Some time ago I wrote an article dealing with the future tense I Propositi per l’Anno Nuovo. However, as I often receive comments from readers asking why we use the present tense a lot in Italian when we are talking about the future, I’m going to explain in this blog how to know when to use the present or the future tense.
Tempo Presente (The Present tense)
Very often in Italian we use the present tense where you would normally use the future tense in English, and this tends to be a great source of confusion for English speaking students of Italian. As a general rule we use the present tense instead of the future tense in the following cases:
1. when we are talking about something that will definitely happen, e.g.:
| Parto domani e torno giovedì |
I’m leaving tomorrow and coming back on Thursday |
Mario: "Hai già comprato il biglietto?"
Giorgio: "No, lo compro domani mattina" |
Mario: "Have you already bought the ticket?"
Giorgio: "No, I’ll buy it tomorrow morning" |
| Allora d’accordo, ci vediamo alle due davanti al bar. |
That’s OK then, I’ll see you in front of the bar at two o’clock. |
2. when we say what we are about to do, e.g.:
| Pago io |
I’ll pay |
| Io prendo un cappuccino |
I’ll have a cappuccino |
| Manca il pane. Vado a prenderlo |
There’s no bread. I’ll go and get it |
| Non ti preoccupare, ci pensiamo noi |
Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out |
3. in a question that uses "shall … ?" in English, e.g.:
| Vado io? |
Shall I go? |
| Cosa facciamo? |
What shall we do? |
| Dove lo metto? |
Where shall I put it? |
So, when do we use the future tense?
Tempo Futuro (The Future Tense)
We normally use the future tense in the following cases:
1. in linked sentences after se (if), quando (when), and appena (as soon as), where in English the present tense is used, e.g.:
| Se avrò tempo domani passerò da te |
If I have time tomorrow I’ll come round to see you |
| Quando sarò grande farò il medico |
When I’m grown up I’m going to be a doctor |
| Appena arriveremo a Roma ti telefoneremo |
As soon as we arrive in Rome we will phone you |
Note that we usually use the future tense in both halves of the sentence.
2. to express disbelief, uncertainty, or probability, i.e. as the equivalent of ‘may/might be’, ‘could’, ‘must’ or ‘probably’, e.g.:
| Saranno le nove |
It must be nine o’clock |
| Hanno suonato alla porta, sarà Mario? |
The doorbell rang, could it be Mario? |
| Avrà anche sessant’anni, ma non li dimostra davvero! |
He may well be sixty, but he certainly doesn’t look it! |
| Saranno andati al cinema |
They have probably gone to the cinema |
Adesso vado a dare da mangiare ai gatti! (Now I’m going to feed the cats!) Arrivederci a presto!
Comments:
Wafa’:
LIKE!!! Thanks a lot for clearing that up!!
Paolo:
Very helpful review per me. Grazie!
Errata: “to express *disbelief*”
Bill Rohwer:
Stupefacente utile, Serena, come sempre. Inoltre come sempre per Italiano questa spiegazione brings up another question:
When does one use the futuro instead of the congiuntivo in cases of uncertainty (your number 2 under Tempo Futuro)?
Un saluto di gratitudine,
Bill
Serena:
@Bill Rohwer Ciao Bill,
Have a look at this blog: https://blogs.transparent.com/italian?s=mille+lire+al+mese&x=0&y=0
“In Italian il congiuntivo imperfetto is mainly used when talking about an imagined situation, and is normally introduced by se (if)”.
For example, in my blog I wrote Hanno suonato alla porta, sarà Mario? (The doorbell rang, could it be Mario?), which uses the future tense. If I want to say Hanno suonato alla porta, se fosse Mario sarei molto contenta (the doorbell rang, if it was Mario I’d be really pleased), I use the congiuntivo imperfetto, or I could say Hanno suonato alla porta, pensi che sia Mario? (The doorbell rang, do you think that it could be Mario?), which uses the congiuntivo presente because I use the verb pensare.
Hope that helps, Serena
Jeannet Mulder:
Saluto Serena,
Grazie for the additional grammar.
You seemed to be busy with the newcomer in the family, likely she is already ruling the roast.
jeannet.
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Jeannet Mulder:
comes through completed misformed your cat! -that wasn’t .
j.
Jeannet Mulder:
comes through completely misformed your cat!
-that wasn’t.
j.
Jeannet Mulder:
comes through completed misformed your cat.
-that wasn’t.
j.
Bill Rohwer:
Si, Serena, la tua risposta era molto utile. Tuttavia come solito ho una domanda ulteriore. From the examples in your current blog and in the one you referenced that the use of il futuro implies that the speaker has more confidence in the conjecture or believes it to be more probable (“. . . sarà Mario?”) than when the speaker uses il congiuntivo (“. . . se fosse Mario . .”).
Is this an ok way to think about it?
Bill (ancora)
Serena:
@Bill Rohwer Salve Bill, direi che il tuo modo di vedere la differenza fra il congiuntivo e il futuro si possa considerare corretto: il congiuntivo esprime un dubbio maggiore del futuro.
Saluti da Serena
Lillian Spurway:
Hi Serena
I just wanted to say thank you for continuing with your blog (lifeline). I’m just ‘hitting the books’ again after a 3 month break that included a fortnight in Amalfi- in a converted 11th century convent no less. I managed to speak a little Italian in a shoe shop in Salerno. I understood every third word or so and managed to help my friend buy a nice pair of trainers. She actually wanted high heeled boots, but what the heck – you can’t have everything.
Many of the blog – items in are in advance of my own current skills but i’m able to glean useful data for future reference and often transfer your own explanation of a topic into my text book via a ‘post-it’.
Many Thanks
Lillian Spurway
andreas:
Salve Serena!
Ti ringrazio del blog che contiene delle informazioni utilissimi.
Andreas
Bill Rohwer:
Grazie mille, Serena, per la tua risposta. Mi piace molto che Italiano dia i dicitori tanti modi di esprimere la colorazione del loro pensieri.
Ted Taormina:
Salve Serena, I am uncertain as to what exactly is a present participle. How and when is it used?
Serena:
@Ted Taormina Salve Ted!
Scusa per il ritardo. Stasera, mentre preparavo la cena pensavo ad alcuni esempi di participio presente: me ne sono venuti tantissimi e così ho deciso di scrivere un articolo! Lo pubblicherò fra Natale e Capodanno, va bene?
Auguri di Buon Natale
Serena