¡Hola! While most verbs form the simple future tense regularly by adding endings to the infinitive, there are some very common verbs that have irregular stems in the future. The good news is that once you learn these irregular stems, they still use the same set of future endings as regular verbs! Let's dive into these important irregulars.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
The irregularity in the simple future tense comes from a change in the stem of the verb, not the endings. The endings (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án) remain the same as for regular verbs.
(Optional Review): What are the future endings we learned in the last chapter? (-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án). Remember, these same endings will attach to the new irregular stems.
The following verbs have irregular stems in the future tense, but then take the regular future endings.
| Infinitive | Future Stem | Yo form (Example) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| decir | dir- | diré | to say, to tell |
| hacer | har- | haré | to do, to make |
| poder | podr- | podré | to be able to, can |
| poner | pondr- | pondré | to put, to place, to set |
| querer | querr- | querré | to want, to love |
| saber | sabr- | sabré | to know (facts, information, how to) |
| salir | saldr- | saldré | to leave, to go out |
| tener | tendr- | tendré | to have |
| venir | vendr- | vendré | to come |
| valer | valdr- | valdré | to be worth |
Once you have the irregular stem, you add the same future endings: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.
Hacer (har-) - to do/make:
Tener (tendr-) - to have:
Decir (dir-) - to say/tell:
Master these common irregular future verbs.
Import Chapter 32 Flashcards(Requires login to import/study)
Instructions: For each future tense verb, write the infinitive and the irregular future stem.
Answer Key:
Instructions: Match the pronoun with the correct future form.
yo (poder) ( ) vendrás
tú (venir) ( ) sabrá
él (saber) ( ) pondremos
nosotros (poner) ( ) querrán
ellos (querer) ( ) podréAnswer Key:
yo (poder) → podré
tú (venir) → vendrás
él (saber) → sabrá
nosotros (poner) → pondremos
ellos (querer) → querránInstructions: Write the correct simple future form of the verb in parentheses.
Answer Key:
Instructions: Write three original sentences in Spanish about your plans for next week or next year, using at least two different irregular future verbs from this chapter.
(Answers will vary. Example: La próxima semana, haré ejercicio y tendré más tiempo para leer.)
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, make predictions about the future (e.g., for yourselves, for the world, for technology). Use irregular future verbs.
Example:
Student A: En diez años, yo tendré una casa grande.
Student B: Y la gente podrá viajar a Marte. Talking about future hopes, plans, and possibilities is universal. These irregular future verbs are workhorses in Spanish for discussing everything from simple upcoming events ("¿Qué harás esta noche?" - What will you do tonight?) to life-changing decisions ("Saldré del país el próximo año." - I will leave the country next year.).
The irregular stems in the future tense often evolved for phonetic reasons over time, making the words easier or more natural to pronounce. For example, trying to say "haceré" (if it were regular) is a bit more awkward than "haré." Similarly, "tenere" (if regular) is less smooth than "tendré."
While you don't need to know the historical linguistics, recognizing that these changes often involve dropping a vowel (like the 'e' in poder → podr-) or changing a consonant (like 'c' to 'r' in hacer → har-) can sometimes help in remembering them.
Reiterate: The good news about these irregular future verbs is that once you memorize the irregular stem, the endings you add are the exact same standard future endings: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.
This means your main task is to associate the infinitive with its special future stem (e.g., tener → tendr-, decir → dir-).
Let's see what the future holds for a group of friends.
El próximo verano, mis amigos y yo haremos un viaje especial. ¡Iremos (regular future of ir, but similar to preterite irregular) a Costa Rica!
Yo tendré que ahorrar mucho dinero. María dirá a sus padres sobre nuestros planes. Carlos pondrá la música para el viaje.
Nosotros querremos ver muchos animales y playas. ¿Podremos nadar con tortugas? ¡Espero que sí!
Sofía vendrá con nosotros, y ella sabrá dónde están los mejores lugares para comer. ¡Saldremos de aventura!
Next summer, my friends and I will make a special trip. We will go to Costa Rica!
I will have to save a lot of money. María will tell her parents about our plans. Carlos will put on the music for the trip.
We will want to see many animals and beaches. Will we be able to swim with turtles? I hope so!
Sofía will come with us, and she will know where the best places to eat are. We will go out on an adventure!
decir → dir-, hacer → har-, poder → podr-, poner → pondr-, querer → querr-, saber → sabr-, salir → saldr-, tener → tendr-, venir → vendr-, valer → valdr-.
-é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.
Forming the simple future with irregular stems + regular future endings.
¡Felicidades! You've now covered both regular and common irregular verbs in the Simple Future tense. This gives you a solid foundation for talking about future events. In our final chapter of Level 2, 'Conectando Ideas,' we'll learn about common conjunctions to help you link your thoughts and create more complex and nuanced sentences in any tense. ¡Ya casi terminamos el nivel!