Talking About the Future in Russian

The future tense in Russian has two types: simple future and compound future. The simple future tense is more commonly used, but ironically, it can be quite challenging to learn. Let me explain why.

We’ll start with compound future tense because it’s much easier to remember.

Compound Future in Russian

How is it formed

This tense is formed by combining the verb “быть” (to be) in the present tense with the imperfective infinitive form of the main verb.

While it may seem straightforward, the challenging aspect lies in remembering the proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb for each person. However, that’s the only thing that is difficult. You only need to remember the conjugation of the verb быть (to be) once, in order to form compound future tense or any future tense of a Russian verb.

We don’t use the verb быть in the present, but we DO use it when we talk about the future and the past.

So, you just take the verb from the dictionary and add the auxiliary verb to it:

• Я буду говорить (I will speak).
• Ты будешь говорить (You will speak).
• Он/она/оно будет говорить (He/she/it will speak).
• Мы будем говорить (We will speak).
• Вы будете говорить (You will speak).
• Они будут говорить (They will speak).

Another example:

• я буду работать – I will work
• ты будешь работать – you will work
• он/она/оно будет работать – he/she/it will work
• мы будем работать – we will work
• вы будете работать – you will work
• они будут работать – they will work

As you can see, the only thing that changes here is the first verb. This means you only have to remember 6 different forms and nothing more. Can you believe it?

я буду петь/танцевать/рисовать	I will sing/dance/draw	мы будем петь/танцевать/рисовать	we will sing/dance/draw
ты будешь петь/танцевать/рисовать	you will sing/dance/draw	вы будете петь/танцевать/рисовать	you will sing/dance/draw
он/она/оно будет петь/танцевать/рисовать	he/she/it will sing/dance/draw	они будут петь/танцевать/рисовать	they will sing/dance/draw

 

The sad part is that you can’t use the compound form in every case.

The Use of Compound Future: examples

As a rule, we use the compound tense when talking about repeated, uncomplete or continuing actions.

Я буду жить в другом городе. – I will live in another city.

Моя мама будет учить детей. – My mother will teach children.

Ты будешь меня слушать? – Will you listen to me?

Я не буду это есть. – I will not eat it.

Мы будем смотреть кино. – We’re going to watch a movie.

Я буду учиться в университете. – I will study at the university.

Он будет готовить обед. – He will cook lunch.

Они будут играть в футбол. – They will play football.

Я буду изучать русский язык. – I will study the Russian language.

Она будет работать в новой компании. – She will work in a new company.

Я буду заниматься спортом каждый день. – I will exercise every day.

Compound future is used when we express future actions (continuous actions) with a specific time frame or when the timing of the event is important:

Я буду готовить обед в 6 вечера. – I will cook lunch at 6 PM.

Она будет делать уроки завтра. – She’ll be doing homework tomorrow.

Я буду писать курсовую работу на следующей неделе. – I will be writing a term paper next week.

Они будут готовиться к экзаменам всю ночь. – They will be studying for exams all night.

Note:

Он будут приезжать завтра утром. – They will arrive tomorrow morning.

Приезжать (to come) – is not a continuous process, so the compound future is not used here.

Simple Future in Russian

Forms

From now on things will get more complicated. Be prepared.

The simple future tense in Russian involves using only one verb – perfective form. The key is that you need to change this verb six times. Let’s take a look at an example using the same verb (говорить) I mentioned earlier.

• Я поговорю (I will speak).
• Ты поговоришь (You will speak).
• Он/она/оно поворит (He/she/it will speak).
• Мы поворим (We will speak).
• Вы поворите (You will speak).
• Они поворят (They will speak).

Horrible, right? And it’s only one verb. Imagine you have to remember them all, and their future forms are all different.

Another example:

• я поработаю – I will work
• ты поработаешь – you will work
• он/она/оно поработает – he/she/it will work
• мы поработаем – we will work
• вы поработаете – you will work
• они поработают – they will work

Well, if you have learned perfective and imperfective verbs, you should know that not all of them take the prefix по-. Some verbs have other prefixes, while others don’t take any prefix at all.

Here are some more examples:

видеть (to see)

• я увижу – I will see
• ты увидишь – you will see
• он/она/оно увидит – he/she/it will see
• мы увидим – we will see
• вы увидите – you will see
• они увидят – they will see

открывать (open)

• я открою – I will open
• ты откроешь – you will open
• он/она/оно откроет – he/she/it will open
• мы откроем – we will open
• вы откроете – you will open
• они откроют – they will open

Говорить and поговорить have the same conjugation pattern, and if you know the conjugation of the verb говорить in the present tense, you can easily conjugate поговорить (you only add the prefix по-).

However, perfective verbs like открыть can be quite difficult to remember because they have distinct conjugations and differ significantly from their imperfective forms (открывать).

Usage

The simple future tense is used more frequently in everyday speech.

It is mostly used when talking about the actions or events that will only happen once in the future:

Завтра я пойду/схожу в библиотеку. – Tomorrow I’m going to the library. (just tomorrow.)

Он придёт сегодня, чтобы забрать свои книги. – He’ll come today to take his books back.

Мы посмотрим фильм потом. – We’ll watch the movie later.

Я поеду в отпуск через неделю. – I will go on vacation in a week.

Он станет известным художником. – He will become a famous artist.

It is important to note that the present tense in Russian can also be used to express future actions when the context makes it clear that the action happens in the future. In spoken Russian we use it when talking about plans:

В воскресенье мы играем в футбол с друзьями. – On Sunday, we play football with friends.

Через месяц я еду на море. – I’m going to the seaside in a month.

Simple Future vs. Compound Future: What Should I Use?

And this is where the hardest part is starting.

The compound future and simple future tenses in Russian do have some differences in usage, including how they can express repetitive or one-time actions.

Compound Future Tense:

• It is often used to emphasize ongoing or continuous actions or events in the future.
• The compound future can be used for repetitive actions or actions that occur regularly according to a schedule or plan.
• It suggests that the action will happen multiple times or over a specific period in the future.

Examples:

Я буду работать каждый день. – I will work every day.

Он будет играть на гитаре вечером. – He will play the guitar in the evening.

Simple Future Tense:

• It is commonly used to express one-time actions or single events that will occur in the future.
• The simple future tense can also convey future intentions, plans, predictions, or specific actions that will happen at a particular time.

Examples:

Завтра я пойду в банк. – Tomorrow, I will go to the bank.

Я приготовлю для нас ужин. – I will prepare dinner for us.

“Я буду готовить для нас ужин” is also possible, but it emphasizes the ongoing process of cooking dinner, while “Я приготовлю для нас ужин” places more emphasis on the result or completion of preparing dinner. The focus is on the end product rather than the process itself.

In general, the simple future tense in Russian often emphasizes the result or outcome of an action, while the compound future can place more emphasis on the ongoing nature of the action. However, it is worth noting that the nuanced differences in emphasis can vary depending on the context and the individual’s intended meaning.

Я буду ходить в школу каждый день. – I will go to school every day.

Сегодня не пойду в школу. – I won’t go to school today.

Я буду делать это постоянно. – I will do this all the time.

Я сделаю это завтра. – I’ll do this tomorrow.

Я уверена, что выучу это правило. – I’m sure, I will learn this rule. (I will memorize this rule = result.)

Я буду учить это правило, пока не запомню. – I will be learning this rule until I remember it.

But sometimes these two tenses can be used interchangeably, even when continuing action happens:

Сегодня я буду говорить с вами об искусстве.

Сегодня я поговорю с вами об исскустве. (Today I’m going to talk to you about art.)

Можно, я буду жить у тебя? (Can I live in your place?)

Можно, я поживу у тебя? – In this situation, however, the second sentence implies that it won’t be long:

Можно, я поживу у тебя, пока у меня нет денег? (Can I live in your place, while I don’t have money?)

For some verbs the compound form is rarely or almost never used.

Когда-нибудь ты поймешь. – Sometimes you’ll understand.

“Будешь понимать“, “буду понимать“, “будет понимать” – these phrases are very rare to hear. The few examples I can think of now are:

“Вы будете понимать немецкую речь и хорошо говорить на немецком“. – You will understand german speach and speak German very well. (A phrase you can hear at the German course as a promise. This means you will always understand what German people say after the course.)

Как я буду понимать тебя, если ты постоянно говоришь загадками? – How will I understand you, if you talk in riddles all the time?

You can also say “пойму“, but it sounds more natural when talking about the current situation:

Как я пойму тебя, если ты говоришь с набитым ртом? – How will I understand you (=what you’re saying) if you’re talking with full mouth?

In simple terms, you can think of the compound future as emphasizing ongoing or repetitive actions in the future, while the simple future focuses on one-time or specific future actions. However, it’s important to note that both tenses can be used interchangeably in certain contexts, and the choice between them depends on the speaker’s intention or emphasis.

It’s always essential to consider both the context and the speaker’s intention when using the compound future and simple future tenses. By practicing and exploring various language contexts, you’ll develop a strong sense of how to express your ideas accurately and effectively using these tenses in Russian.

Keep practicing with both tenses to become more comfortable in distinguishing between them and using them appropriately based on the intended meaning.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask if you have any questions related to the compound future tense in the comments.