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---
title: "The Future Tenses (and Futuristic Present) - German for English SpeakersGerman for English Speakers"
title: "The Future Tenses (and Futuristic Present)"
description: "Forming Futur I and Futur II with werden, plus the futuristic present tense (Futuristisches Präsens) and how German differs from English future constructions."
source: "https://germanforenglishspeakers.com/verbs/future-tenses"
crawled: "2026-06-30"
---
# The Future Tenses (and Futuristic Present) - German for English SpeakersGerman for English Speakers
# The Future Tenses (and Futuristic Present)
The basic future tense in German is the Futur I; it’s formed with the present tense of the verb werden (given in [section V.3](/verbs/present-and-simple-past.md "V.3 The Present & Preterite Tenses")) and the infinitive of the main verb. We do the same thing in English with _will_:
The basic future tense in German is the Futur I; it's formed with the present tense of the verb werden (given in [section V.3](/verbs/present-and-simple-past.md "V.3 The Present & Preterite Tenses")) and the infinitive of the main verb. We do the same thing in English with _will_:
_Ich **werde** dort ein Hotel **suchen**._
I **will look for** a hotel there.
_Ich **werde** das Geschirr **spülen.**_
I **will do** the dishes. \[literally, _spülen_ is more like "rinse"\]
_Ich **werde** dort ein Hotel **suchen**._
I **will look for** a hotel there.
_Ich **werde** das Geschirr **spülen.**_
I **will do** the dishes. \[literally, _spülen_ is more like "rinse"\]
To form the Futur II (future perfect), use _werden_ + past participle + _haben/sein_. Again it's similar in English: _will have_. The only difference is that, as always in German, the non-conjugated verbs move to the end of the clause:
_Wenn ihr ankommt **werde** ich ein Hotel **gefunden haben**._
By the time you arrive, I **will have found** a hotel.
_Bis heute Abend **werde** ich das Geschirr **gespült haben**._
_Wenn ihr ankommt **werde** ich ein Hotel **gefunden haben**._
By the time you arrive, I **will have found** a hotel.
_Bis heute Abend **werde** ich das Geschirr **gespült haben**._
By this evening, I **will have done** the dishes.
In English we also have the more casual form "I’m going to..." to replace "I will..." This form does not exist in German, so don’t try to translate it literally: Ich gehe zu \[verb\] would not make sense. Just use werden instead.\*
The futuristic present (Futuristisches Präsens) refers to a tendency in both languages to use the present tense for future events. In English we do this in two main situations: when we have arranged to do something in the near future ("I’m going to the movies tomorrow") and when referring to an action that will take place according to a fixed (usually printed) schedule or timetable ("The train leaves in half an hour"). German also uses the present tense for these situations:
_Meine Freundin **besucht** mich nächstes Wochenende._
My girlfriend **visits** \[is visiting\] me next weekend.
_Der Zug **fährt** in 10 Minuten **ab**._
The train **departs** in ten minutes.
(Note that we often use the progressive aspect in these situations -- "is visiting" -- which [doesn’t exist in German](/verbs/the-continuous-and-progressive-aspects.md "V.15 The Continuous/Progressive Aspects").)
In English we also have the more casual form "I'm going to..." to replace "I will..." This form does not exist in German, so don't try to translate it literally: Ich gehe zu \[verb\] would not make sense. Just use werden instead.\*
The futuristic present (Futuristisches Präsens) refers to a tendency in both languages to use the present tense for future events. In English we do this in two main situations: when we have arranged to do something in the near future ("I'm going to the movies tomorrow") and when referring to an action that will take place according to a fixed (usually printed) schedule or timetable ("The train leaves in half an hour"). German also uses the present tense for these situations:
_Meine Freundin **besucht** mich nächstes Wochenende._
My girlfriend **visits** \[is visiting\] me next weekend.
_Der Zug **fährt** in 10 Minuten **ab**._
The train **departs** in ten minutes.
(Note that we often use the progressive aspect in these situations -- "is visiting" -- which [doesn't exist in German](/verbs/the-continuous-and-progressive-aspects.md "V.15 The Continuous/Progressive Aspects").)
There are a few situations where German uses the futuristic present and English does not. The most important is an offer or promise to do something:
German (Präsens):
Literal English (present):
Correct English (future):
| German (Präsens) | Literal English (present) | Correct English (future) |
|---|---|---|
| **Ich zahle** es dir morgen zurück. | **I pay** you back tomorrow. | **I'll pay** you back tomorrow. |
| **Ich hole** dir eine Jacke. | **I get** you a jacket. | **I'll get** you a jacket. |
**Ich zahle** es dir morgen zurück.
**I pay** you back tomorrow.
**I’ll pay** you back tomorrow.
There's another case where use of the present is optional: predictions or speculation. In the case of speculation, we usually use may/might/maybe in English, and German uses vielleicht (perhaps):
**Ich hole** dir eine Jacke.
**I get** you a jacket.
**I’ll get** you a jacket.
| German (Präsens) | German (Futur I) | English (future) |
|---|---|---|
| Morgen **regnet** es. | Morgen **wird** es **regnen**. | Tomorrow it **will rain**. |
| Vielleicht **gehe** ich nächste Woche. | Vielleicht **werde** ich nächste Woche **gehen**. | I may **go** \[Maybe I'll **go**\] next week. |
There’s another case where use of the present is optional: predictions or speculation. In the case of speculation, we usually use may/might/maybe in English, and German uses vielleicht (perhaps):
German (Präsens):
German (Futur I):
English (future):
Morgen **regnet** es.
Morgen **wird** es **regnen**.
Tomorrow it **will rain**.
Vielleicht **gehe** ich nächste Woche.
Vielleicht **werde** ich nächste Woche **gehen.**
I may **go** \[Maybe I’ll **go**\] next week.
\*(To be more specific: the verb phrase “going to” in English usually means that a future event is already planned or expected (“I’m going to do my homework later”) rather than the announcement of a decision (“I’ll do my homework later”). In German, “going to” will often have werden, or possibly schon or noch. Ich werde meine Hausaufgaben später machen; Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben schon/noch. But an announcement is in the futuristic present: Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben später.)
\*(To be more specific: the verb phrase "going to" in English usually means that a future event is already planned or expected ("I'm going to do my homework later") rather than the announcement of a decision ("I'll do my homework later"). In German, "going to" will often have werden, or possibly schon or noch. Ich werde meine Hausaufgaben später machen; Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben schon/noch. But an announcement is in the futuristic present: Ich mache meine Hausaufgaben später.)
[Continue to next section >>](/verbs/the-konjunktiv-moods.md)