Verb conjugations and verb tenses are inextricably linked in many languages. Tenses tell us when the action is taking place. Past tense refers to the past and present tense refers to the present. What about the future? While you’re undoubtedly familiar with saying something “will” happen in English, talking about the future in Japanese uses the same tense as talking about the present.
Whether Japanese learning is in your present or your future, you can use several key grammatical structures to accurately convey your meaning. Once you know the basics of Japanese verb conjugation, differentiating between tenses is as easy as searching for specific words and context clues.
Table of Contents
What are the tenses in Japanese?
Rather than “past,” “present,” and “future,” Japanese tenses are divided into “past” and “non-past.” That equals one less conjugation for you to learn!
- Kako-kei (過去形): Past tense. Sometimes referred to as “ta-form,” this tense refers to events that have already happened.
- Hikako-kei (非過去形): Non-past tense. Sometimes referred to as “ru-form,” this tense refers to events that are happening or will happen.
How do you conjugate verbs for the future in Japanese?
The Japanese verb conjugation for future tense is the same as it is for present tense, grouped into one non-past tense. Like past tense, non-past conjugations have two main forms: polite form (or masu-form) and plain form. You use polite form by default in polite situations, while plain form is used for casual conversation and some grammar forms.
| Dictionary Form | Polite Form | Plain Form | English |
| 見る miru | 見ます mimasu | 見る miru | see/will see |
| 聞く kiku | 聞きます kikimasu | 聞く kiku | listen/will listen |
| 読む yomu | 読みます yomimasu | 読む yomu | read/will read |
| する suru | します shimasu | する suru | do/does/will do |
| 来る kuru | 来ます kimasu | 来る kuru | come/will come |
| です desu | です desu | だ da | am/are/is/will be |
How to talk about the future in Japanese
Even without a Japanese future tense, talking about the future in Japanese is as natural as talking about the past or the present in Japanese. Here are five ways you can talk about tomorrow, next week, and ten years from now using time-specific vocabulary, verbs, and context.
1. Give a specific date or time
The most straightforward way to talk about the future is to be specific with the exact or approximate time. This is the perfect chance to practice telling time in Japanese!
You can fit the appropriate words about time in multiple places within a sentence due to the flexibility of Japanese word order. Generally speaking, if it’s an important part of the statement, it should go toward the front, while it can go in the middle if something else is the focus.
- Shiken ga niji han ni owarimasu.（試験が２時半に終わります。）= The exam will end at 2:30.
Dates work the same way, only using days and months in Japanese instead of hours and minutes.
- Shigatsu nijūichinichi ni nihon ni ikimasu.（４月２１日に日本に行きます。）= I’ll be going to Japan on April 21st.
2. Use time adverbs
Like with specific time, using time Japanese adverbs like “today” and “yesterday” carry a lot of weight when determining the tense of a sentence. These adverbs are among the most important vocabulary words to remember for indicating future tense, and they slot into sentences the same way specific dates and time do.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| 今朝 | kesa | this morning |
| 今日 | kyō | today |
| 今晩 | konban | tonight |
| 明日 | ashita | tomorrow |
| 明後日 | asatte | day after tomorrow |
| 今週末 | konshūmatsu | this weekend |
| 来週 | raishū | next week |
| 再来週 | saraishū | week after next |
| 来月 | raigetsu | next month |
| 来年 | rainen | next year |
| 後で | ato de | later |
| もうすぐ | mō sugu | soon |
3. Attach the word for becoming
As summer approaches in the northern hemisphere, it typically gets hotter. As the day stretches on, you may become tired. The verb in Japanese to say something will change in the future is naru (なる, to become). For Japanese nouns, using this word is as simple as adding the Japanese particle ni after the noun and before naru.
- Isha ni naru.（医者になる。）= I’m going to become a doctor.
For adjectives, it depends on if it’s an i-adjective or a na-adjective. Na-adjectives function the same way as nouns, but i-adjectives require a quick conjugation. The final i (い) must change to ku (く) before adding naru.
- Masumasu tsuyoku narimasu.（ますます強くなります。）= I’m becoming stronger and stronger.
4. Express uncertainty about events to come
The words deshō (でしょう) and darō (だろう) both go at the end of a sentence, and they have two primary uses. One use is to ask for confirmation or agreement (like adding “right?” to the end of a sentence in English). The other option is to express uncertainty or make guesses, which is useful when wondering about the future.
- Ame ga furu deshō.（雨が降るでしょう。）= It’ll probably rain.
- Kyūjitsu dakara asa nebō suru darō.（休日だから朝寝坊するだろう。）= I’ll probably sleep in since it’s a day off.
5. Make predictions with conditionals
If one thing happens, something else will likely follow. When we use if/then statements, the second half is usually in the future. This means you can safely assume the verb would be translated as future tense in English. Here are three ways you can convey conditionals in Japanese:
- [verb plain form] + to (と): If something happens, another thing will naturally follow.
- Ame ga furu to, suzushiku naru.（雨が降ると、涼しくなる。）= If it rains, then it will get cooler.
- [plain form] + nara (なら): If a specific thing happens, another specific thing will follow.
- Tomodachi ga kaeru nara, watashi mo kaeru.（友だちが帰るなら、私も帰る。）= If my friends go home, then I’ll go home, too.
- [past tense plain form] + ra (ら): When a condition is met, something will probably follow.
- Kūkō ni tōchaku shitara, denwa shimasu.（空港に到着したら、電話します。）= When I arrive at the airport, I’ll call you.
6. Try new things
When you want to say you’ll try something out, the verb ending -te miru (～てみる) will come in handy. After conjugating the main verb to the Japanese te-form, miru becomes the new verb that dictates the tense of the sentence.
- Rainen nihon ni iku kara, nihongo o sukoshi naratte miru.（来年日本に行くから日本語を少し習ってみる。）= Because I’m going to Japan next year, I’ll try to learn a little Japanese.
7. Look for context
Sometimes, whether or not you’re talking about the future is obvious. For example, if you’re talking with a classmate about a course’s final exam that you know is a month away, it’ll be clear that they’re talking about the future if they ponder what will be on the exam. Even if a sentence could be interpreted as referring to the present or the future, think about the speaker’s likely intent and you’ll find the context you need to understand correctly.
- Kyō no hirugohan wa rāmen desu yo!（今日の昼ごはんはラーメンですよ！）
- If spoken first thing in the morning: I’ll be having ramen for lunch today!
- If spoken at lunchtime: I’m having ramen for lunch today!
- Niku o tabemasu ka?（肉を食べますか？）
- If spoken outside of mealtime: Do you eat meat?
- If spoken when there is meat on your plate: Are you going to eat that meat?
Practice verb tenses on the go with Rosetta Stone
The verb of a sentence is one of its most essential components, so conjugating verbs is high on the list of things you should prioritize when learning Japanese. One of the best ways to do this is to immerse yourself in Japanese content. By reading stories and listening to audio recorded by native speakers, you’ll learn how to talk about the future in Japanese and differentiate tenses naturally—the same way you learned your native language.
Even if you can’t dedicate time to sit at a computer or a desk to study, the Rosetta Stone app has lessons you can download to learn on the go. Develop good language learning habits in the present to see a future when you speak Japanese!
0 Commentaires