Language/Hebrew/Grammar/Future-Tense

Hebrew Grammar - Future Tense

Hi Hebrew learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on the Future Tense in Hebrew. The Future Tense allows us to talk about things that will happen in the future. We will cover its conjugation, its various forms, and how to use them in a sentence.

Conjugation

The Future Tense in Hebrew is formed by adding specific endings to the root of the verb. The endings depend on the person, gender, and number of the subject. Let's take the root "כתב" (KTaV) meaning "to write" as an example:

Person	Masculine	Feminine	Plural
1st	אכתוב (EkToV)	אכתובה (EkToVa)	נכתוב (NiKToV)
2nd	תכתוב (TiKToV)	תכתבי (TiKToVi)	תכתבו (TiKToVu)
3rd	יכתוב (YiKToV)	תכתבי (TiKToVi)	יכתבו (YiKToVu)

As you can see, the future tense in Hebrew has many different forms depending on the gender, number, and person of the subject. Note that in the plural form, the subject is always expressed using the prefix "נ" (N).

Forms

There are three different forms of the Future Tense in Hebrew:

Simple Future

The Simple Future is the most basic form of the Future Tense. It is used to describe a future event in a simple way, without any conditions or uncertainties. For example:

• אני אגיע למסיבה (Ani Agi'a LaMesiVa) - I will come to the party
• היא תקנה את המכונית (Hi TiKNe Et HaMechoNit) - She will buy the car

Future Continuous

The Future Continuous is used to describe a future event that will be happening for a period of time. It is formed by adding the auxiliary verb "יהיה" (YiHiYe) before the present participle of the main verb. For example:

• אני אהיה טס לאמריקה (Ani EHiYe Tes Le-AmeriKa) - I will be flying to America
• היא תהיה שותה קפה (Hi TiHiYe Shotah Kafe) - She will be drinking coffee

Future Perfect

The Future Perfect is used to describe a future event that will be completed by a certain time. It is formed by adding the auxiliary verb "יהיה" (YiHiYe) before the past participle of the main verb. For example:

• ישראל יהיה גלוי לתיירים כבר ב-2022 (Yis-ra-el YiHiYe Galui LeTayariM Ka-Var Be-Esrim-Ve-Shnayim) - Israel will have opened to tourists by 2022
• אני יהיה רשום למכלול עסקים (Ani YiHiYe Rashum Le-MaKhloL AskiM) - I will have registered for the business association

Examples

Below are some examples of the Future Tense in use:

• Person 1: מה תעשה מחר? (Ma Ta'aseh MeChar) - What will you do tomorrow?
• Person 2: אני ילך לספרייה (Ani ELeKh LaSeFriYa) - I will go to the library

• Person 1: מתי תסיים את הפרויקט? (MaTi TiSiYeM Et HaProYeKt) - When will you finish the project?
• Person 2: אני יסיים אחרי שבועיים (Ani YiSiYeM AHarai Shvu'aiM) - I will finish in two weeks

Cultural Insight

Learning Hebrew is not only about the language itself, but also about the rich culture and history of the Jewish people. Hebrew has been the language of the Jewish people for over 3000 years and has played a significant role in Jewish life and traditions. To fully appreciate the language, it is essential to understand its cultural context and how it is embedded in Jewish history and identity.

To improve your Hebrew Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• The Hebrew Verb (Future Tense) - hebrewversity
• Hebrew Tenses: Expressing the Past, Present, and Future
• Verbs in Action: Back to the Future? | Hebrew Language Blog

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Related Lessons

• How to Use Have
• Personal pronouns and the present tense
• Personal pronouns
• Adjectives
• Negation
• Conditional Mood
• Pronouns
• Plurals
• Questions
• Nouns