One of the frightening things when studying Japanese is the fact that there is no future tense in verbs. Verbs are conjugated only in the present and past tense. So the big question remains: How can I indicate the future? How do I know if a sentence is indicating the future? In this article these questions will be answered.
In reality, verbs are conjugated in the future tense yes, the problem is that the basic form of all verbs is present and future tense at the same time. So it is by the context of the sentence that you will know if a sentence is in the present or future. Japanese verbs are always ending the sentence, and in a large number of these sentences the verb does not need to be conjugated.
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Why is there no future tense in Japanese?
This is a complicated answer to respond to. But if we stop to think, isn't the present tense always in motion? It's easier to ask why there are so many tempos verbais different.
The Japanese verb in its simple form does not indicate either the present or the future. It can indicate anything like, an action that is going to happen, that is repeated, that happens regularly, at a certain time, in the future, etc.
To indicate that an action is happening at this present moment, we should use its progressive form teiru [ている]. Thus, it is more accurate to say that there is no present tense and the simple form is the future tense.
In Portuguese, you may have heard someone using a present tense verb in a sentence that indicates the future (Example: I come tomorrow). In reality, the verb is almost never necessary to indicate the time of the action; context or some word in the sentence will indicate this.
Japanese uses adverbs, intent, and other indications to show that the action is going to happen in the future or at a certain time. See some examples of verb conjugations below:
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| Past | 映画を見た | eiga wo mita | I watched a movie |
| Now | 映画を見ている | eiga wo miteiru | Watching a movie |
| not future | 映画を見る | eiga wo miru | Watch a movie |
| Invitation | 映画を見よう | eiga wo mirou | Let's see a movie |
| Intention | 映画を見るだろう | eiga wo mirudarou | you will see the movie |
| Tomorrow | 明日は映画を見る | Tomorrow I will watch a movie. | see the movie tomorrow |
| I intend | 映画を見るつもり | eiga wo miru tsumori | I want to see a movie |
The verb [見る] can be translated as see, watch, look...
Indicating future in Japanese language
You can use adverbs of time or dates and times to indicate when an action is done. You can use words like 明日 (ashita), 来年 (rainen), 来週 (raishū), at a certain time, in the future.
You can indicate an intention to take a certain action, such as: I intend to tsumori [つもり], or use the volitional form of the verb. Or indicate that you are thinking using the verb omou [思え].
Another way to tell if a sentence is in the future is by the context of the sentence. If someone asks you, what are you going to do tomorrow or later? You can simply reply with a sentence using the simple form of the verb (not past tense). It is obvious that you are indicating an action in the future.
See the examples below:
Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>
| 私は四時に来る | I will come at four o'clock. | I come at four |
| 明日はいい天気でしょう | Ashita wa ī tenkideshou | Tomorrow the weather will be fine |
| あなたは来年篠山に住むつもりですか。 | Are you planning to live in Sasayama next year? | You will live in Sasayama next year. |
| その仕事にすぐ慣れるだろう。 | It should soon become your job. | You will soon get used to work. |
| 今日仕事が終わったら、僕らみんなで野球するんだ。 | Kyō shigoto ga owattara, bokura min'na de yakyū suru nda. | Let's play baseball today after work. |
| 今晩何も食べない | Konban nani mo tabenai | I won't eat anything tonight / Don't eat anything tonight |
| 夏休みに日本へ行こうと思っています。 | I'm thinking of going to Japan during the summer vacation. | I'm thinking of going to Japan for the summer vacation. |
| 映画に行くつもりです。 | Eiga ni iku tsumoridesu. | I'm going to the cinema. |
| 私達の先生は８月に外国から帰ってきます。 | Our teacher will return from abroad in June. | Our teacher will be back from abroad in August. |
| 将来は、ジャーナリストになりたいと思っています。 | In the future, I want to become a journalist. | In the future, I would like to be a journalist. |
| 十時半の電車に乗ります。 | I will ride the 10:30 train. | You take the 10:30 train. |
We noticed the use of deshou [でしょう] which indicates a guess, an assumption, or speculation.
It's easy to get used to the fact that verbs don't have a definite future or present tense. Over time you won't even miss it or see any difference in your day to day when speaking and studying Japanese. I hope this article has helped you understand why there is no future tense in Japanese verbs and how to adapt to it.
