How to indicate the future tense in Japanese?

One of the things that scares you when studying Japanese is the fact that there is no future tense in the verbs. The verbs are conjugated only in the present and the past. 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 doubts will be answered.

In reality, the verbs are indeed conjugated in the future, the problem is that the basic form of all verbs is both present and future at the same time. So it is through the context of the sentence that you will know if a sentence is in the present or the future. Japanese verbs are always ending the sentence, and in a large number of these sentences, the verb does not need to be conjugated.

Why is there no future tense in Japanese?

This is a complicated answer to give. But if we stop to think, is the present tense not always in motion? It is easier to ask why there are so many different verb tenses.

The Japanese verb in its simple form does not indicate either present or future. It can indicate anything like, an action that is going to happen, that repeats, that happens regularly, at a certain time, in the future, etc.

To indicate that an action is happening at this present moment, we must use its progressive form teiru [ている]. Thus, it is more correct 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 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; always the context or some word in the sentence will indicate that.

Japanese uses adverbs, intention, and other indications to show that the action will happen in the future or at a certain moment. See some examples of verb conjugations below:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways 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
No future	映画を見る	eiga wo miru	To watch a movie
Invitation	映画を見よう	eiga wo mirou	Let’s watch a movie
Intention	映画を見るだろう	eiga wo mirudarou	You will watch the movie
Tomorrow	明日は映画を見る	ashita wa eiga wo miru	Watch the movie tomorrow
I intend	映画を見るつもり	eiga wo miru tsumori	I intend to watch a movie

The verb [見る] can be translated as see, watch, look…

Indicating the future in the Japanese language

You can use time adverbs or dates and times to indicate when an action is done. You can use words like tomorrow, next year, next week, at a certain time, in the future.

You can indicate an intention to perform a certain action, such as: I intend 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 know if a sentence is in the future is by the context of the sentence. If someone asks you what you are going to do tomorrow or later? You can simply respond with a sentence using the simple form of the verb (not past). It is obvious that you are indicating an action in the future.

See the examples below:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>

私は四時に来る	Watashi wa yo-ji ni kuru	I come at four
明日はいい天気でしょう	Ashita wa ī tenkideshou	Tomorrow the weather will be nice
あなたは来年篠山に住むつもりですか。	Anata wa rainen Sasayama ni sumu tsumoridesu ka.	You will live in Sasayama next year.
その仕事にすぐ慣れるだろう。	Sono shigoto ni sugu narerudarou.	You will soon get used to the job.
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.	We will play baseball today after work.
今晩何も食べない	Konban nani mo tabenai	I will not eat anything tonight / Do not eat anything tonight
夏休みに日本へ行こうと思っています。	Natsuyasumi ni Nihon e ikou to omotte imasu.	I am thinking of going to Japan during the summer vacation.
映画に行くつもりです。	Eiga ni iku tsumoridesu.	I am going to the cinema.
私達の先生は８月に外国から帰ってきます。	Watashitachi no sensei wa rokugatsu ni gaikoku kara kaette kimasu.	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。	Shōrai wa, jānarisuto ni naritai to omotte imasu.	In the future, I would like to be a journalist.
十時半の電車に乗ります。	Jū-jihan no densha ni norimasu.	You take the 10:30 train.

We notice the use of deshou [でしょう] which indicates a guess, a supposition, or speculation.

It is easy to get used to the fact that verbs do not have a determined future or present tense. Over time, you will not even miss it or see any difference in your day-to-day 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.