The futuro semplice (simple future) is the main tense for talking about future events in Italian. You use it to make plans, predictions, and promises, or to speculate about what is probably happening right now. It is formed by adding a set of endings directly to a modified form of the infinitive — no auxiliary verb is needed.
| Person | -ARE (parlare) | -ERE (leggere) | -IRE (dormire) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerò | leggerò | dormirò |
| tu | parlerai | leggerai | dormirai |
| lui/lei | parlerà | leggerà | dormirà |
| noi | parleremo | leggeremo | dormiremo |
| voi | parlerete | leggerete | dormirete |
| loro | parleranno | leggeranno | dormiranno |
For -ERE and -IRE verbs, simply drop the final -e of the infinitive: leggere → legger-, dormire → dormir-. For -ARE verbs, the same endings apply but the -a- of the infinitive changes to -e-: parlare → parler-, mangiare → manger-, lavorare → lavorer-. Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an 'h' to keep the hard sound: cercare → cercher-, pagare → pagher-. Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the 'i': cominciare → comincerò, mangiare → mangerò.
| Infinitive | Future Stem | Io form | Loro form |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere | sar- | sarò | saranno |
| avere | avr- | avrò | avranno |
| andare | andr- | andrò | andranno |
| fare | far- | farò | faranno |
| venire | verr- | verrò | verranno |
| volere | vorr- | vorrò | vorranno |
| potere | potr- | potrò | potranno |
| dovere | dovr- | dovrò | dovranno |
| sapere | sapr- | saprò | sapranno |
| bere | berr- | berrò | berranno |
| rimanere | rimarr- | rimarrò | rimarranno |
| tenere | terr- | terrò | terranno |
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| domani | tomorrow |
| dopodomani | the day after tomorrow |
| la settimana prossima | next week |
| il mese prossimo | next month |
| l'anno prossimo | next year |
| tra un'ora | in an hour |
| tra due giorni | in two days |
| tra una settimana | in a week |
| presto | soon |
| in futuro | in the future |
Italian speakers often use the future tense to express probability or speculation about the present — something English does with 'must be' or 'probably is'. For example: 'Che ore sono? Saranno le tre.' (What time is it? It must be about three o'clock.) This is very common in everyday speech and is an important feature to recognise at A2 level.
10 exercises · 0 completed
Regular -ARE Verbs — Io Form
10 questions
Regular -ARE Verbs — Tu, Lui/Lei Forms
10 questions
All Persons of 'Parlare'
10 questions
-ARE Verbs: Stem Changes
10 questions
Fill in the Future — -ARE Verbs (Io Form)
10 questions
Fill in the Future — -ARE Verbs (All Persons)
10 questions
Choose the Correct Future Form
10 questions
Future vs Present vs Infinitive
10 questions
Future Plans with -ARE Verbs
10 questions
Review — Regular -ARE Verbs in the Future
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Regular -ERE Verbs — Future Tense
10 questions
Regular -IRE Verbs — Future Tense
10 questions
All Persons of 'Leggere'
10 questions
All Persons of 'Dormire'
10 questions
Fill in the Future — -ERE Verbs
10 questions
Fill in the Future — -IRE Verbs
10 questions
Mixed -ERE and -IRE Verbs
10 questions
Choosing the Right Ending: -erò vs -irò
10 questions
Future Plans with -ERE and -IRE Verbs
10 questions
Review — Regular -ERE and -IRE Verbs
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Irregular Future: 'Essere'
10 questions
Irregular Future: 'Avere'
10 questions
Irregular Futures: Andare, Fare, Venire
10 questions
Irregular Futures: Volere, Potere, Dovere
10 questions
Irregular Futures: Sapere, Bere, Rimanere
10 questions
Fill in the Future — Essere and Avere
10 questions
Fill in the Future — Andare, Fare, Venire
10 questions
Fill in the Future — Volere, Potere, Dovere
10 questions
Mixed Irregular Futures
10 questions
Review — All Irregular Futures
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Time Expressions: Domani and Dopodomani
10 questions
Time Expressions: La Settimana Prossima, Il Mese Prossimo, L'Anno Prossimo
10 questions
Time Expressions: Tra + Time
10 questions
Future Sentences with Time Expressions
10 questions
Futuro di Probabilità
10 questions
Probability Sentences
10 questions
Making Promises with the Future
10 questions
Promise Sentences
10 questions
Future vs Present for Near-Future Plans
10 questions
Review — Uses and Time Expressions
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Mixed Verbs — All Persons
10 questions
Mixed Regular and Irregular Futures
10 questions
Negation in the Futuro Semplice
10 questions
Negative Future Sentences
10 questions
Questions in the Futuro Semplice
10 questions
Question Forms in the Future
10 questions
Se + Present → Future (Conditional Sentences)
10 questions
Conditional Future Sentences (Se + Present → Future)
10 questions
Comprehensive Review
10 questions
Final Mixed Assessment
10 questions