GermanFluent

A1 · Present tense

morgen + Präsens

Present tense + time word for the future

FormZeitangabe (morgen, nächste Woche) + Verb im Präsens

Meaning and usage

German usually talks about plans with the present tense and a time word such as morgen, am Wochenende or nächste Woche: Ich fahre morgen nach Berlin. The time word, or the situation, makes clear that you mean the future, so the verb stays in the present. This is the normal way to talk about plans in everyday German.

German also has a future with werden: Ich werde morgen fahren. It is correct, but in a simple plan it sounds formal or very certain. English speakers often reach for werden in every sentence about tomorrow. Use the present instead.

Examples 4

Test yourself

  1. 1 Sprachbausteine

    Wir besuchen unsere Oma.

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    Correct answer: morgen

    besuchen is present tense, and the present can talk about the future with a time word like morgen. The other options are in the past, which needs a past tense.

    • gestern is in the past and needs the perfect: Wir haben gestern unsere Oma besucht.
    • letztes Jahr is in the past and needs a past tense, not besuchen.
    • vorgestern means the day before yesterday, so it needs a past tense too.

In this topic: Present tense

  1. ich mache, du machst, er macht regular present tense endings: -e, -st, -t, -en, -t, -en
  2. du arbeitest, du heißt du forms with -e- or without -s
  3. sein: ich bin, du bist, er ist to be: I am, you are, he is
  4. haben: ich habe, du hast, er hat to have: ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat
  5. e → i, e → ie: du sprichst, er sieht some verbs: du sprichst, er sieht
  6. a → ä, au → äu: du fährst, er läuft a to ä, au to äu for du and er/sie/es
  7. morgen + Präsens Present tense + time word for the future
  8. seit + Präsens started in the past, still true now
  9. gerade + Präsens am doing something right now

Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.