Das Futur I
Since Lesson 1, present tense plus a time word ("Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin") has covered most future talk - and it still works fine in everyday speech. Futur I (werden + infinitive) adds something present tense cannot: it signals prediction, promise, or assumption, not just a scheduled fact.
werden (conjugated) + infinitive at the end of the clause - same "verb-second, rest-to-the-end" pattern as modal verbs (Lesson 11).
| ich werde | wir werden |
| du wirst | ihr werdet |
| er/sie/es wird | sie/Sie werden |
Ich werde das machen. (I will do that. - a promise)
Es wird morgen regnen. (It will rain tomorrow. - a prediction)
Quick check: "she will" - sie ______
Use present tense + time word for planned, scheduled, near-certain events (like an appointment). Use Futur I for promises, predictions, and things that are not yet fixed.
| Ich fliege nächste Woche nach Thailand. (a booked flight - present tense) |
| Ich werde nächstes Jahr vielleicht nach Thailand fliegen. (a possible plan - Futur I) |
Quick check: which tense fits better for a flight you have already booked - present tense, or Futur I?
Adding wohl before the infinitive softens a Futur I statement into a probable guess, not a firm promise.
Er wird wohl noch schlafen. (He is probably still sleeping.)
Quick check: what word turns a Futur I sentence into a soft guess rather than a firm statement?
1. "It will rain tomorrow." - Es ______ morgen regnen.
2. Where does the infinitive go in a Futur I sentence?
Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.
Want to practice making predictions about your move to Germany? Ask your teaching agent.