diré/haré/podré/pondré/querré/sabré/saldré/tendré/vendré
Irregular Future Stems
Some common Spanish verbs change their stem before adding the regular future tense endings.
How It Works
In Spanish, the simple future tense is usually formed by taking the infinitive and adding the future endings. However, a group of common verbs have irregular stems. They don't change their endings, but they do change their stem.
These irregular stems can be grouped into three categories:
1. Verbs That Drop the Infinitive Vowel:
- poder (to be able to) → podr- (Yo podré)
- querer (to want) → querr- (Tú querrás)
- saber (to know) → sabr- (Él sabrá)
- haber (auxiliary; also existential) → habr- (Habrá un problema = There will be a problem)
2. Verbs that replace the infinitive vowel with a -d-:
- poner (to put) → pondr- (Nosotros pondremos)
- salir (to leave) → saldr- (Vosotros saldréis)
- tener (to have) → tendr- (Ellos tendrán)
- venir (to come) → vendr- (Ustedes vendrán)
3. Verbs with unique changes:
- decir (to say/tell) → dir- (Yo diré)
- hacer (to do/make) → har- (Tú harás)
Once you have the irregular stem, you simply add the same endings used for regular verbs in the future tense: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.
Pro Tip: These exact same stems are used to form the irregular conditional tense. Learning them now helps you with two tenses at once!
The future can also express a present conjecture: Tendrá unos treinta años. (They are probably about thirty.) The same irregular stems apply. Existential haber stays singular in standard usage: Habrá problemas.
Examples (6)
- Te diré un secreto mañana.
I will tell you a secret tomorrow.
Word by Word: To you I will tell a secret tomorrow.
The verb 'decir' (to say/tell) uses the irregular stem 'dir-' in the future tense.
- ¿Qué harás este fin de semana?
What will you do this weekend?
Word by Word: What will you do this end of week?
The verb 'hacer' (to do/make) uses the irregular stem 'har-' in the future tense.
- No tendremos tiempo para visitar el museo.
We will not have time to visit the museum.
Word by Word: Not we will have time for to visit the museum.
The verb 'tener' (to have) uses the irregular stem 'tendr-' in the future tense.
- Ella pondrá los libros en la mesa.
She will put the books on the table.
Word by Word: She will put the books on the table.
The verb 'poner' (to put) uses the irregular stem 'pondr-' in the future tense.
- Supongo que saldrán a las ocho.
I suppose they will leave at eight.
Word by Word: I suppose that they will leave at the eight.
The verb 'salir' (to leave) uses the irregular stem 'saldr-' in the future tense.
- ¿Podrás ayudarme con la mudanza?
Will you be able to help me with the move?
Word by Word: Will you be able to help me with the move?
The verb 'poder' (to be able to) uses the irregular stem 'podr-' in the future tense.
Common Mistakes
Using the full infinitive instead of the irregular stem.
Yo *haceré* la cena esta noche.Yo haré la cena esta noche.The verb 'hacer' is irregular in the future. It uses the special stem 'har-' before adding the future ending '-é'.
Incorrectly forming the stem for verbs like 'tener' or 'poner'.
Él *tenerá* que irse pronto.Él tendrá que irse pronto.For 'tener', the final 'e' of the infinitive is replaced by a 'd', creating the stem 'tendr-'. You don't just add the ending to the infinitive.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- -aré/-arás/-ará/-aremos/-aréis/-aránFuture Tense -AR Verbs
This shows the regular future endings, which are the same for all verb types (-ar, -er, -ir). For irregular verbs, you use these same endings but attach them to a special, modified stem instead of the full infinitive.
Level 3 - diría/haría/podría/pondría/querría/sabría/saldría/tendría/vendríaIrregular Conditional
The conditional tense uses the exact same irregular stems as the future tense. You just add the regular conditional endings (-ía, -ías, etc.) to them.
Level 3 - ir + a + InfinitiveNear Future
This is another common way to talk about the future. It's a simpler construction ('voy a hacer') that can often be used instead of the simple future ('haré').
Level 1 - tener que + InfinitiveObligation with Tener
'Tener' is one of the key irregular verbs in the future tense ('tendré'). This pattern shows another common use of 'tener' to express obligation, which can also be used in the future (e.g., 'tendré que ir').
Level 1 - poder + InfinitiveAbility/Permission
'Poder' is another important verb with an irregular future stem ('podré'). This pattern shows its basic use to express ability, which is often projected into the future (e.g., 'podré ayudarte').
Level 1
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