The future – regular verbs: Italian grammar lesson 56

Summary

Unlock the secrets of speaking about the future in Italian like a native! This guide will show you how to master the future tense of regular verbs, so you can confidently plan and predict in la bella lingua. 🚀🇮🇹

  • Conjugation is key: Forget “will” and “shall”—Italian verbs change their endings to dance into the future. Get those endings down, and you’re golden!
  • Present Tense Hack: In a pinch? Use the present tense for imminent plans. Just toss in a time frame, like “Domani vado al cinema”, and you’re set for tomorrow’s movie plans!
  • First and Second Conjugation: Verbs ending in -are and -ere are BFFs in the future tense. They follow the same pattern, so learn one and you’ve almost learned the other. Efficiency for the win!
  • Third Conjugation Charm: Verbs ending in -ire like to be a tad different. But don’t sweat it; their future tense endings are just as logical. A little practice and you’ll nail it!
  • Future Tense Flex: Use the future tense for any event that’s yet to happen. Whether it’s a job you’ll start next week or a movie you’ll watch after studying, Italian’s got you covered.

My thoughts

While in English the future tense is constructed by putting “will” or “shall” in front of the verb, in Italian, the future tense is made by conjugating the verb (= changing the verb endings).

Let’s talk about the future tense of regular verbs. There’s also a post about the future tense of irregular verbs.

Is the future tense only for the future?

Different peoples use verb tenses in different situations due to different perceptions of time and life. Some languages even lack the future tense!

In Italian, we can also use the present tense to refer to events happening in the near future if the time of the event is specified. For example: Domani vado a scuola (= Tomorrow I will go to school).

However, using the future tense to talk about future events is always acceptable, so if you use the future tense, you can’t go wrong!

Simple future tense: Regular conjugation of verbs ending with –are and -ere

Regular verbs of the first conjugation group (ending in –are) and second conjugation group (ending in –ere) follows the same conjugation:

First Conjugation Verb: Second Conjugation Verb:
Verb: Lavorare (= to work) Credere (=to believe)
io lavorerò crederò
tu lavorerai crederai
lui/lei lavorerà crederà
noi lavoreremo crederemo
voi lavorerete crederete
loro lavoreranno crederanno

Simple future tense: Regular conjugation of verbs ending with –ire

Regular verbs of the third conjugation group (ending in –ire) follow this conjugation instead:

First Conjugation Verb:
Verb: Capire (= to understand)
io capi
tu capirai
lui/lei capirà
noi capiremo
voi capirete
loro capiranno

Learn more about Italian verb conjugation.

Practice with Quizlet

Here's a set of flashcards and quizzes to practice this grammar topic.

Regular future tense: How to talk about the future

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When can we use the future tense in Italian? Let’s take a look at some examples of regular verbs.

When talking about events that will happen in the future or when talking about future plans:

La prossima settimana inizierò a lavorare in una nuova azienda.

Next week I’ll start working for a new company.

Dal mese prossimo lavorerò solo 3 giorni a settimana.

Starting next month, I’m going to work only 3 days a week.

I miei genitori partiranno mercoledì prossimo.

My parents will leave next Wednesday.

After quando (= when), even though for this kind of sentence, the present tense is used in English:

Quando finirai di studiare, guarderemo un film.

When you finish studying, we’ll watch a movie.

What is regular future tense?

The simple future tense is a grammatical form used to indicate events or actions that will occur in the future. It is a way to express predictions, promises, or intentions regarding a future event.

How do you form the future tense for regular verbs?

The simple future tense in Italian is formed by adding the appropriate verb ending to the infinitive form of the verb. For regular verbs, the endings for the simple future tense are as follows: -are verb: -erò -ere verb: -erò -ire verb: -irò

What is future semplice in Italian?

The futuro semplice (simple future) is a form of the future tense in Italian, used to express an action that will take place in the future. This tense is often replaced with the present tense for convenience or for a more conversational feel.

Italian word of the day
bottiglie
Example
Colleziono bottiglie. Non sai proprio cosa fare, eh?
I collect bottles. You just don’t know what to do, huh?
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4 Responses

  1. La prossima settimana ma Dal mese prossimo//mercoledì prossimo.
    Sono confusa. Qual ‘e la differenza? Prossimo-a si mette prima o dopo il sostantivo?

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