The Future Tense in Latin: Amābō and Regam
How the Latin future is formed in each conjugation, and why the first and second use -bō while the third and fourth use -am and -ēs.
Latin has a simple future tense. The trick is that it comes in two patterns, depending on the conjugation.
1st and 2nd conjugation: -bō
Add -bō, -bis, -bit, -bimus, -bitis, -bunt to the present stem:
| Person | 1st: amābō | 2nd: vidēbō |
|---|---|---|
| I | amābō | vidēbō |
| you | amābis | vidēbis |
| he/she/it | amābit | vidēbit |
| we | amābimus | vidēbimus |
| you (pl.) | amābitis | vidēbitis |
| they | amābunt | vidēbunt |
3rd and 4th conjugation: -am, -ēs
Add -am, -ēs, -et, -ēmus, -ētis, -ent:
| Person | 3rd: regam | 4th: audiam |
|---|---|---|
| I | regam | audiam |
| you | regēs | audiēs |
| he/she/it | reget | audiet |
| we | regēmus | audiēmus |
| you (pl.) | regētis | audiētis |
| they | regent | audient |
The verb sum
| Person | Future |
|---|---|
| I | erō |
| you | eris |
| he/she/it | erit |
| we | erimus |
| you (pl.) | eritis |
| they | erunt |
Examples
- Crās tē vidēbō. — I'll see you tomorrow.
- Puella cantābit. — The girl will sing.
- Rēx populum reget. — The king will rule the people. (3rd conjugation)
- Amīcī venient. — The friends will come.
- Erō ibi. — I'll be there.
A trap
In the third conjugation, reget (future, he will rule) is close to regit (present, he rules), and regēs (future, you will rule) has the same form as the second-conjugation present vidēs. Context and vowel length help.
Future time words
- crās — tomorrow
- posteā — afterwards
- mox — soon
Tips
- Remember the two patterns: -bō and -am/-ēs.
- Watch out for reget vs regit.
- Use the dictionary to check verb forms.
English Latin Dictionary
Offline English–Latin dictionary for students, classics and word-origin lookups
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