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GERMAN GRAMMAR · A2

German future: present tense or werden?

German can use present tense with a clear future time: Morgen komme ich. A future construction uses werden plus an infinitive. On its own with a state or profession, werden can mean “become”.

Let a time expression locate the event

A present-tense verb can describe a future plan when the context makes the time clear. Keep ordinary main-clause word order.

Am Montag beginnt mein Urlaub.

My holiday starts on Monday.

Use werden with an infinitive

Conjugate werden for the subject and retain the action infinitive at the end. A separable infinitive stays together.

Ich werde die Unterlagen morgen mitbringen.

I will bring the documents tomorrow.

Distinguish become, future and passive

Compare an adjective after lexical werden, an infinitive in the future pattern and a participle in the passive. The following material helps identify the construction.

Es wird dunkel.

It is getting dark.

Refer to an unspecified person or thing

Jemand and niemand refer to people; etwas and nichts refer to things or unspecified content. As subjects, jemand and niemand take singular verbs.

Jemand wird dir helfen.

Someone will help you.

Keep negation and case clear

Niemand and nichts already express negation. Do not add another negative simply to convey the same meaning. Person pronouns can have case endings, as in dative jemandem.

Ich erzähle jemandem von meinem Plan.

I tell someone about my plan.

Practise this pattern

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References

Original teaching prose and examples, informed by these grammar references. A2 placement is an editorial curriculum choice, not a CEFR certification.