Tomorrow: the future tense
The future is built in two moves: the future stem of the verb + the auxiliary. The stem is made by the suffix -ko: erosiko dut — I will buy, ikusiko dut — I will see. If the stem ends in -n, the suffix sounds -go: joango naiz — I will go, egingo dut — I will do. For example: “Bihar Donostiara joango naiz” — Tomorrow I will go to Donostia. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
The future is built in two moves: the future stem of the verb + the auxiliary. The stem is made by the suffix -ko: erosiko dut — I will buy, ikusiko dut — I will see. If the stem ends in -n, the suffix sounds -go: joango naiz — I will go, egingo dut — I will do.
The auxiliary is the same one as in the present: for "go-be" — naiz, zara, da, gara; for actions with an object — dut, du, ditut. Only the meaningful part changes: Donostiara noa — I am going to Donostia, Donostiara joango naiz — I will go to Donostia.
Negation and the question stay in place: Ez naiz joango — I will not go, Noiz joango zara? — when will you go? There is no split like English "will go / will be going" here: one form covers both.
Table
| joan (to go) | erosi (to buy) | |
|---|---|---|
| ni (I) | joango naiz | erosiko dut |
| zu (you) | joango zara | erosiko duzu |
| hura (he, she) | joango da | erosiko du |
| gu (we) | joango gara | erosiko dugu |
By example
- Bihar Donostiara joango naizTomorrow I will go to Donostia
- Biletea orain erosiko dut, merkeagoa daI will buy the ticket now, it is cheaper
- Hegaldia atzeratuko da, lasaiThe flight will be delayed, all calm
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
Tomorrow: how does it work in Basque?
The future is built in two moves: the future stem of the verb + the auxiliary. The stem is made by the suffix -ko: erosiko dut — I will buy, ikusiko dut — I will see. If the stem ends in -n, the suffix sounds -go: joango naiz — I will go, egingo dut — I will do.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Bihar Donostiara joango naiz” — Tomorrow I will go to Donostia. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.