GCSE German · Verbs and tenses

The future tense

Werden with an infinitive at the end, ich werde nach Berlin fahren, and the present with a time word: morgen fahre ich.

55 GCSE-style practice questions

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The future tense, explained point by point

Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.

  1. Form the future with werden and an infinitive

    Werden goes second and the infinitive goes to the end: Ich werde nach Berlin fahren, Wir werden ein Haus kaufen. It translates will and going to.

  2. Learn the present of werden

    ich werde, du wirst, er wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden. Wirst du kommen?

  3. Use the present with a time word for plans

    With a time phrase, the present already means the future: Nächstes Jahr mache ich mein Abitur, Am Samstag spielen wir Fußball.

  4. Keep the infinitive at the end

    However long the sentence, the infinitive waits at the end: Ich werde nach der Schule mit meinen Freunden ins Kino gehen. A time phrase can start the sentence, and werden still comes second: Nächstes Jahr werde ich mehr lernen.

  5. Do not confuse werden with wollen

    Ich will means I want to. Ich werde means I will. Ich will Ärztin werden means I want to become a doctor.

The future tense key terms

The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.

Future tense
What will happen: werden in second place and an infinitive at the end, Ich werde arbeiten.
werden
To become, and the helper of the future tense.
Time phrase
A phrase like morgen, nächste Woche or in Zukunft that sets an action in the future.
Infinitive
The verb's dictionary form, which stands at the end of a future-tense clause.
in Zukunft
In future, as in In Zukunft werde ich mehr Sport treiben.

Common mistakes in The future tense

The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.

  • Using will for will, as in Ich will morgen kommen meaning I will come tomorrow.

    Ich will is I want. The future is Ich werde morgen kommen.

  • Conjugating the second verb, as in Ich werde fahre.

    The second verb stays an infinitive at the end: Ich werde fahren.

  • Writing du werdest or er werdet.

    Werden goes du wirst, er wird, ihr werdet.

  • Putting the infinitive straight after werden, as in Ich werde fahren nach Berlin.

    The infinitive goes to the end: Ich werde nach Berlin fahren.

Practice

Try a The future tense question

A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.

Which pair completes the sentence? Morgen ___ ich nach Köln ___. (Tomorrow I will travel to Cologne.)

  1. werde ... fahre
  2. werde ... fahren
  3. wird ... fahren
  4. werde ... gefahren
Show the answer and the working

Answer: werde ... fahren

Werde goes second for ich, and the infinitive fahren goes to the end: Morgen werde ich nach Köln fahren.

  1. Ich takes werde.
  2. The verb at the end is the infinitive fahren.
  3. So werde ... fahren.

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