B1 · The future
Which future fits
Three boxes here, and four English things to put in them.
The presente for what is planned and settled. Stare per for what is about to happen this minute — sto per uscire. The futuro for the distant, the uncertain, the promised.
Stare per is narrower than « going to »: it means the next few minutes, not the plan for the evening. That is the join where the two systems do not meet, because « going to » is the box English uses most.
In a text and in a commitment the futuro stands: Ti risponderò entro domani is a word given, ti rispondo domani is an intention.
And the futuro carries the guess — sarà stanco. In conversation that is the commonest use it has.
Die Form
| planned, settled | domani parto |
| this minute, right now | sto per partire |
| distant, uncertain, promised | partirò |
| it is about to rain | sta per piovere |
| it will rain (a forecast) | pioverà |
| I promise | ti chiamerò |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
Planned and settled: presente.
Sabato andiamo al mare.On Saturday we are going to the seaside.
About to happen: stare per.
Il film sta per cominciare.The film is about to start.
Distant, uncertain or promised: futuro.
Vedremo.We shall see.
A commitment goes in the futuro, an intention in the presente.
Ti scriverò. / Ti scrivo domani.I will write to you. / I am writing to you tomorrow.
Woran man es erkennt
- domani
- sta per
- un giorno
- tra dieci anni
- entro
Beispielsätze
Attento, stai per cadere!Careful, you are about to fall!
Un giorno vivrò al mare.One day I will live by the sea.
Adesso ti spiego.I will explain it to you now.
Le risponderemo entro otto giorni.We will reply to you within eight days.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
« Tonight I'm going out with friends » has « going » in it, and sto per is the phrase that looks like it. But stasera sto per uscire does not say « tonight I am going out »; it says « tonight I am on the point of going out », a sentence waiting for a moment that a plan does not contain. The plan takes the plain present.
The present plans, stare per is imminent, the futuro promises and guesses.
Jetzt selbst
5 Aufgaben zu diesem Thema. Die Antworten werden im Browser geprüft; nichts davon verlässt Ihr Gerät.