Good news for anyone dreading another verb tense: Dutch barely has a future tense, and you rarely need one. There are three easy ways to talk about what is coming, and two of them you already half-know.
Way 1: gaan + infinitive (the everyday future)
The most common future is gaan (to go) plus an infinitive at the end, exactly like English “going to”:
- Ik ga morgen werken. (I’m going to work tomorrow.)
- We gaan volgende week verhuizen. (We’re going to move next week.)
- Wat ga je dit weekend doen? (What are you going to do this weekend?)
As Dutch grammar references note, this is the default future for plans and intentions. The infinitive goes to the end, the same end-loading as modal verbs.
Way 2: just the present tense
Very often, Dutch uses the present tense with a time word to point at the future, and it sounds completely natural:
- Ik bel je morgen. (I’ll call you tomorrow.)
- Morgen werk ik thuis. (Tomorrow I’m working from home.)
- Volgende week ben ik op vakantie. (Next week I’m on holiday.)
The time word (morgen, straks, volgende week) does the work. Onze Taal confirms the present-for-future is standard and often the simplest choice.
| Time word | English |
|---|---|
| straks | later (today) |
| morgen | tomorrow |
| volgende week | next week |
| binnenkort | soon |
| over een uur | in an hour |
Way 3: zullen (the formal future)
There is a real future auxiliary, zullen (shall/will), but it is narrower than English “will”. Use it mainly for:
- Promises: Ik zal het doen. (I will do it.)
- Predictions: Het zal wel regenen. (It’ll probably rain.)
- Offers and suggestions: Zal ik je helpen? (Shall I help you?), Zullen we gaan? (Shall we go?)
That last use, Zal ik…? / Zullen we…?, is the one you will reach for most. For plain plans, though, gaan or the present is more natural. The Taalunie advice service covers when zullen is preferred.
Putting it together
| You want to say | Natural Dutch |
|---|---|
| I’m going to cook tonight | Ik ga vanavond koken. |
| I’ll text you later | Ik app je straks. |
| Shall we get a coffee? | Zullen we koffie halen? |
| It’ll be fine | Het komt wel goed. |
Notice the last one uses wel and the present, a very Dutch way to predict reassuringly, leaning on the little flavour words.
Where it connects
The future joins the core grammar set: modal verbs, the perfect tense for the past, and word order. Time words also tie into telling the date.
The bottom line
To talk about the future in Dutch, reach for gaan + infinitive (Ik ga morgen werken) or simply the present tense with a time word (Ik bel je straks). Save zullen for promises, predictions, and especially offers (Zal ik…?, Zullen we…?). There is no heavy future tense to memorise, so making plans in Dutch is genuinely easy.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that drills future plans in real sentences, ik ga morgen werken, ik bel je later, zal ik helpen, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can talk about what is coming without hunting for a tense.
Frequently asked questions
How do you talk about the future in Dutch?
Most often with gaan + an infinitive, just like English ‘going to’: Ik ga morgen werken (I’m going to work tomorrow). Very commonly you also just use the present tense with a time word: Ik bel je morgen (I’ll call you tomorrow), Volgende week ga ik op vakantie. The formal future with zullen (Ik zal het doen) exists but is reserved for promises, offers and predictions. For everyday plans, gaan or the present is all you need.
When do you use ‘zullen’ for the future in Dutch?
Zullen (shall/will) is the formal future, used mainly for promises (Ik zal het doen, I will do it), predictions (Het zal wel regenen, it’ll probably rain), and especially offers and suggestions: Zal ik je helpen? (Shall I help you?), Zullen we gaan? (Shall we go?). For ordinary plans you do not need it; gaan + infinitive or the simple present is more natural and more common in speech.
Can I just use the present tense for the future in Dutch?
Yes, very often. With a time marker like morgen (tomorrow), straks (later), or volgende week (next week), the present tense clearly points to the future: Ik bel je straks (I’ll call you later), Morgen werk ik thuis (tomorrow I’m working from home). This is completely natural Dutch and is frequently the simplest option, so when in doubt, present tense plus a time word works.
What is the best app to learn the Dutch future tense?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it drills the real ways Dutch talks about the future, gaan + infinitive, present-plus-time-word, and zullen for offers, in five-minute situation-based lessons, so you can make plans and talk about what is coming without overthinking the grammar.
