The Future with werden
Learn the verb werden, build the future tense with werden plus an infinitive at the end, and see why everyday German often prefers the present tense with a time word.
The verb werden
German has a one-word tool for talking about the future: the verb werden. Before you can use it, you need its present-tense forms, and two of them are irregular in a way you already know from verbs like fahren and essen — the du and er/sie/es forms change their vowel. The full set is: ich werde, du wirst, er/sie/es wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie/Sie werden.
Say the six forms out loud a few times and give the irregular pair special attention: du wirst and er wird. There is no t at the end of wird, even though er-forms usually end in -t — the d does that job. Everything else behaves exactly like a normal verb in second position.
On its own, werden also works as a full verb meaning "to become": Meine Tochter wird Ärztin. Es wird kalt. Keep that meaning in mind — the last section returns to it, and it explains why the future tense looks the way it does.
Ich werde müde.
I am getting tired.
werden as a full verb: to become, to get.
Du wirst groß!
You are getting big!
Irregular du-form: wirst.
Das Wetter wird besser.
The weather is getting better.
Irregular er/sie/es-form: wird, with no extra -t.
werden + infinitive: the future tense
To build the future tense, put the right form of werden in second position and send the main verb — as a plain infinitive — to the very end of the sentence: Ich werde dich morgen anrufen. This is the same bracket you know from the modal verbs: the conjugated verb holds position two, the infinitive waits at the end, and everything else sits in between.
Separable verbs stay in one piece at the end, just as they do after a modal: Wir werden am Samstag einkaufen. And if the sentence starts with a time expression, werden still comes second and the subject follows it: Morgen werde ich länger schlafen.
When do Germans reach for this tense? Mainly for predictions, promises and firm intentions — things that feel more like a forecast or a commitment than a diary entry: Es wird morgen regnen. Ich werde dir helfen. Ich werde nie wieder so viel Kaffee trinken.
Ich werde dich morgen anrufen.
I will call you tomorrow.
werden in second position, infinitive at the end.
Es wird am Wochenende regnen.
It will rain at the weekend.
A classic prediction — weather forecasts love werden.
Wir werden am Samstag einkaufen.
We will go shopping on Saturday.
The separable verb stays in one piece at the end.
Nächstes Jahr werde ich mehr Sport machen.
Next year I will do more sport.
Time expression first, werden still second.
The everyday alternative: present tense + time word
Here is the surprise: in everyday conversation, Germans usually do not use werden for future plans at all. As soon as a time word makes the future clear — morgen, am Freitag, nächste Woche — the plain present tense does the job: Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. Wir grillen am Samstag. To an English ear this sounds like "I drive to Berlin tomorrow", but in German it is the most natural way to announce a plan.
So you now have two options, and the choice is about tone, not correctness. The present tense with a time word sounds like a fixed arrangement — something already in the calendar. werden + infinitive sounds like a prediction, a promise or a resolution — something you are committing to or forecasting.
Compare: Ich fahre am Freitag nach Köln (that is my plan, it is settled) and Ich werde am Freitag nach Köln fahren (I promise, or I firmly intend to). When in doubt about a simple plan, take the present tense — it is shorter and more idiomatic.
Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin.
I am going to Berlin tomorrow.
Present tense + time word — the normal way to state a plan.
Wir grillen am Samstag im Park.
We are having a barbecue in the park on Saturday.
Ich werde dir helfen, das verspreche ich.
I will help you, I promise.
A promise — this is where werden earns its place.
Plans, promises and becoming something
The future tense shines in three everyday situations. First, resolutions and promises: Ich werde weniger fernsehen. Ich werde pünktlich sein. Second, predictions about things you cannot control: Der Zug wird sicher Verspätung haben. Das Fest wird bestimmt schön. Little words like sicher, bestimmt and wahrscheinlich (probably) fit naturally into these sentences and soften or strengthen the forecast.
Third, remember that werden alone means "to become", and this meaning is everywhere in small talk about life plans: Mein Sohn wird nächsten Monat achtzehn. Sie will Lehrerin werden. In that last sentence, werden is the infinitive at the end after a modal verb — two grammar points from this course working together.
A good habit: when you write about next week, use the present tense with time words for your fixed plans, and save one werden sentence for a real promise or prediction. That mirrors exactly how native speakers balance the two.
Ich werde ab Montag weniger fernsehen.
From Monday I will watch less television.
A resolution — werden makes it sound like a commitment.
Das Fest wird bestimmt schön.
The party will definitely be lovely.
Meine Tochter wird Ärztin.
My daughter is becoming a doctor.
werden as a full verb — no second verb needed.
Er will später Koch werden.
He wants to become a chef later.
After a modal verb, werden goes to the end as an infinitive.
Check yourself
Quick checks on this lesson. Get at least three quarters right to mark it as completed.
Fill in the gap
Morgen es bestimmt regnen.
Hint: The es-form of werden is irregular — no extra -t at the end.