Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Future-Tense

How to Form the Future Tense in Arabic

Welcome Arabic learners,

In this lesson, you'll discover how to express future actions or events using the Future Tense in Arabic. The good news is that it's a relatively simple process, and you'll be able to use this tense to communicate your plans and intentions effectively. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a clear understanding of how to form the Future Tense in Arabic and how to use it correctly in various contexts. So, keep reading below and get ready to enhance your Arabic language skills!

With this lesson's content fresh in your mind, consider delving into these associated areas: The definite and indefinite articles, Negations, Question formation & Types of Sentences.

Rules

Arabic language has a relatively simple tense system, consisting of only three tenses: past, present, and future. Unlike other languages, Arabic does not have perfect or progressive tenses.

The future tense in Arabic is formed by using the present tense, known as المضارع, as a base. To create the future tense, the letter س is added to the beginning of the present tense verb, and it should be attached to the verb. This results in a simple and straightforward way of expressing actions or events that will occur in the future. By mastering the use of the present and future tenses in Arabic, learners can effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas in both spoken and written forms.

The second way to form the future tense is by using the article سوف, which is placed before the verb directly. This method is used to refer to actions that will take place in the far future. For example, "The students will study" is translated as "سوف يدرس الطلاب" using this method.

It's important to note that the article سوف should be separated and NOT attached to the verb. This is different from the first method, where the letter س is attached to the verb.

By understanding the difference between the two methods, learners can choose the appropriate one to express their intended meaning. For instance, "أنا سأذاكر دروسي" means "I will study my lessons" and refers to a near future action, while "أنا سوف أذاكر دروسي" also means "I will study my lessons" but refers to a far future action. By mastering both methods, learners can become more proficient in expressing their ideas and plans in Arabic.

Examples

Future	Arabic	Pronunciation
I will see you	أنا سأراك	ana sa-araak
I will write with a pen	أنا سأكتب بالقلم	ana sa-aktub belqalam
You will love apples	أنت ستحب التفاح	anta sa-tuheb atufah
You will give money	أنت ستعطي المال	anta sa-tu'ty almaal
You will play tennis	أنت ستلعب التنس	anta sa-tal'ab kurat almezrab
He will read a book	هو سيقرأ كتابا	huwa sa-yaqra ketaab
He will understand me	هو سيفهمني	huwa sa-yafhamuny
She will have a cat	هي ستكون لديها قطة	hiya sa-takouno ladayha qetta
She will know you	هي ستعرفك	hiya sa-ta'refok
We will want to see you	نحن سنريد أن نراك	nahnu sa-nureed an narak
We will think about you	نحن سنفكر فيك	nahnu sa-nofakiro fik
You (plural) will work here	أنتم ستعملون هنا	antum sa-ta'maloon huna
You (plural) will speak French	أنتم ستتكلون الفرنسة	antum sa-tatakalamoon alfaransia
They will drive a car	هم سيسوقون سيارة	hum sa-yasuqoon sayara
They will smile	هم سيتبسمون	hum sa-yatabassamoon

Sources

• http://ilovelanguages.org/arabic_lesson15.php
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMe4hxORYK4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gh609e7oSM

Other Lessons

• Gender
• Conjugation of the verb to write in the perfect
• THE USE OF THE AFFIXED PERSONAL PRONOUNS
• THE DECLENSION OF THE DUAL
• The definite and indefinite articles
• THE DECLENSION OF THE SOUND FEMININE PLURAL
• Apologies
• Nouns
• Pronouns
• DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS