Future Tenses (Futur I & Futur II)

German has two dedicated future tenses—Futur I and Futur II—and both rely on the versatile auxiliary verb werden. Yet unlike English, where will or going to appears in nearly every sentence about tomorrow, everyday German handles concrete future plans with the present tense plus a time marker (Ich fahre morgen nach Wien).

Knowing how to build Futur I and Futur II—and when speakers actually reach for them—gives you both cleaner A2–B1 communication and a solid bridge to B2 assumptions with werden.

1. Futur I (Future Tense & Present Assumptions)

Structure: conjugated werden (Position 2) + … + Infinitiv (at the end)

First, lock down the present conjugation of werden (watch the irregular du and er/sie/es forms):

Notice that separable verbs never split in Futur I, because the main verb stays in its full infinitive form at the end of the bracket (anrufen, ankommen, einkaufen).

When to Use Futur I

1. Intention, Promise, or Prediction: Ich werde dich morgen anrufen. (I promise I’ll call you tomorrow.) Im nächsten Jahr wird vieles anders sein. (Next year, many things will be different.)
2. Assumption About the Present: Er wird jetzt (wohl) im Büro sein. (He is probably in the office right now. — das Büro) (See our full B2 guide on assumptions with werden for more on this super common spoken use!)

Everyday note: For ordinary, scheduled plans—especially with morgen, nächste Woche, am Freitag—German usually prefers the simple present: Ich fahre morgen nach Wien. (I’m going to Vienna tomorrow.)

2. Futur II (Future Perfect & Past Assumptions)

Structure: conjugated werden (Position 2) + … + Partizip II + haben / sein (at the end)

Just like the Perfekt, Futur II ends with haben or sein depending on the main verb—except here haben or sein stays in its infinitive form at the very end, right after the Partizip II!

When to Use Futur II

1. An Action Completed by a Future Point (“will have done”): Bis Freitag werde ich das Projekt abgeschlossen haben. (By Friday I will have finalized the project. — das Projekt, abschließen takes haben) Um 18 Uhr werden wir in München angekommen sein. (By 6 p.m. we will have arrived in Munich. — ankommen takes sein)
2. Assumption About a Past Event (“probably did / must have done”): Er wird den Schlüssel vergessen haben. (He probably forgot the key. — der Schlüssel) Sie wird den Zug schon genommen haben. (She probably already took the train. — der Zug)

(In everyday speech, speakers also replace completed-future Futur II with Perfekt + a future time phrase: Bis Freitag habe ich das Projekt abgeschlossen.)

3. Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

When Futur I or Futur II sits inside a subordinate clause (weil, dass, wenn, obwohl), the conjugated werden moves to the very end, behind the infinitive(s):

• Futur I: Ich hoffe, dass ich dich morgen anrufen werde. (I hope that I will call you tomorrow.)
• Futur II: Ich glaube, dass ich das Projekt bis Freitag abgeschlossen haben werde. (I believe I will have finished the project by Friday.)

4. Don’t Confuse werden Roles!

Because werden also powers Konjunktiv II and the passive voice, always check two clues: the form of werden and what sits at the end of the clause:

(Read more in the triple role of werden, or test any verb’s future forms in the Verb Conjugator and Sentence Analyzer.)

Common Mistakes: Wrong vs. Right