Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Future-Tense

Standard Estonian Grammar - Future Tense

Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into the Standard Estonian future tense. We will learn how to form it, how to use it in sentences, and discover some interesting culture facts regarding Estonian habits and traditions. So, get ready to learn! 😎

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Articles & Adverbs.

What is the future tense in Estonian?

The future tense, "tulevikulõpp" in Estonian, refers to actions or events that will happen at a later time than now. It is used to talk about future plans, predictions, or intentions.

You can form the future tense in Estonian by adding the specific suffixes to the verb stem. The form of the future tense depends on which verb type the verb belongs to, and whether the verb is in the affirmative or negative form.

For Type I verbs, the future tense for affirmative verbs ends in -n, and for negative verbs, it ends in -ma.

For Type II verbs, affirmative verbs end in -ma, and negative verbs end in -a.

For Type III verbs, affirmative verbs have the same ending as their present tense, and negative verbs end in -ks.

Here's a quick overview:

Verb Type	Type of Verb	Affirmative	Negative
I	Lõpetama (to finish)	Lõpetan	LõpetaMA
I	Kuulama (to listen)	KuulaN	KuulaMA
II	Rääkima (to speak)	Räägin	RäägiMA
II	Elama (to live)	ElaN	ElaMA
III	Sööma (to eat)	Söön	SööKS
III	Saama (to get)	Saan	SaaKS

Let's see some examples with the verb "tegema" (to do):

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
Ma teen tööd.	Ma te-en tööd.	I will work.
Ma ei tee tööd.	Ma ei te-e tööd.	I will not work.

In the affirmative form, we add -n to the verb stem "tee-". In the negative form, we add -ma to the stem and put "ei" (not) in front of it.

Remember, to be able to form the future tense correctly, it is important to know the verb type of the verb and the correct verb stem.

Culture facts and interesting information

Estonians are known for being punctual and respecting schedules. Being late is considered very disrespectful, so it's important to plan ahead and be on time.

Estonians also love their nature and spend a lot of time outside, enjoying the forests, beaches and lakes. One of the biggest traditions during summer is the 'sauna'. Almost every household has a sauna, and it's a common practice to go to the sauna after a long day at work or during weekends as a way to relax and socialize.

Now that you have learned how to form the future tense in Estonian and some interesting facts about Estonian culture, it's time to practice! Don’t forget to use the Polyglot Club website to find native speakers and ask them any questions. You can also improve your Standard Estonian Grammar by reading more tutorials and practicing regularly.

---

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Estonia
• Estonian language
• Sauna

Other Lessons

• Give your Opinion
• How to Use Have
• Articles
• How to Use Be
• Pronouns
• Adjectives
• Nouns
• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• Adverbs