Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Future-Tense

Portuguese Grammar - Future Tense

Hi Portuguese learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will learn about the Future Tense in Portuguese. We will cover the conjugation of regular and irregular verbs, as well as the difference between the Simple Future and the Future periphrastic. We will illustrate the lesson with cultural information and interesting facts, so you can learn the future tense in a fun and engaging way.

Formation

The Future Tense ("Futuro do Indicativo") is used to express actions that will happen in the future. To form it, we usually add the endings "-ei", "-ás", "-á", "-emos", "-ão" to the infinitive of the verb. For example:

Portuguese	English
Eu falar-ei	I will speak
Tu falar-ás	You will speak
Ele/Ela/Você falar-á	He/She/You will speak
Nós falaremos	We will speak
Eles/Elas/Vocês falarão	They/You will speak

However, some irregular verbs have different stems in the Future Tense, such as "ter" (to have) and "pôr" (to put). Check out the conjugation of "ter" below:

Portuguese	English
Eu terei	I will have
Tu terás	You will have
Ele/Ela/Você terá	He/She/You will have
Nós teremos	We will have
Eles/Elas/Vocês terão	They/You will have

Can you guess the conjugation of "pôr" in the Future Tense? We will let you find out! 😉

Another way of forming the Future Tense is through the Future Periphrastic, which combines the verb "ir" (to go) in the present tense with the main verb in the infinitive. This structure is more commonly used in spoken Brazilian Portuguese. For example:

Portuguese	English
Eu vou falar	I am going to speak
Tu vais falar	You are going to speak
Ele/Ela/Você vai falar	He/She/You are going to speak
Nós vamos falar	We are going to speak
Eles/Elas/Vocês vão falar	They/You are going to speak

Usage

The Future Tense is used to express actions that will happen after the moment of speaking. It can be used to make predictions, express intentions, or to talk about future events. Let's see some examples below:

• Eu vou viajar para o Brasil no próximo ano. (I am going to travel to Brazil next year.)
• Ela terá filhos quando tiver 30 anos. (She will have children when she is 30 years old.)
• Eles ganharão o campeonato este ano. (They will win the championship this year.)

In Portuguese, we also use the Future Tense to express probability or conjecture about the present. For example:

• Deve ser o João a ligar para mim. Ele prometeu que me telefonaria. (It should be João calling me. He promised he would call.)
• A campainha tocou. Deve ser a minha encomenda. (The doorbell rang. It must be my order.)

Simple Future vs Future Periphrastic

Both the Simple Future Tense and the Future Periphrastic have the same meaning and are generally interchangeable. However, the Future Periphrastic is more common in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, while the Simple Future is more common in formal writing.

The Future Periphrastic can also convey a sense of immediacy or intention, while the Simple Future is more neutral. For example:

• Eu vou te ajudar. (I am going to help you.)
• Eu te ajudarei. (I will help you.)

Notice how the first sentence conveys more immediacy and intention, while the second one is more neutral.

Exceptions

Some Portuguese verbs cannot be conjugated in the Future Tense, such as "dar" (to give) and "estar" (to be). In these cases, we use the Present Tense to express future actions. For example:

• Eu estou livre amanhã. (I am free tomorrow.)
• Ela me dá as chaves quando chegar. (She gives me the keys when she arrives.)

Cultural Insight

In Brazil, the Future Tense is often used in song lyrics. One of the most famous examples is the song "Aquarela", by Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes. The song talks about the future, and how life changes with time. Here are a few lines in the Future Tense:

"Vai pintar o amor, eu tenho certeza Vai pintar o sol dentro da sua casa Vai ter a certeza que muito bem Pode ser feliz, pode ser feliz"

Translation: "Love will come, I am sure / The sun will shine inside your house / You will have the certainty that everything / Can be happy, can be happy"

Dialogue

Let's see an example of a dialogue in Portuguese using the Future Tense:

• Person 1: O que você vai fazer no final de semana? (What will you do on the weekend?)
• Person 2: Eu vou sair com meus amigos. Eles vão me buscar às oito. (I am going out with my friends. They will pick me up at eight.)
• Person 1: Legal! Onde vocês vão? (Cool! Where are you going?)
• Person 2: Ainda não decidimos. Talvez vamos ao cinema ou ao parque. (We haven't decided yet. Maybe we will go to the cinema or to the park.)

Sources

• Portuguese Grammar
• Future Tense
• Portuguese Language

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