The future in forecasts: Plourà demà vs anar a + infinitive
The future in Catalan is double. The simple futur — the ending -ré, -ràs, -rà, -rem, -reu, -ran on the infinitive: parlaré, plourà, anirem. It is the tense of forecasts, promises and timetables: Demà plourà — it will rain tomorrow; Arribarà a les vuit — he will arrive at eight. The weather forecast speaks exactly so. For example: “Demà plourà al matí i farà sol a la tarda” — Tomorrow morning it will rain, and in the…
How it works
The future in Catalan is double. The simple futur — the ending -ré, -ràs, -rà, -rem, -reu, -ran on the infinitive: parlaré, plourà, anirem. It is the tense of forecasts, promises and timetables: Demà plourà — it will rain tomorrow; Arribarà a les vuit — he will arrive at eight. The weather forecast speaks exactly so.
The periphrasis anar (in the present) a + infinitive — the near and already decided future, "going to": Ara vaig a cuinar — I am going to cook now; El cel està ennuvolat: sembla que va a ploure — the sky is cloudy: it seems it is about to rain. In the future tense the same periphrasis looks like anirà a + infinitive: El pronòstic diu que anirà a ploure pel vespre — according to the forecast, rain will gather toward the evening. The difference is audible: the futur — a forecast from the window, "anar a" — what is already at the door.
Table
| form | what it means | example |
|---|---|---|
| futur: -ré, -rà… | forecast, promise | demà plourà |
| vaig/va a + infinitive | near future | ara va a ploure |
| anirà a + infinitive | the same in the future | anirà a ploure |
| -rem, -reu | we, you (future) | anirem d'excursió |
By example
- Demà plourà al matí i farà sol a la tardaTomorrow morning it will rain, and in the afternoon it will be sunny
- El cel està ennuvolat: sembla que va a ploureThe sky is cloudy: it seems it is about to rain
- El pronòstic diu que anirà a ploure pel vespreThe forecast says rain will gather toward the evening
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The future in forecasts: how does it work in Catalan?
The future in Catalan is double. The simple futur — the ending -ré, -ràs, -rà, -rem, -reu, -ran on the infinitive: parlaré, plourà, anirem. It is the tense of forecasts, promises and timetables: Demà plourà — it will rain tomorrow; Arribarà a les vuit — he will arrive at eight. The weather forecast…
What does it look like in an example sentence Catalan?
“Demà plourà al matí i farà sol a la tarda” — Tomorrow morning it will rain, and in the afternoon it will be sunny. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.