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Intermediate german

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Unit 14: The future tense 103<br />

111<br />

2<br />

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1011<br />

1<br />

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4111<br />

5<br />

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9<br />

2011<br />

1<br />

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3011<br />

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4011<br />

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41111<br />

Usage and functions<br />

The future tense is used less frequently in German than in English. If the<br />

context makes the reference to the future clear the present tense is<br />

normally used instead. However, the future tense still occurs in the<br />

following instances:<br />

• When the reference to the future is not clear:<br />

Tim wird wieder in Köln wohnen.<br />

Tim will be living in Cologne again.<br />

The alternative in the present tense Tim wohnt wieder in Köln would<br />

be understood as ‘Thomas is now living again in Cologne’.<br />

• When stating intentions or to emphasise a point:<br />

Ich werde nie wieder den Bus nehmen!<br />

Never again will I take the bus!<br />

Ich werde die Miete morgen bezahlen.<br />

I will pay the rent tomorrow.<br />

• To make predictions and to convey the meaning of probability or<br />

assumption, often in conjunction with bestimmt ‘surely’, wahrscheinlich<br />

‘probably’, möglicherweise ‘possibly’, vielleicht ‘maybe’, wohl ‘probably’:<br />

Morgen wird es regnen.<br />

It’s going to rain tomorrow.<br />

Es wird bestimmt nicht lange dauern.<br />

Surely it won’t take long.<br />

Das wird wahrscheinlich funktionieren.<br />

That will probably work.<br />

Ich werde vielleicht kommen.<br />

Maybe I will come.<br />

Using the present tense to refer to the future<br />

In German, the present tense – rather than the future tense – is normally<br />

used to refer to the future, especially when this is clearly indicated by an<br />

expression of time:<br />

Ich komme gleich wieder.<br />

I’ll be right back.

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