Dreams, goals, summer plans…we spend a good part of our lives talking about the future. That’s why getting comfortable with future verb tenses is so important.
Learn the Italian future tenses, how to form them and when to use them. Plus, discover how Italian adverbs of time are used to talk about the future.
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Italian Future Tense Forms
The Italian future tense includes two forms: futuro semplice (simple future) and futuro anteriore (future perfect). While they do have direct counterparts in English, they are different in many ways.
Italians also commonly use the presente (present simple/present continuous) to talk about plans and scheduled events in the near future and is used in much the same way that English uses the present continuous to refer to the near future.
| Italian Future Tense | When To Use | English Equivalent |
| futuro semplice | For hopes and goals for the future. For scheduled or planned events. To hypothesize about something that might be happening in the present. Future events using expressions like se (if), quando (when), or appena (as soon as). | simple future |
| futuro anteriore | For future actions that will be completed before another future action. To hypothesize about past events. | future perfect |
| presente | For planned actions or scheduled events in the near future. | present simple/present continuous |
Futuro semplice (simple future)
The futuro semplice is the main Italian future tense, and it corresponds to the simple future in English.
When to use the futuro semplice
The simple future tense is used to talk about a wide range of future events in Italian, from scheduled to uncertain and unplanned.
| Futuro Semplice Use | Example |
| Unplanned and as yet uncertain future events. | Un giorno lavorerò in banca. = Someday I will work in a bank. |
| Scheduled or planned events. | Il tuo amico Carlo e sua madre, Paola, verranno a cena stasera. = Your friend Carlo and his mother Paola will come over for dinner tonight. |
| Hypotheses about something that might be happening in the present. This is called futuro di probabilità (future of probability), and it’s similar to the English expressions with “must,” “might,” or “probably.” | Non c’è nessuno in negozio. Saranno in ferie. = There’s no one in the shop. They must be on vacation. |
| Future events using expressions like se (if), quando (when), or appena (as soon as). This is a key difference: English uses the present tense in time clauses, whereas Italian uses the future tense. | Studierà italiano quando andrà in Italia. = He will study Italian when he goes to Italy. |
Italian simple future tense conjugation of regular verbs
Unlike English, where verbs change very little, Italian verbs must be adapted to match both the subject and the tense.
Italian regular verbs change their endings according to predictable patterns based on their infinitive form, which falls into one of three groups:
- -ARE verbs, like parlare (to speak)
- -ERE verbs, like credere (to believe)
- -IRE verbs, like partire (to leave)
In the futuro semplice, all regular verbs use the same set of endings. So once you learn them, you’ll be able to conjugate a huge number of verbs. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the simple future tense Italian conjugation endings in the chart below.
Italian simple future – regular verbs
| Pronoun | Parlare* (to speak) | Credere (to believe) | Partire (to leave) |
| io (I) | parlerò | crederò | partirò |
| tu (singular “you”) | parlerai | crederai | partirai |
| lui/lei (he/she) | parlerà | crederà | partirà |
| noi (we) | parleremo | crederemo | partiremo |
| voi (plural “you”) | parlerete | crederete | partirete |
| loro (they) | parleranno | crederanno | partiranno |
*Remember: In -ARE verb conjugation, the letter “a” changes into “e” before the future tense endings.
There are some exceptions even among regular verbs, though. Some of them are technically regular, but their futuro semplice spelling changes for pronunciation reasons. This happens with:
- Verbs ending in -care and -gare, which add an “h” after “c” or “g”:
- cercare (infinitive) → io cercherò = I will try/look for
- pagare (infinitive) → io pagherò = I will pay
- Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare, which drop the “i”:
- cominciare (infinitive) → io comincerò = I will start
- mangiare (infinitive) → io mangerò = I will eat
Italian simple future tense conjugation of irregular verbs
When it comes to irregular verbs, there’s usually no shortcut: Their conjugation can involve changes to both the stem and the endings, so you may need to learn them individually.
However, the futuro semplice of irregular verbs is way more manageable than other verb tenses in Italian, because, even if the stem changes, the endings remain the same as regular verbs.
Here are some common patterns of fully irregular verbs:
- Verbs that double the “r”:
- bere (infinitive) → io berrò = I will drink
- volere (infinitive) → io vorrò = I will want
- venire (infinitive) → io verrò = I will come
- Verbs that drop the vowel from the infinitive:
- andare (infinitive) → io andrò = I will go
- vedere (infinitive) → io vedrò = I will see
- sapere (infinitive) → io saprò = I will know
The verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) are also fully irregular, but they are so essential in Italian grammar that it’ll be helpful to learn them by heart.
Essere (to be) and avere (to have) in the Italian simple future
Essere (to be) and avere (to have) are two of the most important verbs in Italian. They are called verbi ausiliari (auxiliary verbs) and, in addition to being used on their own, they are combined with other verbs to form compound tenses, just like in English.
The table below shows how to conjugate these two verbs in the futuro semplice. Take some time to memorize them: They are also essential for building the futuro anteriore (future perfect).
Italian simple future – to be and to have
| Pronoun | Essere(to be) | Avere(to have) |
| io (I) | sarò | avrò |
| tu (singular “you”) | sarai | avrai |
| lui/lei (he/she) | sarà | avrà |
| noi (we) | saremo | avremo |
| voi (plural “you”) | sarete | avrete |
| loro (they) | saranno | avranno |
Make sure to review the conjugation of essere (to be) and avere (to have) across different tenses. Mastering these two verbs will give you much more flexibility and confidence when speaking Italian.
Fun Tip: Practice the Italian simple future by listening to (and singing along with) Domani by Italian hip-hop band Articolo 31, or by reading the poem Il futuro by Gianni Rodari, one of the most celebrated Italian poets and children’s authors of the 20th century.
Futuro anteriore (future perfect)
The other Italian future tense is the futuro anteriore, which corresponds to the future perfect in English (I will have eaten).
When to use the futuro anteriore
It is less common than the futuro semplice (simple future), and it has two main uses.
| Futuro Anteriore Use | Example |
| To describe a future action that will be completed before another future action, or, in other words, to indicate the past in the future. This is its core function, but it’s mostly present in writing and legal documents. In spoken Italian, it’s often replaced by the simple future. | Quando tornerai dall’ufficio, saremo già partiti da un’ora. = By the time you get back from the office, we will have already been gone for an hour. Appena avrai finito i compiti, andrai a giocare in giardino. = As soon as you have finished your homework, you will go play in the yard. |
| To make hypotheses about past events. This is similar to how the futuro semplice expresses probability about the present. | Sono appena passato in negozio, ma non c’era nessuno. Saranno già usciti. = I just stopped by the store, but no one was there. They must have already left. |
How to form the futuro anteriore
Like all Italian compound tenses, the futuro anteriore is formed using an auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb.
Futuro semplice (simple future) of essere (to be) or avere (to have) + participio passato (past participle)
For example:
- sarò andato = I will have gone
- avrò mangiato = I will have eaten
This tense is relatively easy to understand because the past participle has a single base form and only needs to agree in gender and number with the subject when it’s used with essere (to be).
Italian future perfect
| Pronoun | Essere (to be) + Partire (to leave)(I will have left) | Avere (to be) + Mangiare (to eat)(I will have eaten) |
| io (I) | sarò partito/partita (m/f) | avrò mangiato |
| tu (singular “you”) | sarai partito/partita (m/f) | avrai mangiato |
| lui/lei (he/she) | sarà partito/partita (m/f) | avrà mangiato |
| noi (we) | saremo partiti/partite (m/f) | avremo mangiato |
| voi (plural “you”) | sarete partiti/partite (m/f) | avrete mangiato |
| loro (they) | saranno partiti/partiti (m/f) | avranno mangiato |
Using the presente for future plans or events
Similarly to English, Italian often uses the presente (present simple/present continuous) tense to talk about the future when referring to planned actions or scheduled events in the near future.
For example:
- Il tuo amico Carlo e sua madre, Paola, vengono a cena stasera. = Your friend Carlo and his mother Paola are coming over for dinner tonight.
Vengono (they come) is the present simple of the verb venire. However, the time expression stasera (tonight) makes it clear that the action has not yet happened and will take place in the future. In situations like this, Italian speakers commonly use the present simple over the future simple, just like English speakers prefer the present continuous.
You will notice this similarity between Italian and English even more when talking about schedules such as train or flight departures, as both languages use the present simple:
- A che ora parte il treno? = What time does the train depart?
- L’aereo arriva alle nove di sera. = The airplane arrives at nine p.m.
Speaking about the future with Italian adverbs
In addition to studying verbs, it’s also important to learn how to use other small but powerful words that help to be more precise, such as time adverbs.
Avverbi di tempo (time adverbs) and adverbial expressions (groups of words that act like adverbs) work in Italian exactly as they do in English: They clarify the meaning of a verb by indicating when an action happens. They are usually divided into:
Adverbs (and expressions) that indicate a precise moment in time. For example:
- domani (tomorrow)
- domani mattina (tomorrow morning)
- alle cinque (at five o’clock)
Adverbs (and expressions) that indicate time in a general or vague way, such as:
- presto (soon)
- dopo (later)
- prossimamente (in the near future)
Memorizing Italian adverbs of time is quite straightforward, as they are very similar to the ones you already use in English. Check the chart below for the most common ones and some helpful example sentences.
| Future Time Adverb/Adverbial Expression | Translation | Italian Sentence | Meaning |
| domani | tomorrow | Domani farà freddo. | Tomorrow it is going to be cold. |
| dopodomani | the day after tomorrow | Passerà a trovarci dopodomani. | He/she’ll come visit us the day after tomorrow. |
| domani mattina/pomeriggio/sera/notte | tomorrow morning/afternoon/evening/night | La riporterò domani sera. | I will return it tomorrow evening. |
| presto | soon | Si sposeranno presto. | They will get married soon. |
| poi | then | Andranno in bicicletta e poi correranno. | They will ride their bicycles and then they will run. |
| più tardi | later | Ora loro pranzano. Più tardi inizieranno a lavorare. | They are eating lunch now and will work later. |
| alle + time (alle cinque, all’una, etc.) | at five o’clock, at one a.m./p.m., etc) | L’aereo partirà alle quattro del pomeriggio. | The airplane will depart at four o’clock p.m. |
| tra poco | in a little while | Pranzeremo tra poco. | We are going to eat lunch in a little while. |
| tra un po’ | in a bit | Ti chiamerà tra un po’. | He/she’ll call you in a bit. |
| a breve | soon/shortly | La riunione inizierà a breve. | The meeting will start soon/shortly. |
| tra qualche minuto/giorno/anno, etc | in a few minutes/days/years, etc | Un tecnico sarà lì tra qualche minuto. | A technician will be there in a few minutes. |
| prossimamente | soon/shortly/in the near future | La nuova serie arriverà prossimamente su Netflix. | The new season will be coming soon on Netflix. |
| la prossima settimana/la settimana prossima | next week | Andrò in montagna la settimana prossima. | I am going to the mountains next week. |
| il prossimo mese/il mese prossimo | next month | Il mese prossimo andrà in Europa. | Next month he/she will visit Europe. |
| il prossimo anno/l’anno prossimo | next year | L’anno prossimo avrò sei anni. | I am going to be six years old next year. |
| nei prossimi giorni/mesi/anni | in the coming days/months/years | Ci aggiorneremo nei prossimi giorni. | We will keep you updated in the coming days. |
Key takeaways about the Italian future tense
Let’s sum up the key points to remember about the future tense in Italian:
- Italian has two future tenses: futuro semplice (simple future, sometimes translated as “going to” in English), and futuro anteriore (future perfect).
- The futuro semplice (simple future) is used for most future situations and to make hypotheses about the present.
- In everyday Italian, the present tense often replaces the futuro semplice when talking about planned events.
- The futuro anteriore (future perfect) is a compound tense formed by the Italian auxiliary verbs to be/to have + past participle. It’s used to speak about the past in the future or to make hypotheses about a past event.
- Time adverbs and adverbial expressions, such as domani (tomorrow) or più tardi (later), help clarify when an action will take place in the future.
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