Italian Future Tense: Complete Guide to Futuro Semplice and Anteriore

What is the Italian future tense?

The Italian future tense (futuro semplice) expresses actions or states that will happen in the future. Beyond simple future events, it is also used to express probability, conjecture, and predictions. Italian has two future tenses: the futuro semplice (simple future) and the futuro anteriore (future perfect).

Good news: the Italian future tense is one of the more regular tenses, and all three verb classes (-are, -ere, -ire) share the same set of endings. The only catch is that -are verbs have a stem vowel change, and about a dozen high-frequency verbs have irregular stems.

How do you form the Italian futuro semplice?

To form the regular futuro semplice: take the infinitive, drop the final -e (and change -are verbs' "a" to "e"), then add the future endings: -ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno.

What are the irregular Italian future tense verbs?

About a dozen high-frequency Italian verbs have contracted or altered future stems. The endings remain regular—only the stem changes. Memorise these first as they appear constantly in conversation.

When do Italians use the future tense vs the present tense?

In everyday spoken Italian, the present tense with a future time expression is very common for near-future plans: "Domani vado al cinema." (Tomorrow I'm going to the cinema.) The futuro semplice is more natural for distant, uncertain, or conditional future events.

How do you use the Italian future for probability and conjecture?

One of the most distinctive Italian uses of the future is expressing probability or conjecture about a present situation. This is called "futuro di probabilità" and corresponds to English "must be", "probably is", or "I wonder if".

• Che ore sono? — Saranno le cinque. (What time is it? — It must be about five.)
• Chi sarà? (Who can it be? — e.g. at the door)
• Sarà stanco dopo il viaggio. (He must be tired after the journey.)
• Dove sarà il mio telefono? (Where can my phone be?)
• Avrà la febbre. (She probably has a fever.)

How does the Italian future work in "se" (if) clauses?

Unlike English, Italian uses the future tense (not present) in the "if" clause when the condition is a real (probable) future event. Both clauses take the future: "Se farà bel tempo, andremo al mare." (If the weather is nice, we will go to the beach.)

• Se + futuro → futuro: Se verrai, sarò felice.
• Se non studierai, non passerai l'esame.
• Se avremo tempo, visiteremo il museo.
• Contrast: Se + imperfetto congiuntivo → condizionale (hypothetical): Se venissi, sarei felice.

For hypothetical "if" clauses with the conditional, see our guide to the Italian conditional tense.

What is the Italian futuro anteriore?

The futuro anteriore (future perfect) expresses an action that will be completed before another future action. It is formed with the future of essere or avere + past participle.

When do you use the futuro anteriore in Italian?

Use the futuro anteriore for an action that will be complete before another future point. The second, later action is in the futuro semplice (or present). It also expresses probability about past events.

• Quando arriverai, avrò già cucinato. (When you arrive, I will have already cooked.)
• Appena avrà finito, mi chiamerà. (As soon as he has finished, he will call me.)
• Dopo che saranno partiti, pulirò la casa. (After they have left, I will clean the house.)
• Probability about past: Dove sarà andato? Sarà andato a casa. (Where can he have gone? He must have gone home.)

What is the future tense of the most common Italian verbs?

Here are the future forms of twelve verbs you will use constantly. Note the irregular stems for essere, avere, and the modal verbs.

• essere: sarò, sarai, sarà, saremo, sarete, saranno
• avere: avrò, avrai, avrà, avremo, avrete, avranno
• fare: farò, farai, farà, faremo, farete, faranno
• andare: andrò, andrai, andrà, andremo, andrete, andranno
• venire: verrò, verrai, verrà, verremo, verrete, verranno
• potere: potrò, potrai, potrà, potremo, potrete, potranno
• dovere: dovrò, dovrai, dovrà, dovremo, dovrete, dovranno
• volere: vorrò, vorrai, vorrà, vorremo, vorrete, vorranno

What are common mistakes learners make with the Italian future?

The most frequent errors are forgetting the stem vowel change for -are verbs (saying "parlarò" instead of "parlerò"), confusing irregular stems, and using the present tense in "se" clauses where Italian requires the future.

• Wrong: parlarò → Correct: parlerò
• Wrong: andarò → Correct: andrò
• Wrong: Se viene → in Italian this IS possible for factual conditions, but: Se verrà domani, lo vedrò
• Wrong: Sarò mangiato → Correct: Avrò mangiato (mangiare takes avere)
• Wrong: Se venissi, andremo → Correct mood mismatch—se + imperfect subjunctive → conditional

How does the Italian future tense relate to the subjunctive?

Italian has no future subjunctive—the present subjunctive covers future subjunctive meaning. When the subjunctive verb refers to a future event, use the present subjunctive: "Non credo che venga domani" (I don't think he will come tomorrow).

Learn when to use the subjunctive instead of the future in our comprehensive Italian subjunctive guide.

Practice exercises for the Italian future tense

The best way to internalise the Italian future is to make sentences about your own plans and predictions. Write five predictions about tomorrow, five about next year, and five conjectures about current situations. Get feedback from a native teacher on your choices.

private Italian lessons Private Italian lessons give you focused tense practice with native-speaker feedback in every session.

“Once you see that Italians use "sarà" where English says "must be", a whole new layer of authentic expression opens up.”

— Dolce Vita Italian School teaching team

Ready to master the Italian future tense?

Start with the regular -are/-ere/-ire patterns, memorise the dozen irregular stems, and practise probability sentences daily. The Italian future tense is learnable in a few focused sessions. Dolce Vita Italian School integrates future tense practice into real-life planning conversations so every lesson moves you toward fluency.

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