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{{Short description|Grammatical tense}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{linguistics}}
In [[grammar]], a '''future tense''' ([[list of glossing abbreviations|abbreviated]] '''{{sc|fut}}''') is a [[verb]] form that generally marks the event described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the future. An example of a future [[grammatical tense|tense]] form is the [[French verbs|French]] ''achètera'', meaning "will buy", derived from the verb ''acheter'' ("to buy"). The "future" expressed by the future tense usually means the future relative to the moment of speaking, although in contexts where [[relative tense]] is used it may mean the future relative to some other point in time under consideration.

[[English verbs|English]] does not have an [[inflection]]al future tense, though it has a variety of grammatical and lexical means for expressing future-related meanings. These include [[modal auxiliary|modal auxiliaries]] such as ''will'' and ''shall'' as well as the futurate [[present tense]].<ref name = "pullumhuddleston">{{cite book |last1=Huddleston |first1=Rodney |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey |date=2002 |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=131–136, 190, 208–210 |isbn=9780521431460}}</ref>

==Expressions==
The nature of the [[future]], necessarily uncertain and at varying distances ahead, means that the speaker may refer to future events with the [[linguistic modality|modality]] either of probability (what the speaker expects to happen) or intent (what the speaker plans to make happen).<ref name=Dahl>[[Östen Dahl]], ''Tense and Aspect Systems'', Blackwell, 1985, pp. 105–106.</ref> Whether future expression is [[realis mood|realis]] or [[irrealis mood|irrealis]] depends not so much on an objective [[ontology|ontological]] notion of future reality, but rather on the degree of the speaker's conviction that the event will in fact come about.<ref name=Fleischman/>{{rp|p.20}}

In many languages there is no grammatical ([[morphology (linguistics)|morphological]] or [[syntax|syntactic]]) indication of future tense. Future meaning is supplied by the context, with the use of temporal adverbs such as "later", "next year", etc. Such adverbs (in particular words meaning "tomorrow" and "then") sometimes develop into grammaticalized future tense markers. (A tense used to refer specifically to occurrences taking place on the following day is called a [[crastinal tense]].)

In other languages, mostly of European origin, specific markers indicate futurity. These structures constitute a ''future tense''. In many cases, an [[auxiliary verb]] is used, as in English, where futurity is often indicated by the [[English modal verbs|modal auxiliary]] ''will'' (or ''shall''). However, some languages combine such an auxiliary with the main verb to produce a future simple (one-word, morphological) tense. This is the origin of the future tense in Western [[Romance languages]] such as French and Italian (see [[#Latin and Romance|below]]).

A given language may have more than one way to express futurity. English, for example, often refers to future events using [[present tense]] forms or other structures such as the [[going-to future|''going-to'' future]], besides the canonical form with ''will/shall''. In addition, the verb forms used for the future tense can also be used to express other types of meaning; English again provides examples of this (see [[English modal verbs]] for the various meanings that both ''will'' and ''shall'' can have besides simply expressing futurity).

== Germanic languages ==
In [[Germanic languages]], including [[English language|English]], a common expression of the future is using the [[present tense]], with the futurity expressed using words that imply future action (''I go to Berlin ''tomorrow'' or ''I am going to Berlin ''tomorrow''). There is no future simple ([[morphology (linguistics)|morphological]]) tense as such. However, the future can also be expressed by employing an auxiliary construction that combines certain present tense [[auxiliary verb]]s with the simple infinitive (stem) of the main verb. These auxiliary forms vary between the languages. Other, generally more informal, expressions of futurity use an auxiliary with the compound infinitive of the main verb (as with the English ''is going to ...'').

===English===
English grammar provides a number of ways to indicate the future nature of an occurrence. Some argue that English, like most Germanic languages, does not have a future tense<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Sarkar|first=Anoop|date=1998|title=The Conflict Between Future Tense and Modality: The Case of Will in English|url=https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1407&context=pwpl|journal=University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics|volume=5|pages=90–117|via=Repository.Penn.edu}}</ref>—that is, a grammatical form that always indicates futurity—nor does it have a mandatory form for the expression of futurity. However, through gradual development from its Germanic roots, English became what is now considered a strongly future-tense-marking language.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harbeck|first=James|title=Can language slow down time?|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180806-can-language-slow-down-time|access-date=2022-01-24|website=www.bbc.com|language=en}}</ref> Currently, there are several generally accepted ways to indicate futurity in English, and some of them—particularly those that use [[Shall and will|''will'' or ''shall'']] as the most universal and widely used—are frequently described as future tense while some may argue these verbs serve both as present modal verbs and future tense markers.<ref name=":0" />

The ''will/shall'' future consists of the [[English modal verbs|modal]] verb ''will'' or ''shall'' together with the bare [[infinitive]] of the main verb, as in "He will win" or "I shall win". ([[Linguistic prescription|Prescriptive grammarians]] prefer ''will'' in the second and third persons and ''shall'' in the first person, reversing the forms to express obligation or determination, but in practice ''shall'' and ''will'' are generally used interchangeably,<ref name="NewOxford">Usage notes on "shall" in New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1999 Oxford University Press</ref> with ''will'' being more common. For details see [[shall and will|''shall'' and ''will'']].) The meaning of this construction is close to that expressed by the future tense in other languages. However the same construction with ''will'' or ''shall'' can have other meanings that do not indicate futurity, or else indicate some [[linguistic modality|modality]] in addition to futurity (as in "He will make rude remarks," in the sense of "He is wont to make rude remarks," meaning he has a habit of doing so; or, "You shall stop making rude remarks," which is giving an order). For details of these meanings, see the sections on [[English modal verbs#will|''will'']] and [[English modal verbs#shall|''shall'']] in the article on English modal verbs.

The form of the ''will/shall'' future described above is frequently called the ''future'' ''simple'' (or ''simple future''). Other constructions provide additional auxiliaries that express particular [[grammatical aspect|aspect]]s: the ''future progressive'' (or ''future continuous'') as in "He will be working"; the ''[[future perfect]]'' as in "They will have finished"; and the ''future perfect progressive'' as in "You will have been practising." For detail on these, see the relevant sections of [[Uses of English verb forms]]. (For more on expressions of relative tense, such as the future perfect, see also the section [[#Expressions of relative tense involving the future|above]].)

Several other English constructions commonly refer to the future:
* Futurate [[present tense]] forms, as in "The trains leave at five" (meaning "The trains ''will'' leave at five"), or "My cousins arrive tomorrow" (meaning "My cousins ''will'' arrive tomorrow"). Since these grammatical forms are used more canonically to refer to present situations, they are not generally described as future tense; in sentences like those just given they may be described as "present tense with future meaning". Use of the present tense (rather than forms with ''will'') is mandatory in some [[subordinate clause]]s referring to the future, such as "If I feel better next week, ..." and "As soon as they arrive, ...". For more details see the sections on the [[Uses of English verb forms#Present simple|present simple]], [[Uses of English verb forms#Present progressive|present progressive]] and [[Uses of English verb forms#Dependent clauses|dependent clauses]] in the article on English verb forms.
* The [[going-to future|''going-to'' future]], e.g., "John is going to leave tonight."
* The construction with a finite form of the [[copula verb]] ''be'' together with the [[to-infinitive|''to''-infinitive]], e.g., "John ''is to leave'' tonight". (With the [[zero copula]] of [[headlinese|newspaper headline style]], this becomes simply "John to leave tonight".) For details see ''[[am to]]''.
* The construction with ''to be about to'', e.g., "John is about to leave", referring to the expected immediate future. (A number of lexical expressions with similar meaning also exist, such as ''to be on the point of (doing something)''.)
* Use of [[modal verbs]] with future meaning, to combine the expression of future time with certain [[linguistic modality|modality]]: "I ''must'' do this" (also ''mun'' in Northern English dialect); "We ''should'' help him"; "I ''can'' get out of here"; "We ''may'' win"; "You ''might'' succeed". The same modal verbs are also often used with present rather than future reference. For details of their meanings and usage, see [[English modal verbs]].

Questions and negatives are formed from all of the above constructions in the regular manner: see [[English grammar#Questions|Questions]] and [[English grammar#Negation|Negation]] in the English grammar article. The auxiliaries ''will'' and ''shall'' form the [[English contractions|contracted]] negations ''won't'' and ''shan't'' (they can also sometimes be contracted when not negated, to '' 'll'', such as in ''I'll find it'').

The various ways of expressing the future carry different meanings, implying not just futurity but also [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]] (the way an action or state takes place in time) and/or [[Linguistic modality|modality]] (the attitude of the speaker toward the action or state).<ref name=Fleischman>Fleischman, Suzanne, ''The Future in Thought and Language'', Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982: pp. 18–19, 86–89, and 95–97.</ref><ref>Comrie, Bernard, ''Tense'', Cambridge Univ. Press, 1985: pp. 21, 47–48.</ref>  The precise interpretation must be based on the context. In particular there is sometimes a distinction in usage between the ''will/shall'' future and the ''going-to'' future (although in some contexts they are interchangeable). For more information see the [[going-to future|''going-to'' future]] article.

===Dutch===
[[Dutch language|Dutch]] can express the future in three ways:<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpV6kErbT4IC&pg=PA57|title=Essential Dutch Grammar|first=Henry R.|last=Stern|date=1 October 1984|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=9780486246758|access-date=9 May 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>
*''gaan'' + infinitive: Ik ga het boek lezen (I'm going to read the book). "''Gaan''" is a [[cognate]] of "to go".
*''zullen'' + infinitive: Ik zal het boek lezen (I will/shall read the book). "''Zullen''" is a cognate of "shall".
* ''present tense'' + context or a temporal adverb or clause: ''Hoe lang blijft hij in Nederland''? (How long is he staying in the Netherlands?) Its English-language equivalent uses the continuous or [[imperfective aspect]].
''Zullen'' + infinitive is more similar to ''shall'' than to ''will''. It is used to:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Verbs.re18|title=Dutch Grammar • Using the simple future|website=www.dutchgrammar.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922132836/http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=Verbs.Re18|archive-date=22 September 2017}}</ref>
*express a promise or a proposal
*emphasize that something will certainly happen
*express that an event is likely going to take place (by explicitly mentioning the probability)
English ''will'' and Dutch ''wil'', although cognates, have over the centuries shifted in meaning, such that ''will'' is almost identical to ''shall'', whereas Dutch ''wil'' means ''want'', as in ''Ik wil het doen'' (I want to do it).

''Gaan'' + infinitive can be compared with the English "going to" . It is used:
*to express an intended action (but not a promise, proposal, or solemn plan)
*to say that an event is going to take place (without emphasizing the certainty or mentioning the probability)

===Swedish===

[[Swedish language|Swedish]]<ref name=Dahl/>{{rp|pp.107–108}} ''skall'' strongly implies intention, but with an adverb such as ''nog'' "probably" it can avoid the implication of intentionality: ''Det här skall nog gå bra'' "This will probably go well".  However, the past tense of ''skall'', ''skulle'', can be used without such an adverb to express predictions in the past:  ''Pelle sa, att det skulle bli varmt på eftermiddagen'' "Pelle said that it would be warm in the afternoon."

Pure future, regardless of intention, is usually expressed with ''kommer att'' (literally: "comes to"): ''Det här kommer att gå bra'' "This will go well", ''Du kommer att överleva det här'' "You will survive this".

Generally, future tense is sparsely used in spoken Swedish, with the verb instead being put in present tense and accompanied by a distinct time specification: ''Jag åker till Spanien på fredag'' "I travel to Spain on Friday" ''Då ses vi imorgon.'' "Then we meet tomorrow"

== Latin and Romance ==
The future tense forms in [[Latin]] varied by conjugation.  Here is a sample of the future tense for the first conjugation verb ''amare'', "to love".
{| class="wikitable"
|  ''amabo''    || I shall love
|-
|  ''amabis''   || you (singular) will love
|-
|  ''amabit''   || he, she, it will love
|-
|  ''amabimus'' || we shall love
|-
|  ''amabitis'' || you (plural) will love
|-
|  ''amabunt''  || they will love
|}

See [[Latin conjugation]] for further details. Sound changes in [[Vulgar Latin]] made future forms difficult to distinguish from other verb forms (e.g., ''amabit'' "he will love" vs. ''amavit'' "he loved"), and the Latin future simple forms were gradually replaced by [[periphrasis|periphrastic]] structures involving the infinitive and an [[auxiliary verb]], such as ''debere'', ''venire'', ''velle'', or especially ''habere''. All of the modern [[Romance languages]] have [[Grammaticalisation|grammaticalized]] one of these periphrastic constructions for expressing the future tense; none of them has preserved the original Latin future, with the exception of [[Old French]] preserving the original Latin future forms of ''estre'' "to be": ''jo (i)er'', ''tu (i)ers'', ''il (i)ert'', ''nos (i)ermes'', ''vos *(i)ertes'', and ''il (i)erent'', all of them were derived from ''erō'', irregular future form of ''esse'' "to be", in addition to future forms in ''ser-'' (< ''sedēre'' "to sit") or ''estr-''.

===Future tense with ''habere''===

While Classical Latin used a set of suffixes to the main verb for the future tense, later [[Vulgar Latin]] adopted the use of ''habere'' ("to have") with the infinitive, as for example:

''petant aut non petant venire habet''<ref>St Augustine of Hippo</ref> ("whether they ask or do not ask, it will come")

From this construction, the major Western Romance languages have future simple tense forms that derive from the infinitive followed by a conjugated form of the verb "to have" (Latin ''habere''). As the auxiliary verb lost its modal force (from a verb expressing obligation, desire, or intention, to a simple marker of tense), it also lost syntactic autonomy (becoming an [[enclitic]]) and phonological substance (e.g., Latin first singular ''habeo'' > ''ayyo'' > [[Old French]] ''ai'', Modern French {{IPA|[e]}}).

Thus the sequence of Latin verbs ''amare habeo'' ("I have to love") gave rise to French ''aimerai'', Spanish ''amaré'', etc. "I will love".<ref>[http://www.lituanus.org/1969/69_3_02.htm The Importance of Lithuanian for Indo-European Linguistics - Antanas Klimas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509145609/http://www.lituanus.org/1969/69_3_02.htm |date=2018-05-09 }} See section 9.</ref><ref>{{cite book | title=Morphologie du français médiéval |first=Gaston |last=Zink | publisher=PUF | location= Paris | year=1997 | edition=4th| isbn= 2-13-046470-X|language=fr}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|+ French
|-
! Personal pronoun
! Root verb
! Conjugation of ''avoir''
! Future tense
|-
| ''je''
| rowspan="6" style="text-align: center;" | ''aimer''
| ''ai''
| ''aimerai''
|-
| ''tu''
| ''as''
| ''aimeras''
|-
| ''il/elle/on''
| ''a''
| ''aimera''
|-
| ''nous''
| ''avons''
| ''aimerons''
|-
| ''vous''
| ''avez''
| ''aimerez''
|-
| ''ils/elles''
| ''ont''
| ''aimeront''
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|+ Occitan
|-
! Personal pronoun
! Root verb
! Conjugation of ''aver''
! Future tense
|-
| ''ieu''
| rowspan="6" style="text-align: center;" | ''aimar''
| ''ai''
| ''aimarai''
|-
| ''tu''
| ''as''
| ''aimaràs''
|-
| ''el/ela/òm''
| ''a''
| ''aimarà''
|-
| ''nos''
| ''avèm''
| ''aimarem''
|-
| ''vos''
| ''avètz''
| ''aimaretz''
|-
| ''eles/elas''
| ''an''
| ''aimaràn''
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|+ Portuguese
|-
! Personal pronoun
! Root verb
! Conjugation of ''haver''
! Future tense
|-
| ''eu''
| rowspan="6" style="text-align: center;" | ''comer''
| ''hei''
| ''comerei''
|-
| ''tu''
| ''hás''
| ''comerás''
|-
| ''ele/ela/você''
| ''há''
| ''comerá''
|-
| ''nós''
| ''hemos''
| ''comeremos''
|-
| ''vós''
| ''heis''
| ''comereis''
|-
| ''eles/elas/vocês''
| ''hão''
| ''comerão''
|}

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|+ Spanish
|-
! Personal pronoun
! Root verb
! Conjugation of ''haber''
! Future tense
|-
| ''yo''
| rowspan="6" style="text-align: center;" | ''comprar''
| ''he''
| ''compraré''
|-
| ''tú''
| ''has''
| ''comprarás''
|-
| ''él/ella/usted''
| ''ha''
| ''comprará''
|-
| ''nosotros''
| ''hemos/habemos''
| ''compraremos''
|-
| ''vosotros''
| ''habéis''
| ''compraréis''
|-
| ''ellos/ellas/ustedes''
| ''han''
| ''comprarán''
|}

Phonetic changes also affected the infinitive in the evolution of this form, so that in the modern languages the future stem is not always identical to the infinitive. Consider the following Spanish examples:
* "go out": infinitive ''salir'' → 1st. sing. future ''saldré'' in lieu of *''saliré''
* "know": infinitive ''saber'' → 2nd. sing future "sabrás" in lieu of *''saberás''
* "do": infinitive ''hacer'' → 3rd sing. future ''hará'' in lieu of *''hacerá''
* "want": infinitive ''querer'' → 3rd pl. future ''querrán'' in lieu of *''quererán''

== Indo-Aryan languages ==

=== Hindi ===
In [[Hindi]], verbs can be conjugated for three grammatical aspects ([[Habitual aspect|habitual]], [[Perfective aspect|perfective]], and [[Continuous and progressive aspects|progressive]]) and five grammatical moods ([[indicative]], [[Presumptive mood|presumptive]], [[Subjunctive mood|subjunctive]], [[contrafactual]], and [[Imperative mood|imperative]]).  Out of the three aspects, the habitual mood of Hindi cannot be conjugated into the future tense. The indicative future is constructed from the subjunctive future forms. Imperatives in Hindi can also be put into future tense.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Michael C.|title=A Primer of Modern Standard Hindi|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|year=1989|isbn=81-208-0475-9|location=New Delhi|pages=38–44 & 88–94}}</ref>

====Indicative and Subjunctive future====

There are two future subjunctive moods in modern [[Hindustani language|Hindi]], first the regular subjunctive and the second, the perfective subjunctive which superficially has the same form as the perfective aspect forms of verbs but still expresses future events, it is used with [[if clause]]s and [[relative clause]]s. In a semantic analysis, this use of the perfective aspect marker would not be considered perfective, since it is more closely related to subjunctive usage. Only the superficial form is identical to that of the perfective.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal|last=VAN OLPHEN|first=HERMAN|date=1975|title=Aspect, Tense, and Mood in the Hindi Verb|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24651488|journal=Indo-Iranian Journal|volume=16|issue=4|pages=296|doi=10.1163/000000075791615397|issn=0019-7246|jstor=24651488|url-access=subscription}}</ref> This perfective subjunctive cannot be used as a coupla for aspectual participles.

The future indicative forms are constructed using the future subjunctive forms of verbs by adding the future suffix गा (-'''''gā''''') which declines for number and gender of the grammatical person. The table below shows the future subjunctive and indicative forms of the verb करना '''''karnā''''' (to do).

{| class="wikitable"
|+Future Inflection
!gender
!singular
!plural
|-
!♂
|{{fs interlinear|-गा|-gā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|-गे|-gē|}}
|-
!♀
| colspan="2" | {{fs interlinear|-गी|-gī}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" |personal<br />pronouns
! rowspan="2" |future<br />subjunctive
! colspan="2" |future<br />indicative
! colspan="2" |subjunctive<br />perfective
|-
!person
!plurality
!formality
!pronoun
!♂
!♀
!♂
!♀
|-
! rowspan="2" |1st
!singular
!—
|{{fs interlinear|मैं|ma͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करूँ|karū̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करूँगा|karū̃gā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करूँगी|karū̃gī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|किया|kiyā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|की |kī|}}
|-
!plural{{efn|The 1st person plural pronoun हम (ham) is used as both the 1st person singular and 1st person plural pronoun in the eastern Hindi dialects.}}
!—
|{{fs interlinear|हम|ham|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करें|karē̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेंगे|karē̃gē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेंगी|karē̃gī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|किये|kiyē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|कीं|kī̃|}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |2nd
!singular
!intimate{{efn|name=second|The conjugations of the 2nd person intimate तू  (tū) and formal आप (āp) pronouns are the same as the singular and plural demonstrative pronouns conjugations, respectively.}}
|{{fs interlinear|तू|tū|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करे|karē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेगा|karēgā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेगी|karēgī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|किया|kiyā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|की |kī|}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |plural{{efn|The pronouns तुम (tum) and आप (āp) are grammatically plural pronouns however, they are also used as singular pronouns, akin to the English pronoun "you".}}
!familiar
|{{fs interlinear|तुम|tum|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करो|karo|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करोगे|karogē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करोगी|karogī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|किये|kiyē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|की |kī|}}
|-
!formal{{efn|name=second}}
|{{fs interlinear|आप |āp|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करें|karē̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेंगे|karē̃gē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करेंगी|karē̃gī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|किये|kiyē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|कीं|kī̃|}}
|-
! colspan="4" |translation <small>(only 2nd person)</small>
|(that) you do.
| colspan="2" |you will do.
| colspan="2" |(if) you do.
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="4" |demonstrative<br />pronouns{{efn|Hindi doesn't have pronouns in the third person and the demonstrative pronouns double as the third person pronouns when they not have a noun argument.}}
! rowspan="2" |future<br />subjunctive
! colspan="2" |future<br />indicative
! colspan="2" |subjunctive<br />perfective
|-
!plurality
!usage
!proximal
!distal
!♂
!♀
!♂
!♀
|-
! rowspan="2" |singular
!literary
|{{fs interlinear|यह|yah|}}
|{{fs interlinear|वह|vah|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|करे|karē|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|करेगा|karēgā|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|करेगी|karēgī|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|किया|kiyā|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|की |kī|}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |colloquial
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|ये|ye|}}
| rowspan="3" |{{fs interlinear|वो|vo|}}
|-
!singular
|-
!plural
| rowspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|करें|karē̃|}}
| rowspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|करेंगे|karē̃gē|}}
| rowspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|करेंगी|karē̃gī|}}
| rowspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|किये|kiyē|}}
| rowspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|कीं|kī̃|}}
|-
!plural
!literary
|{{fs interlinear|ये|ye|}}
|{{fs interlinear|वे|ve|}}
|-
! colspan="4" |translation <small>(only 3rd person fem.)</small>
|(that) she do.
| colspan="2" |she will do.
| colspan="2" |(if) she does.
|}
{{notelist}}

====Prospective future====
The prospective future is constructed using the prospective future participle which is constructed from the oblique infinitive by adding the suffix वाला (-'''''vālā''''') which also declines for the number and the gender of the pronoun. The participle is always followed by the auxiliary verb होना ('''''honā''')'' in its conjugated forms. The copula होना ('''''honā''')'' can be put into four grammatical moods: [[indicative]], [[Presumptive mood|presumptive]], [[Subjunctive mood|subjunctive]], and [[contrafactual]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=VAN OLPHEN|first=HERMAN|title=Aspect, Tense, and Mood in the Hindi Verb|date=1975|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24651488|journal=Indo-Iranian Journal|volume=16|issue=4|pages=284–301|doi=10.1163/000000075791615397|jstor=24651488|issn=0019-7246|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The table below shows the indicative mood forms of the prospective future for the verb करना '''''karnā''''' (to do).

{| class="wikitable"
|+Prospective Future Inflection
!gender
!singular
!plural
|-
!♂
|{{fs interlinear|-नेवला|-nēvālā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|-नेवाले |-nēvālē|}}
|-
!♀
| colspan="2" | {{fs interlinear|-नेवाली|-nēvālī|}}
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="4" rowspan="2" |personal
pronouns
! colspan="6" |indicative mood
|-
! colspan="2" |present
! colspan="2" |imperfect past
! colspan="2" |future
|-
!person
!plurality
!formality
!pronoun
!♂
!♀
!♂
!♀
!♂
!♀
|-
! rowspan="2" |1st
!singular
!—
|{{fs interlinear|मैं|ma͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला हूँ|karnēvālā hū̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली हूँ|karnēvālī hū̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला था|karnēvālā thā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली थी|karnēvālī thī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला रहूँगा|karnēvālā rahū̃gā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली रहूँगी|karnēvālī rahū̃gī|}}
|-
!plural
!—
|{{fs interlinear|हम|ham|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले हैं|karnēvālē ha͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली हैं|karnēvālī ha͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले थे|karnēvālē thē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली थीं|karnēvālī thī̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले रहेंगे|karnēvālē rahẽge|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली रहेंगी|karnevālī rahẽgī|}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |2nd
!singular
!intimate
|{{fs interlinear|तू|tū|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला है|karnēvālā hai|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली है|karnēvālī hai|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला था|karnēvālā thā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली थी|karēvālī thī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाला रहेगा|karnēvālā rahegā|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली रहेगी|karnēvālī rahegī|}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |plural
!familiar
|{{fs interlinear|तुम|tum|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले हो|karnēvālē ho|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली हो|karnēvālī ho|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले थे|karnēvālē thē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली थी|karnēvālī thī|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले रहोगे|karnēvālē rahogē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली रहोगी|karnēvālī rahogī|}}
|-
!formal
|{{fs interlinear|आप |āp|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले हैं|karnēvālē ha͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली हैं|karnēvālī ha͠i|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले थे|karnēvālē thē|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली थीं|karnēvālī thī̃|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाले रहेंगे|karnēvālē rahẽge|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करनेवाली रहेंगी|karnevālī rahẽgī|}}
|-
! colspan="4" |translation
| colspan="2" |...is going to do.
| colspan="2" |...was going to do.
| colspan="2" |...will be going to do.
|}

====Imperative future====
Imperatives in [[Hindi]] can be conjugated into two tenses, present and future tense. The conjugations are mentioned in the table below for the verb करना '''''karnā''''' (to do). Hindi also has imperatives forms which are constructed form the subjunctive form of the verbs for the formal 2nd person pronoun आप (āp), and also third person pronouns to give indirect commands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Future Imperatives - Hindi|url=https://taj.oasis.unc.edu/Hindi.Less.11/grammar04.html|website=A Door Into Hindi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Snell|first1=Rupert|title=Complete Hindi|last2=Weightman|first2=Simon|publisher=John Murray Learning|year=2016|isbn=978-144410683-1|location=Great Britain|pages=52–62}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3" rowspan="2" |pronouns
! colspan="2" |imperative mood
! colspan="2" |subjunctive mood
|-
!present
!future
!present
!future
|-
! rowspan="3" |2nd
!intimate
|{{fs interlinear|तू|tū|}}
|{{fs interlinear|कर|kar|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करियो|kar'''iyo'''|}}
| colspan="2" |—
|-
!familiar
|{{fs interlinear|तुम|tum|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करो|kar'''o'''|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करना|kar'''nā'''|}}
| colspan="2" |—
|-
!formal
|{{fs interlinear|आप|āp|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करिये|kar'''iyē'''|}}
|{{fs interlinear|करियेगा|kar'''iyēgā'''|}}
| colspan="2" |{{fs interlinear|करें|kar'''ẽ'''|}}
|-
! colspan="3" |translation
|do!
|do (later)!
| colspan="2" |(please) do!
|}

==Semitic languages==
===Hebrew===
[[Biblical Hebrew]] has a distinction between past and future tenses which is similar in form to those used in other Semitic languages such as [[Arabic]] and [[Aramaic]]. [[Wilhelm Gesenius|Gesenius]] refers to the past and future verb forms as Perfect and Imperfect,<ref>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesenius%27_Hebrew_Grammar/106._Use_of_the_Perfect Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1909)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813011905/https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesenius'_Hebrew_Grammar/106._Use_of_the_Perfect |date=2017-08-13 }}, Wilhelm Gesenius, §106</ref> respectively, separating completed action from uncompleted action. However, the usage of verbs in these forms does not always have the same temporal meaning as in Indo-European languages, mainly due to the common use of a construct of inverting the time reference with a prefix "Waw consecutive" (ו' ההיפוך). With this construct,  the Perfect-consecutive refers to the future<ref>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesenius%27_Hebrew_Grammar/112._The_Perfect_with_W%C4%81w_Consecutive Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1909)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813012638/https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gesenius%27_Hebrew_Grammar/112._The_Perfect_with_W%C4%81w_Consecutive |date=2017-08-13 }}, Wilhelm Gesenius, §112</ref>  and the Imperfect-consecutive refers to the past.

Usage of the imperfect to discuss future events is somewhat uncommon in Biblical Hebrew, as the Bible mainly discusses past events. It can be found in quoted speech, such as in the words of [[Moses]] (imperfect verbs stressed):

{{cquote|rtl=1|quote=
<sup>1 </sup>וַיַּעַן מֹשֶׁה, וַיֹּאמֶר, וְהֵן לֹא-'''יַאֲמִינוּ''' לִי, וְלֹא '''יִשְׁמְעוּ''' בְּקֹלִי:  כִּי '''יֹאמְרוּ''', לֹא-נִרְאָה אֵלֶיךָ יְהֹוָה
}}
{{cquote|quote=
<sup>1 </sup>And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they '''will not believe''' me, nor '''hearken''' unto my voice: for they '''will say''', The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
|source=Exodus 4:1<ref>{{bibleverse|Exodus|4:1|KJV}} King James Version (Oxford Standard, 1769)</ref>
}}

The Perfect-consecutive is commonly found in prophetic text, describing an unspecified future, as in the [[Book of Isaiah]]:

{{cquote|rtl=1|quote=
<sup>2 </sup>'''וְהָיָה''' בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית-יְהוָה בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים, וְנִשָּׂא, מִגְּבָעוֹת; '''וְנָהֲרוּ''' אֵלָיו, כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם.
}}
{{cquote|quote=
<sup>2 </sup> In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple '''will be''' established
as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations '''will stream''' to it.
|source=Isaiah 2:2<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|2:2|KJV}} King James Version (Oxford Standard, 1769)</ref>
}}

<!--
The Imperfect-consecutive is very common in Biblical Hebrew in narrative text when discussing events in continuation, following preceding events. As a result, it is even more common than the regular Perfect, and is a signature of Biblical Hebrew. In the English translation, the Imperfect-consecutive is typically replaced by a conjunction (the word "and") preceding a verb in past simple.

For example, the first two verses in [[Book of Genesis]] use the Perfect tense (stressed) for the initial event:

{{cquote|rtl=1|quote=
<sup>1</sup> <big>בְּ</big>רֵאשִׁית, '''בָּרָא''' אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ. <sup>2</sup> וְהָאָרֶץ, '''הָיְתָה''' תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ, וְחֹשֶׁךְ, עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם; וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים, מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם.
}}
{{cquote|quote=
<sup>1</sup> In the beginning God '''created''' the heaven and the earth. <sup>2 </sup>And the earth '''was''' without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
|source=Genesis 1:1-2<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|1:1-2|KJV}} King James Version (Oxford Standard, 1769)</ref>
}}

While the third verse, and all following verses, switch entirely to using the Imperfect-consecutive (stressed):

{{cquote|rtl=1|quote=
<sup>3 </sup>'''וַיֹּאמֶר''' אֱלֹהִים, יְהִי אוֹר; '''וַיְהִי'''-אוֹר.
}}
{{cquote|quote=
<sup>3 </sup>'''And''' God '''said''', Let there be light: '''and there was''' light.
|source=Genesis 1:3<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|1:3|KJV}} King James Version (Oxford Standard, 1769)</ref>
}}
-->
[[Modern Hebrew]] always employs the imperfect as the future tense (and the perfect as the past tense). The usage of "Waw consecutive" has practically disappeared, except for quotes from the Bible and Poetic language.

===Arabic===

To form future tense in [[Arabic]] the prefix (سـ) "sa" is added to the present tense verb, or (سوف) "sawfa".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=443028|title=future tense|website=wordreference.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203221416/http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=443028|archive-date=3 February 2014}}</ref>

For example, consider the sentence:
{{interlinear|indent=3
|top=آكلُ تفاحاً
|Akulu tuffahan
|eat.1SG apples
|I eat apples}}

To express the future we have two ways:

<blockquote>
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
written as part of the verb
{{interlinear|indent=2
|top=سـآكلُ تفاحاً
|Saakulu tuffahan
|FUT-eat.1SG apples
|I will eat apples}}
{{Col-2}}
written as a [[clitic]] to indicate the future but preceding the verb
{{interlinear|indent=2
|top=سوف آكلُ تفاحاً
|Sawfa akulu tuffahan
|FUT eat.1SG apples
|I will eat apples}}
{{Col-end}}
</blockquote>

In [[Classical Arabic]] the latter indicates an individual future action that usually takes place further in the future than the first mentioned form, which is usually used with verbs that relate to other actions, and mostly referring to rather near future actions.
However, in [[Modern Standard Arabic]] (MSA) the distinction is minimal.

Moreover, the indication of the future tense in [[dialectal Arabic]] is quite varied from one dialect to the next.
Generally speaking, the words meaning "want to" (بدي / أريد أن), "go to" (أروح), "intend to"(ناوي /نويت), and many others are used daily to indicate future actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=346840|title=All dialects: Future markers غاد ، باش ، ح ، راح|website=wordreference.com|access-date=9 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203221407/http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=346840|archive-date=3 February 2014}}</ref>
In [[Moroccan Arabic]], the word "Ghad" (غاد) is used to indicate future, which literally means "there" (or there is to happen), that is in some way similar to the English formation "there I go.."

==Mandarin Chinese==
[[Mandarin Chinese]] has no grammatical tense, instead indicating time of action from the context or using adverbs.  However, the auxiliary verb 會 / {{lang|zh-cn|会}} - ''huì'' / ㄏㄨㄟˋ, a modal meaning "can", "know how", can alternatively indicate futurity.<ref name=Bybee>Bybee, Joan, Revere Perkins, and William Pagliuca, ''The Evolution of Grammar'', Univ. of Chicago Press, 1994.</ref>{{rp|p.265;}}<ref name= Li/>{{rp|p.183}}  For lexical futurity, the word {{lang|zh-cn|要}} ''yào'', which can serve as a verb meaning "to want", can also serve as an adverb meaning "immediately":<ref name=Li>Li, Charles N., and Sandra A. Thomson, ''Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar'', 1989.</ref>{{rp|p. 175}} For example, {{lang|zh-cn|我要洗澡}} ''wǒ yào xǐzǎo'' can mean either "I want to bathe" or "I am about to bathe".  即 ''jí''、將 ''jiāng'' serve a similar function as tense-marking adverbs.{{how|date=December 2016}}

==Creoles==
[[Creole language|Creoles]] are languages with a vocabulary heavily based on a [[superstrate]] language but a grammar based on [[substrate language]]s and/or universal language tendencies.  Some Creoles model a future tense/[[irrealis mood]] marker on "go" from the superstrate (analogous to English "am going to").<ref name=Holm>Holm, John, ''An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles'', Cambridge Univ. Press, 2000.</ref>{{rp|p. 188}}  In many creoles the future can be indicated with the progressive aspect, analogous to the English "I'm seeing him tomorrow."<ref name=Holm/>{{rp|p. 190}}  In general creoles tend to put less emphasis on marking tense than on marking aspect.  When any of tense, aspect, and modality are specified, they are typically indicated with invariant pre-verbal markers in the sequence anterior relative tense (prior to the time focused on), irrealis mode (conditional or future), imperfective aspect.<ref name=Holm/>{{rp|pp. 176–9, p. 191}}

===Jamaican English Creole===

The future marker in [[Jamaican Creole]] is /de go/<ref name=Holm/>{{rp|pp. 93–95}} or /a go/: /de go hapm/ "is going to happen", /mi a go ɹon/ "I am going to run".

===Belizean Creole English===

In [[Belizean Creole]], the future tense is indicated by a mandatory invariant pre-verbal particle /(w)a(n)/, /gwein/, or /gouɲ/.

===Gullah===

In [[Gullah language|Gullah]] the future is indicated by the pre-verbal marker ''gwine'':  ''Uh gwine he'p dem'' "I'm going to help them".

===Hawaiian Creole English===

In [[Hawaiian Creole]], the pre-verbal future marker is ''gon'':<ref>Sakoda, Kent, and Siegel, Jeff, ''Pidgin Grammar'', Bess Press, 2003, p. 38.</ref>  ''Ai gon bai wan pikap'' "I'm going to buy a pickup".

===Haitian Creole===

[[Haitian Creole]], based on a French superstrate, interchangeably uses ''pral'' or ''va'' (from French 3rd person singular ''va'' "goes") pre-verbally to indicate the future:<ref>Turnbull, Wally R., ''Creole Made Easy'', Light Messages, 2000, p. 13.</ref>  ''Mwen va fini'' lit. "I go finish"; ''Li pral vini jodi a'' "He will come today".

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikt}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090228203251/http://www.englishtenseswithcartoons.com/page/future_tenses 4 Future Tenses Explained]
*[http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar English Grammar Reference and Exercises]

{{Grammatical tenses}}{{Narrative}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Future]]
[[Category:Grammatical tenses]]