Talking about the future in Arabic is refreshingly simple: you take the present-tense verb and add either the short prefix سـ (sa-) or the separate word سوف (sawfa) in front of it. Both mean “will”; سوف sounds slightly more formal or emphasizes a more distant future.
Forming the future
| Present | Transliteration | Future | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| أذهب | adhhab | سأذهب | sa-adhhab | I will go |
| أدرس | adrus | سوف أدرس | sawfa adrus | I will study |
| نلتقي | naltaqee | سنلتقي | sanaltaqee | we will meet |
| نسافر | nusaafir | سوف نسافر | sawfa nusaafir | we will travel |
Plans and time words
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| غدا | ghadan | tomorrow |
| بعد قليل | ba3da qaleel | in a little while |
| الأسبوع القادم | al-usboo3 al-qaadim | next week |
| الشهر القادم | ash-shahr al-qaadim | next month |
| ما خططك؟ | maa khiṭaṭuk? | what are your plans? |
| إن شاء الله | inshaa’ Allaah | God willing |
Future in sentences
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| سأزور عائلتي | sa-azoor 3aa’ilatee | I will visit my family |
| سأسافر إلى مصر | sa-usaafir ilaa miṣr | I will travel to Egypt |
| سوف نتناول العشاء | sawfa natanaawal al-3ashaa’ | we will have dinner |
| هل ستأتي؟ | hal sa-ta’tee? | will you come? |
| سأحاول، إن شاء الله | sa-uḥaawil, inshaa’ Allaah | I will try, God willing |
| سنلتقي غدا | sanaltaqee ghadan | we will meet tomorrow |
Dialogue: Weekend plans
Making plans with a friend
- Amaa khiṭaṭuk li-3uṭlat nihaayat al-usboo3?What are your plans for the weekend?
- Bsa-azoor 3aa'ilateeI will visit my family
- Araa'i3! wa ana sa-adhhab ilaa ash-shaaṭi'Great! And I will go to the beach
- Bhal sa-ta'tee ma3anaa?Will you come with us?
- Asa-uḥaawil, inshaa' AllaahI will try, God willing
- Bsanaltaqee yawm al-jumu3a?Shall we meet on Friday?
- Ana3am, sanaltaqee ba3da aṣ-ṣalaaYes, we will meet after the prayer
- Bmumtaaz, ilaa al-liqaa'Excellent, see you then
Practice
How do you say 'I will go' in Arabic?
hint: Add the prefix سـ to the present verb
What does 'غدا' mean?
hint: It is a future time marker
How do you say 'we will meet tomorrow' in Arabic?
hint: Use 'سنلتقي' for 'we will meet'
Match each pair — start with Arabic (left)
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English
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Need a refresher on the present tense? See the present tense guide.
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