Grammar

Future Tense

Dutch expresses the future in three main ways: present tense + a time word (most natural), gaan + infinitive (plans and intentions), and zullen + infinitive (promises, predictions, and offers).

Morgen werk ik thuis. — Tomorrow I'm working from home. (present + time word)
Ik ga Nederlands leren. — I'm going to learn Dutch. (gaan + infinitive)
Ik zal je bellen. — I will call you. (zullen + infinitive)

The most common everyday future in Dutch is simply the present tense with a time word — Dutch rarely needs a separate future form.

1. Present tense + time expression

The simplest and most natural way to express the future in Dutch. Add a time word and use the normal present tense — no auxiliary needed.

Morgen werk ik thuis. Tomorrow I work from home.

Volgende week ga ik naar Amsterdam. Next week I'm going to Amsterdam.

Binnenkort beginnen de lessen. The lessons are starting soon.

Straks bel ik je. I'll call you in a bit.

Vanavond eten we buiten. Tonight we're eating out.

Volgend jaar studeer ik af. Next year I'm graduating.

Common future time words

morgen — tomorrow overmorgen — the day after tomorrow straks — in a bit / shortly dadelijk — in a moment binnenkort — soon vanavond — tonight volgende week — next week volgend jaar — next year over twee dagen — in two days

2. Gaan + infinitive — plans and intentions

Use gaan + infinitive to express a personal plan or intention — the Dutch equivalent of English "going to". The infinitive always goes to the end of the clause.

Subject	Gaan	Example
ik	ga	Ik ga Nederlands leren.
jij / je	gaat (→ ga after inversion)	Ga jij mee?
hij / zij / het	gaat	Ze gaat morgen vertrekken.
wij / we	gaan	We gaan een huis kopen.
jullie	gaan	Gaan jullie ook mee?
zij / ze (plural)	gaan	Ze gaan het project presenteren.

Word order — main clause (V2 rule)

Ik ga morgen de auto wassen. — I'm going to wash the car tomorrow.

Morgen ga ik de auto wassen. — Tomorrow I'm going to wash the car. (inverted)

Wanneer ga je bellen? — When are you going to call? (note: ga, not gaat — jij after verb drops -t)

Word order — subordinate clause

Ik weet dat ze morgen gaat vertrekken. — I know she's going to leave tomorrow.

Ik hoop dat we gaan slagen. — I hope we're going to succeed.

→ In sub-clauses: gaat/gaan comes before the infinitive at the end.

Negation

Ze gaat niet meedoen. — She's not going to participate.

We gaan geen auto kopen. — We're not going to buy a car.

3. Zullen + infinitive — promises, predictions, and offers

Zullen is more formal than gaan. It is used for promises, firm statements about the future, predictions, and especially offers in the form Zal ik...?

Use	Example	Translation
Promise	Ik zal je niet teleurstellen.	I will not disappoint you.
Prediction	Het zal morgen regenen.	It will rain tomorrow.
Offer (Zal ik...?)	Zal ik de deur opendoen?	Shall I open the door?
Offer (Zal ik...?)	Zal ik je helpen?	Shall I help you?
Future plan (formal)	We zullen dit morgen bespreken.	We will discuss this tomorrow.

Zullen + wel — expresses probability (not future certainty):
Hij zal wel thuis zijn. — He is probably home.
Ze zal het wel weten. — She probably knows.
The wel softens the statement to "I expect / probably".

4. Choosing between the three

Construction	Best for	Register
Present + time word	Scheduled events, appointments, everyday plans	Most natural / everyday
Gaan + infinitive	Personal intentions and plans ("going to")	Everyday / informal
Zullen + infinitive	Promises, predictions, formal statements, offers (Zal ik?)	More formal / emphatic

Practice with the Future Tense Quiz →