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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to express near future events in German using the present tense with time words like "morgen" (tomorrow), "bald" (soon), and "nächste Woche" (next week), e.g., "Morgen fahre ich nach Paris."
  1. The verb remains in the present tense; the time reference indicates the future.
  2. This form is often used for fixed events such as appointments, trips, timetables, or programmes.
Zeitangaben (Time expressions)Beispiel (Example)

Morgen, gleich, bald, nächste Woche, etc.  (Tomorrow, immediately, soon, next week, etc.)

 

 

Uhrzeiten (Times)

„Morgen fahre ich nach Paris.“ (Tomorrow, I am going to Paris.)

„Bald ziehen wir um.“ (We will move soon.)

„Nächste Woche habe ich einen Arzttermin.“ (Next week I have a doctor's appointment.)

„Wir treffen uns um 18 Uhr.“ (We meet at 6 p.m.)

Um 20:00 Uhr essen wir zu Abend.  (We eat dinner at 8:00 p.m.)

Exercise 1: Zukunft im Präsens

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

fahrt, machst, regnet, ist, fährst, beginnen, fährt, beginnt

1. Regnen:
Morgen ... es den ganzen Tag.
(Tomorrow it will rain all day.)
2. Fahren:
Nächste Woche ... du nach Griechenland.
(Next week you are going to Greece.)
3. Beginnen:
Bald ... die Ferien.
(The holidays are starting soon.)
4. Sein:
Bald ... Dezember.
(December is soon.)
5. Beginnen:
Gleich ... der Vortrag.
(The lecture is about to begin.)
6. Machen:
Nächste Woche ... du einen Ausflug.
(Next week you are going on a trip.)
7. Fahren:
Morgen ... ihr in den Urlaub.
(Tomorrow you are going on holiday.)
8. Fahren:
Gleich ... er zu seiner Familie.
(He is about to go to his family.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Morgen _____ ich nach Berlin zum Geschäftstermin.

(Tomorrow _____ I am going to Berlin for the business appointment.)

2. Nächste Woche _____ der Kurs um 9 Uhr.

(Next week _____ the course starts at 9 o'clock.)

3. Bald _____ wir nach München zur Messe.

(Soon _____ we are traveling to Munich for the fair.)

4. Um 18 Uhr _____ ich meine Kollegen im Restaurant.

(At 6 pm _____ I meet my colleagues in the restaurant.)

5. Am Freitag _____ das neue Projekt in unserer Abteilung.

(On Friday _____ the new project starts in our department.)

6. Gleich _____ ich die E-Mail an den Kunden.

(Right away _____ I am sending the email to the customer.)

Overview of the Lesson: Expressing the Future in the Present Tense (Zukunft im Präsens)

This lesson focuses on how to talk about near-future events in German by using the present tense form of verbs. German often uses the present tense combined with specific time expressions to indicate future actions, especially when those actions are scheduled or certain.

Key Time Expressions for the Future

  • Morgen (tomorrow)
  • Gleich (soon, immediately)
  • Bald (soon)
  • Nächste Woche (next week)
  • Uhrzeiten (specific times like "um 18 Uhr" – at 6 PM)

Examples include sentences like:

„Morgen fahre ich nach Paris.“
„Bald ziehen wir um.“
„Nächste Woche habe ich einen Arzttermin.“
„Wir treffen uns um 18 Uhr.“

How to Form the Future in German Using the Present Tense

Instead of using a future tense verb form, German speakers use the present tense verb. The context or the time expressions indicate that the action happens in the future. This is particularly common for scheduled events such as appointments, trips, and plans.

Structure: Time expression + present tense verb + rest of the sentence

Examples of Scheduled Future Events

  • Morgen fahre ich nach Berlin zum Geschäftstermin. (Tomorrow I drive to Berlin for a business meeting.)
  • Nächste Woche beginnt der Kurs um 9 Uhr. (Next week the course starts at 9 o’clock.)
  • Bald reisen wir nach München zur Messe. (Soon we travel to Munich for the trade fair.)
  • Um 18 Uhr treffe ich meine Kollegen im Restaurant. (At 6 PM I meet my colleagues at the restaurant.)
  • Am Freitag beginnt das neue Projekt in unserer Abteilung. (On Friday the new project starts in our department.)
  • Gleich schicke ich die E-Mail an den Kunden. (I will send the email to the client immediately.)

Differences Between English and German Future Expressions

In English, the future is often expressed with "will" or "going to" plus the base verb (e.g., "I will go", "I am going to go"). In German, however, you frequently use the present tense to talk about the near future when accompanied by a time reference. The use of the auxiliary verb "werden" to form the future tense does exist in German but is more common for less certain or more distant future events.

Useful German phrases to express the future in this way are simple and practical, making them easy to incorporate into daily conversation. For example, remember that "morgen", "bald", "nächste Woche", and specific times like "um 18 Uhr" set the timeframe for future actions while the verb remains in the present tense.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 16:52