The Spanish future tense: conjugation, the 12 irregular verbs and when to use it
The future is the easiest Spanish tense to form: one set of endings glued to the whole infinitive. The work is in two places: twelve irregular stems that you simply learn, and knowing when Spanish actually uses this tense rather than voy a + infinitive. This guide covers both, plus the probability meaning that English has no equivalent for.
How to form it
Take the whole infinitive (not a stem) and add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. The endings are the same for -ar, -er and -ir verbs, and every ending except -emos carries a written accent.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| tú | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| él / ella / usted | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| nosotros | hablaremos | comeremos | viviremos |
| vosotros | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| ellos / ustedes | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
Historically these endings are the present tense of haber (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) fused onto the infinitive: hablar he → hablaré. That is a useful memory hook, and it explains why the nosotros form has no accent (hemos has none either).
The twelve irregular verbs
The endings never change. Twelve common verbs change the stem, in three patterns.
| Pattern | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drop the e of the infinitive | haber → habré | poder → podré | querer → querré | saber → sabré | caber → cabré |
| Replace the vowel with d | tener → tendré | poner → pondré | salir → saldré | venir → vendré | valer → valdré |
| Shortened stem | hacer → haré | decir → diré |
Compound verbs follow their base: mantener → mantendré, suponer → supondré, deshacer → desharé, predecir → prediré, contener → contendrá. Everything else, including ser, ir, estar and dar, is regular: seré, iré, estaré, daré.
Two forms deserve special attention. Habrá is the future of hay and is always singular: habrá una reunión, habrá problemas. And querré, with a double r, is correct but rare; speakers usually say voy a querer or rephrase.
When Spanish uses the future tense
1. Predictions and statements about the future. Mañana hará frío. En 2050 habrá más gente en las ciudades. Te llamaré el lunes.
2. Promises and resolutions. No lo volveré a hacer. Siempre te querré. Lo terminaré esta noche. The simple future sounds firmer than voy a.
3. Probability and guessing about the present. This is the use English speakers miss. ¿Qué hora será? means “I wonder what time it is.” Serán las ocho means “It’s probably eight.” Estará cansado means “He must be tired.” ¿Dónde estarán las llaves? means “Where can the keys be?” Spanish uses the future to signal that you are guessing.
4. Commands, in a formal or parental tone. Harás lo que te diga. No saldrás esta noche.
Future tense or ir a + infinitive?
| Form | Typical use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| voy a + infinitive | near, planned, decided; the default in conversation | Esta tarde voy a estudiar. |
| simple future | predictions, promises, more distant or formal futures, probability | Algún día viviré en el extranjero. |
| simple present | scheduled events and fixed plans | El tren sale a las ocho. Mañana trabajo. |
In practice the two future forms overlap a great deal, and Latin American Spanish leans more heavily on ir a. You will never be wrong using voy a for a plan. Use the simple future when you predict, promise or guess.
The future after si, cuando and other time words
After si, the condition stays in the present; the future goes in the result: Si llueve, no saldremos. Never si lloverá.
After cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, después de que referring to the future, Spanish uses the present subjunctive, not the future: Cuando llegues, te llamaré. Te esperaré hasta que termines. English says “when you arrive”; Spanish says “when you may arrive”.
The conditional: the same stems
The conditional (“would”) uses exactly the same twelve stems with the endings -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían: tendría, haría, diría, podría, sabría. Learn the future stems once and you get both tenses. Practice them in the conditional drill.
Common mistakes
- Regularizing the irregulars: teneré, haceré, poneré, saliré. Only the twelve stems are irregular, but they are among the most used verbs, so they come up constantly.
- Dropping the accents: hablare, comera. Without the accent the word is a different (subjunctive) form or nothing at all.
- Habrán as the future of hay. Habrá is singular whatever follows (habrá fiestas); habrán is correct only as an auxiliary: habrán llegado.
- Future after si or cuando. Si tendré tiempo and cuando llegaré are both wrong: si tengo tiempo, cuando llegue.
Make it automatic
The free future tense drill gives you 40 sentences in 60 seconds, mixing regular verbs with the twelve irregular stems, and shows the full pattern for every miss.
Quick answers
How do you conjugate the future tense in Spanish?
Add -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the whole infinitive: hablaré, hablarás, hablará, hablaremos, hablaréis, hablarán. The endings are the same for all verbs; only twelve verbs change their stem.
What are the 12 irregular verbs in the Spanish future tense?
Haber (habr-), poder (podr-), querer (querr-), saber (sabr-), caber (cabr-), tener (tendr-), poner (pondr-), salir (saldr-), venir (vendr-), valer (valdr-), hacer (har-) and decir (dir-). Their compounds follow the same pattern.
What is the difference between the simple future and ir a + infinitive?
Both express the future. Ir a + infinitive is the everyday choice for plans and near events (voy a salir). The simple future is used for predictions, promises, more distant futures and for guessing about the present (serán las tres).
Why does Spanish use the future tense to express probability?
It is a conventional meaning: ¿Qué hora será? means “I wonder what time it is” and Estará en casa means “He is probably at home.” The future signals that the speaker is guessing rather than stating.
Is it habrá or habrán in the future?
Habrá, always. The future of hay does not change for plural: habrá muchas personas.
Can you use the future tense after si in Spanish?
No. After si the verb stays in the present, and the future appears in the main clause: si estudias, aprobarás.