Talking about the future in German without the Futur
German usually talks about the future in the present tense, with a time expression to make the meaning clear: Morgen fahre ich nach Hamburg. The future tense with werden (Futur I) is mainly used for predictions, assumptions and firm promises. For something that will be finished by a certain time, German normally uses the Perfekt instead of the Futur II: Bis Freitag habe ich den Bericht geschrieben.
The present tense as the normal future
In English you need will or going to in most sentences about the future. In German the present tense is enough whenever the context or a time word shows that the action lies ahead. This is not informal or lazy; it is simply how German works, in speech and in writing.
Ich rufe dich später an.I'll call you later.
Nächste Woche haben wir Urlaub.We're on holiday next week.
Der Kurs beginnt am 3. März.The course starts on 3 March.
Wir sehen uns morgen!See you tomorrow!
Ich mache das gleich.I'll do it in a minute.
Useful time words for this are gleich (in a moment), bald (soon), später (later), morgen (tomorrow), übermorgen (the day after tomorrow), nächste Woche (next week), am Wochenende (at the weekend) and in zwei Tagen (in two days).
When German uses werden
The Futur I is formed with werden in position two and the infinitive at the end: Es wird regnen. It is common in these situations:
- Predictions, especially when there is no time word: Das wird schwierig. (That's going to be difficult.)
- Promises and firm intentions, where werden adds weight: Ich werde dich nie vergessen. (I'll never forget you.)
- Assumptions about the present, usually with wohl: Er wird wohl im Büro sein. (He's probably at the office.)
- Formal announcements and forecasts: Morgen wird es in ganz Deutschland sonnig.
The third use often surprises learners. Sie wird jetzt zu Hause sein is not about the future at all. It means She's probably at home now. German uses werden here to show that the speaker is guessing.
werden is not will
Common mistake
Ich will morgen nach Berlin fahren. (meaning: I will go to Berlin tomorrow) is wrong; correct: Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. / Ich werde morgen nach Berlin fahren.
German will comes from wollen and means want. Ich will nach Berlin fahren means I want to go to Berlin. The future is made with werden, or simply with the present tense.
This is one of the most common false friends for English speakers. wollen does express intention, so Ich will nächstes Jahr Spanisch lernen (I want to learn Spanish next year) is a perfectly good sentence about the future. It just means something different from will.
Plans and intentions
English going to often expresses a plan. German has several ways to say the same thing:
Ich habe vor, im Sommer nach Italien zu fahren.I'm planning to go to Italy in the summer.
Wir wollen am Samstag grillen.We want to have a barbecue on Saturday.
Ich möchte nächstes Jahr die B1-Prüfung machen.I'd like to take the B1 exam next year.
Er plant, ein Auto zu kaufen.He's planning to buy a car.
Futur II and why the Perfekt replaces it
The Futur II describes an action that will be completed by a certain point in the future: Bis Freitag werde ich den Bericht geschrieben haben. (By Friday I will have written the report.) It is grammatically correct, but it sounds heavy, and in everyday German the Perfekt takes its place. The time expression shows that the result lies in the future.
Bis morgen habe ich die Aufgabe erledigt.I'll have finished the task by tomorrow.
In einer Stunde sind wir angekommen.We'll have arrived in an hour.
Wenn du zurückkommst, habe ich schon gekocht.When you get back, I'll have cooked.
Learners who meet sentences like Bis morgen hat er die Aufgabe erledigt sometimes think there is a mistake, because the Perfekt looks like a past tense. It is not a mistake. The Perfekt describes a completed action, and the time word places it in the future.
The Futur II is still used for one thing: guessing about the past. Er wird den Zug verpasst haben means He must have missed the train, or He has probably missed the train. Here, too, wohl is common: Sie wird es wohl vergessen haben.
A quick guide
| You want to say | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a plan or arrangement with a time word | present tense | Am Montag fange ich an. |
| a prediction | werden + infinitive | Das wird teuer. |
| a firm promise | werden + infinitive | Ich werde pünktlich sein. |
| a guess about now | werden (+ wohl) + infinitive | Er wird wohl krank sein. |
| something finished by a future time | Perfekt + time word | Bis Mai habe ich alles gelernt. |
| a guess about the past | werden + Perfekt infinitive | Sie wird es vergessen haben. |
The forms are covered on the pages about Futur I, Futur II, the present tense and the Perfekt. The Futur I test has practice sentences. For other words that look like English but mean something else, see the list of false friends.
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: