Future Tense (Budoucí čas)
The future tense in Czech is used to describe actions that will happen in the future.
How it is formed depends on whether the verb is imperfective or perfective.
- Imperfective verbs (ongoing, repeated actions) form the future with the auxiliary verb být (to be) + infinitive.
- Perfective verbs (one-time, completed actions) use their “present” forms to refer to the future.
Mood:
- Indicative mood = real future actions and events
Aspect:
- Imperfective = ongoing or repeated future actions
- Perfective = one-time, completed future actions
Voice:
- Active voice is the standard in everyday Czech future tense.
Formation
1. Imperfective verbs (e.g. pracovat – to work)
Future = být (conjugated) + infinitive
| Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| já (I) | budu pracovat | I will work |
| ty (you sg.) | budeš pracovat | you will work |
| on/ona/ono (he/she/it) | bude pracovat | he/she will work |
| my (we) | budeme pracovat | we will work |
| vy (you pl./formal) | budete pracovat | you will work |
| oni/ony (they) | budou pracovat | they will work |
2. Perfective verbs (e.g. napsat – to write down)
Future = present forms, but with future meaning
| Person | Ending (napsat) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| já (I) | -u | napíšu (I will write) |
| ty (you sg.) | -eš | napíšeš (you will write) |
| on/ona/ono (he/she/it) | -e | napíše (he/she will write) |
| my (we) | -eme | napíšeme (we will write) |
| vy (you pl./formal) | -ete | napíšete (you will write) |
| oni/ony (they) | -ou | napíšou (they will write) |
Usage
- Future ongoing actions (imperfective)
- Zítra budu pracovat celý den. (Tomorrow I will be working all day.)
- Future completed actions (perfective)
- Napíšu dopis. (I will write a letter.)
- Plans and expectations
- Budeme cestovat do Brna. (We will travel to Brno.)
Examples
- Imperfective: Budu studovat češtinu. (I will be studying Czech.)
- Perfective: Naučím se nová slova. (I will learn new words.)
- Negative: Nebudu pracovat v sobotu. (I will not work on Saturday.)
- Interrogative: Budeš tam zítra? (Will you be there tomorrow?)
Notes
- Choose the aspect carefully:
- Imperfective → emphasizes the process or repetition.
- Perfective → emphasizes completion of the action.
- Negatives are formed with ne-.
- budu → nebudu, napíšu → nenapíšu.
- In everyday speech, the auxiliary být is very common with imperfective verbs.
Common Time Expressions
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| zítra (tomorrow) | Zítra budu pracovat. (Tomorrow I will work.) |
| příští týden (next week) | Příští týden napíšu test. (Next week I will write a test.) |
| za chvíli (in a moment) | Za chvíli to udělám. (I will do it in a moment.) |
| brzo (soon) | Brzo budeme hotovi. (We will be ready soon.) |
Irregular Verbs
Some irregular verbs in the future tense:
- být (to be) → budu, budeš, bude, budeme, budete, budou
- jít (to go) → půjdu, půjdeš, půjde, půjdeme, půjdete, půjdou
- jet (to go by vehicle) → pojedu, pojedeš, pojede, pojedeme, pojedete, pojedou
- vzít (to take) → vezmu, vezmeš, vezme, vezmeme, vezmete, vezmou
