Talking About the Future
Ik ga morgen werken. (I'm going to work tomorrow.)
What it is
Dutch has no future conjugation the way it has a past tense. Instead, you combine an auxiliary (gaan or zullen) with the infinitive, which moves to the end of the sentence, or you simply use the present tense with a time expression.
Time expressions that often signal you're talking about the future: morgen, volgende week, zo meteen
- Gaan + infinitive is the most common way to talk about the future in spoken Dutch: personal plans and predictions you can see coming. Het gaat regenen. (It's going to rain.)
- Zullen + infinitive sounds more formal: promises, suggestions and predictions. Ik zal het niet vergeten. (I won't forget it.)
- Present tense + a time expression covers scheduled events and timetables, with no auxiliary at all. De trein vertrekt om 10 uur. (The train leaves at 10 o'clock.)
How to form it
Formula: auxiliary, conjugated for the subject, + infinitive at the very end of the sentence. The infinitive itself never changes shape:
- Pick a construction: gaan for a plan, zullen for a promise or prediction.
- Conjugate the auxiliary for the subject, the same way you would any other verb: ik ga, hij gaat, wij gaan.
- Add the infinitive at the very end of the clause: Ik ga morgen werken.
Shown here with werken for gaan and groeien for zullen, since both auxiliaries follow this same pattern regardless of which verb comes after them:
| Pronoun | with gaan | with zullen |
|---|---|---|
| ik | ga werken | zal groeien |
| jij, u | gaat werken | zal / zult groeien |
| hij, zij, het | gaat werken | zal groeien |
| wij | gaan werken | zullen groeien |
| jullie | gaan werken | zullen groeien |
| zij | gaan werken | zullen groeien |
Zullen doesn't follow the regular pattern
Most verbs get a regular -t ending for jij/u and hij/zij/het, but zullen is irregular: its ik-form is zal, not zalt, and jij can take either zult or zal.
| Pronoun | zullen |
|---|---|
| ik | zal |
| jij, u | zult / zal |
| hij, zij, het | zal |
| wij | zullen |
| jullie | zullen |
| zij | zullen |
With jij both zult and zal are correct; with u, zal is the usual polite choice (u zult also occurs).
Common mistakes
Don't leave the infinitive earlier in the sentence the way English does. Ik ga kopen een huis volgende week is wrong: everything after the auxiliary moves to the very end, giving Ik ga volgende week een huis kopen.
Zullen looks like the English 'will', so learners reach for it by default. In everyday spoken Dutch, gaan or the present tense usually sounds more natural; save zullen for promises, predictions and more formal moments.
Common questions about the future tense
Is there a real difference between gaan and zullen?+
Yes. Gaan is for something you've already decided or can see coming, like a plan or an obvious prediction (Het gaat regenen). Zullen is for a promise, an offer, or a prediction you're less certain about, and it reads more formal. In casual speech, gaan is far more common.
Can I just use the present tense for everything future?+
Only when the future event is fixed, like a timetable or a scheduled appointment, and a time expression makes the future meaning clear (De trein vertrekt om 10 uur). For a plan, intention or prediction, use gaan or zullen instead.
Why is it zal instead of a regular -t form?+
Zullen is one of a small group of Dutch verbs, along with kunnen, mogen and moeten, that don't take the regular present-tense endings. There's no rule to derive zal from zullen; it's simply memorized, the same as ben for zijn.
Which one should I use if I'm not sure?+
Default to gaan. It covers the large majority of everyday future statements and never sounds wrong for a plan or expectation; reach for zullen only when you specifically mean a promise or a formal prediction.