Regular future formation · The 13 irregular future stems · Talking about plans and predictions · The future of probability · Se + futuro
CEFR Level A2A2 · Lesson 3 of 8By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
The simple future describes what will happen. It's formed from the infinitive with one small twist for -are verbs.
Drop the final -e of the infinitive, and for -are verbs, also change the -a- to -e-. Then add the future endings, which are identical for all three conjugations.
| Pronoun | parlare | prendere | partire |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerò | prenderò | partirò |
| tu | parlerai | prenderai | partirai |
| lui/lei/Lei | parlerà | prenderà | partirà |
| noi | parleremo | prenderemo | partiremo |
| voi | parlerete | prenderete | partirete |
| loro | parleranno | prenderanno | partiranno |
A group of common verbs use a shortened or altered stem — but once you have the stem, the same endings (-ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno) apply exactly as before.
| Infinitive | Future stem | io form |
|---|---|---|
| andare (to go) | andr- | andrò |
| avere (to have) | avr- | avrò |
| dovere (must) | dovr- | dovrò |
| potere (can) | potr- | potrò |
| sapere (to know) | sapr- | saprò |
| vedere (to see) | vedr- | vedrò |
| vivere (to live) | vivr- | vivrò |
| Infinitive | Future stem | io form |
|---|---|---|
| venire (to come) | verr- | verrò |
| volere (to want) | vorr- | vorrò |
| rimanere (to stay) | rimarr- | rimarrò |
| tenere (to hold/keep) | terr- | terrò |
| Infinitive | Future stem | io form |
|---|---|---|
| essere (to be) | sar- | sarò |
| fare (to do/make) | far- | farò |
| dare (to give) | dar- | darò |
| stare (to stay/be) | star- | starò |
The future tense covers plans, intentions, and predictions — the straightforward core use, similar to English "will."
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Domani andrò al lavoro presto. | Tomorrow I'll go to work early. |
| L'anno prossimo studierò in Italia. | Next year I'll study in Italy. |
| Pioverà domani, secondo le previsioni. | It'll rain tomorrow, according to the forecast. |
| I nostri figli vivranno in un mondo diverso. | Our children will live in a different world. |
One of the most distinctive Italian uses of the future has nothing to do with the future at all — it expresses a guess about the present.
When Italians aren't sure about something happening right now, they often use the future tense to guess — exactly like English "must be" or "I bet it's."
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Che ore sono? — Saranno le tre. | What time is it? — It must be around three. |
| Dov'è Marco? — Sarà ancora a lavoro. | Where's Marco? — He's probably still at work. |
| Quanti anni avrà quella signora? | I wonder how old that lady is. (guessing her age) |
For realistic "if... then" statements about the future, Italian uses the future in both halves of the sentence — unlike English, which uses present + will.
Se + futuro, futuro (not se + present, as English "if... will" might suggest)
Se avrò tempo, ti chiamerò. — If I have time, I'll call you.
Se farà bel tempo, andremo al mare. — If the weather is nice, we'll go to the seaside.
Se studierai, passerai l'esame. — If you study, you'll pass the exam.
Chissà (literally "who knows") is one of the most-used words in everyday Italian, almost always followed by a future-tense guess: Chissà cosa farà domani (who knows what he'll do tomorrow), Chissà se pioverà (who knows if it'll rain). It captures a certain relaxed attitude toward uncertainty that shows up constantly in conversation.
Similarly, prima o poi ("sooner or later") is a favourite way to talk about vague future plans without committing to a date — Prima o poi andrò in Giappone (sooner or later I'll go to Japan) is a perfectly normal, non-committal way to talk about a dream trip. Learning to use the future tense loosely, the way Italians do with chissà and prima o poi, will make your speech sound far more natural than always pinning things to exact dates.
Write the correct future form:
1. mangerò 2. scriverai 3. partirà
4. cercheremo (h keeps hard c) 5. comincerete (drops i)
Write the correct future form:
1. sarò 2. avrai 3. andrà
4. verremo 5. potrete 6. vorranno
Complete with the correct future forms:
1. avrò / verrò
2. studierai / passerai
3. farà / usciremo
1. Domani andrò al mercato.
2. Saranno le otto.
3. Se pioverà, rimarremo a casa.
4. Prima o poi imparerò bene l'italiano.
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