-os

The Future Tense

Level 2

Replace -as with -os for things that have not happened yet.

How It Works

PresentFutureMeaning
irasirosgoes, will go
venasvenoscomes, will come
manĝasmanĝoseats, will eat

The ending -os shows that an action or state has not started yet, and that the speaker expects it to happen. It works like -as and -is: the same ending for every person, and no irregular verbs.

You do not need a helping word. Mi venos alone means I will come. Time words such as morgaŭ (tomorrow) are common, but the ending already tells the time.

Compare the three tenses of iri: mi iris (I went), mi iras (I go) and mi iros (I will go).

Examples (5)

  1. Morgaŭ mi telefonos al vi.

    Tomorrow I will call you.

    Morgaŭ shows the time, and telefonos is the future of telefonas.

  2. Ana venos al la kongreso.

    Ana will come to the congress.

    Venos is the future of venas.

  3. Ni manĝos en la restoracio.

    We will eat in the restaurant.

    The ending is the same for ni as for any other person.

  4. Kenji lernos Esperanton en Pollando.

    Kenji will learn Esperanto in Poland.

    The object Esperanton keeps -n in the future too.

  5. Ili iros al la rivero.

    They will go to the river.

    Iros is the future of iras.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the past ending for a future time.

    Morgaŭ mi telefonis al vi.
    Morgaŭ mi telefonos al vi.

    Morgaŭ means tomorrow, so the verb needs the future ending -os. The ending -is looks back.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-osLevel 2The Future Tense

Learn This First

The future ending is the partner of the present ending.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.