A2 · The future
The presente for the future
The everyday future, and it is not carelessness.
Italian rarely needs the futuro in daily life. What is settled, what is intended, what is coming soon — all of it goes in the presente with a time word: Domani parto, Stasera mangiamo fuori.
A timetable goes in the presente, as it does in English: Il treno parte alle otto.
The futuro stands out against that: it is the form for the distant, the uncertain and the promised — and for the guess. Domani partirò sounds like an announcement made from a podium.
Without a time word the presente is the present. It is the time word that pushes the sentence forward, which is why English keeps its own present for timetables only — « I leave tomorrow » is possible and marked, and here it is the ordinary way to say it.
Die Form
| tomorrow I am leaving | domani parto |
| tonight we are eating out | stasera mangiamo fuori |
| the train leaves at eight | il treno parte alle otto |
| see you on Saturday | ci vediamo sabato |
| next week I am working | la settimana prossima lavoro |
| the course starts on Monday | il corso inizia lunedì |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
What is settled or planned goes in the presente with a time word.
Domani vado dal medico.Tomorrow I am going to the doctor.
Timetables and programmes go in the presente.
Il volo atterra a mezzogiorno.The flight lands at midday.
Without a time word the presente is the present.
Parto. / Parto domani.I am leaving. / I am leaving tomorrow.
The futuro is kept for the distant, uncertain or promised.
Un giorno andrò in Giappone.One day I will go to Japan.
Woran man es erkennt
- domani
- stasera
- sabato
- la settimana prossima
- alle otto
Beispielsätze
Il prossimo treno parte tra dieci minuti.The next train leaves in ten minutes.
Domani sera vengono i miei.My parents are coming tomorrow evening.
A che ora chiude il negozio?What time does the shop close?
Il mese prossimo cambio casa.Next month I am moving house.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
« Will » is available for everything in English, so its Italian look-alike gets used for everything too, and the result sounds like a prophecy read aloud. Domani andrò al mercato is correct and heavy. What Italians say is domani vado al mercato. « Will » is not the translation of the futuro; most of the time it is the translation of the plain present.
With a time word, the present is the everyday future.
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