We will be happy.)
The verb “können” (to be able to):
Ich werde können (I will be able to)
Du wirst können (You will be able to)
Er/Sie/Es wird können (He/She/It will be able to)
Wir werden können (We will be able to)
Ihr werdet können (You all will be able to)
Sie werden können (They will be able to)
Example sentence:
Sie werden Deutsch sprechen können. (They will be able to speak German.)
It is important to note that in German, the use of the Present tense can also express future actions. However, the Future tense (Futur I) is specifically used to emphasize the future aspect of an action or event.
In conclusion, the German Future tense (Futur I) is formed by using the auxiliary verb “werden” conjugated according to the subject, followed by the infinitive form of the main verb. Regular verbs do not undergo any changes in the Future tense, while irregular verbs may have different conjugations. By mastering the conjugation of “werden” and understanding the structure of the Future tense, learners can effectively express future actions and events in German
Originally posted 2023-07-16 18:27:45.