The Russian Future Tense: буду and Perfective Verbs
How Russian forms the future, with the verb 'to be' plus infinitive, and the simple future from perfective verbs.
Russian has two ways to form the future tense, depending on the kind of verb.
Future with буду
For ongoing or repeated actions, use the future of быть (to be), plus the infinitive:
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| я | буду |
| ты | будешь |
| он, она | будет |
| мы | будем |
| вы | будете |
| они | будут |
- Я буду читать. I will be reading, or I will read.
- Завтра мы будем работать. Tomorrow we will work.
Simple future
A perfective verb has no present tense. Its present-style endings give the future:
- прочитать (to read through, perfective) gives Я прочитаю книгу. I will read the book (and finish it).
- сделать (to do, perfective) gives Я сделаю это завтра. I will do it tomorrow.
Compare the two
| Imperfective future | Perfective future |
|---|---|
| Я буду писать письмо. I will be writing a letter. | Я напишу письмо. I will write the letter (complete it). |
Using it
- Use буду when you stress the process or repetition.
- Use the perfective when you stress the result or a single completed action.
Time words
- завтра (tomorrow)
- послезавтра (the day after tomorrow)
- на следующей неделе (next week)
- скоро (soon)
Tips
- Learn буду and its forms.
- Learn verbs in aspect pairs.
- Use the dictionary to find the perfective partner.
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