Language/Catalan/Grammar/Future-Tense
Hi Catalan learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about the future tense in Catalan. We will also provide some cultural information and interesting facts about the language. Let's dive in!
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Interrogative Words in Catalan & Personal pronouns.
Introduction to Future Tense[edit | edit source]
The future tense in Catalan is used to describe an action that will happen in the future. It is formed by adding the corresponding endings to the infinitive of the verb. The future tense endings are the same for all verbs, whether they end in -ar, -er or -ir.
Here is the list of future tense endings:
| Person | Ending |
|---|---|
| Singular 1st person | -é |
| Singular 2nd person | -às |
| Singular 3rd person | -à |
| Plural 1st person | -em |
| Plural 2nd person | -eu |
| Plural 3rd person | -an |
For example, the future tense of the verb "parlar" (to speak) is:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Parlaré | [pəɾləˈɾe] | I will speak |
| Parlaràs | [pəɾləˈɾas] | You will speak |
| Parlarà | [pəɾləˈɾa] | He/She/It will speak |
| Parlarem | [pəɾləˈɾem] | We will speak |
| Parlareu | [pəɾləˈɾew] | You all will speak |
| Parlaran | [pəɾləˈɾan] | They will speak |
Remember that the future tense is not always used to talk about actions that will happen in the future. It can also be used to express probability or assumption. For example: "Segurament vindrà." (She will probably come.)
Conjugation of Future Tense[edit | edit source]
To form the future tense in Catalan, we add the corresponding endings to the infinitive of the verb. For example:
- Infinitive: parlar (to speak)
- Future tense: parlaré, parlaràs, parlarà, parlarem, parlareu, parlaran
Here are some more examples:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Compraré | [kumprəˈɾe] | I will buy |
| Vendràs | [bənˈdɾas] | You will sell |
| Vivirà | [biˈβiɾa] | She/He/It will live |
| Escriurem | [əskɾiˈweɾəm] | We will write |
| Parlaran | [pəɾləˈɾan] | They will speak |
Keep in mind that Catalan has some irregular verbs that have a different stem in the future tense. For example:
| Catalan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tornaré | [tɔnˈɾe] | I will return |
| Sabràs | [səˈβɾas] | You will know |
| Haurà | [əˈuɾa] | She/He/It will have |
| Podrem | [puˈðɾem] | We will be able |
| Diran | [diˈɾan] | They will say |
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Here is a dialogue to help you see the future tense in context. Don't forget to practice its pronunciation!
- Maria: Què faràs aquest cap de setmana? (What will you do this weekend?)
- Jordi: Aniré a la platja. (I will go to the beach.)
- Maria: I tu, Pau? Què faràs? (And you, Pau? What will you do?)
- Pau: Estudiaré per als exàmens. (I will study for the exams.)
- Maria: Jo aniré al cinema amb els amics. (I will go to the movies with friends.)
Cultural Insight[edit | edit source]
Catalan is spoken in four main geographical areas: Catalonia (Spain), Valencia (Spain), the Balearic Islands (Spain), and the Roussillon (France). It is estimated that there are around 10 million speakers worldwide, making it one of the most widely spoken minority languages in Europe.
Catalan has a rich literary heritage, with notable authors such as Joanot Martorell, Jacint Verdaguer and Mercè Rodoreda. It is also the official language of Andorra, a tiny country located in the Pyrenees mountains between Spain and France.
Practice Exercises[edit | edit source]
To practice your skills in the future tense, try the following exercises:
1. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate future tense form of the verb in parentheses:
- Demà ____________ (anar) a la platja. (Tomorrow I will go to the beach.)
- El dissabte ____________ (jugar) a futbol. (On Saturday he will play soccer.)
2. Translate the following sentences to Catalan:
- I will study for the exams. (Estudiaré per als exàmens.)
- They will go on vacation next week. (Aniran de vacances la setmana que ve.)
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Catalan verbs - Wikipedia
- Catalan Lesson 15 - Future Tense and Weather Expressions
- Catalan Future Tense | POLYMATH.ORG
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