When you want to present a future action as a bounded whole — often one specific call, journey, or task — you use the simple future: θα plus the perfective stem. θα γράψω "I'll write it," θα φάω "I'll eat," θα πάω "I'll go," θα δω "I'll see," θα τελειώσω "I'll finish." This is the plain choice for a specific plan, and it can also package a finite or delimited series. The perfective gives an outside view of the event; by itself it does not say that the action is brief or mechanically guarantee real-world completion.
How the simple future is built
Take θα, and behind it put the verb's perfective stem carrying ordinary present-tense endings. The perfective stem is the same one that builds the aorist (the simple past), but here it appears without the past augment and without past endings — bare, present-shaped, and leaning on θα.
For a regular Class Α verb like γράφω "write," the perfective stem is γράψ- (γράφω → aorist έγραψα → stem γράψ-). Add present endings and prefix θα:
| Person | Form | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| εγώ | θα γράψω | tha ghrápso | I'll write |
| εσύ | θα γράψεις | tha ghrápsis | you'll write |
| αυτός/-ή/-ό | θα γράψει | tha ghrápsi | he/she/it'll write |
| εμείς | θα γράψουμε | tha ghrápsume | we'll write |
| εσείς | θα γράψετε | tha ghrápsete | you'll write |
| αυτοί/-ές/-ά | θα γράψουν(ε) | tha ghrápsun(e) | they'll write |
Notice that the endings are exactly the present endings -ω, -εις, -ει, -ουμε, -ετε, -ουν — the only thing that has changed from imperfective θα γράφω is the stem (γράψ- instead of γράφ-). If you can form the aorist, you already know the perfective stem; the full mechanics of building it (the -σ- rule, the -ψ-/-ξ- consonant merges, the Class Β -ήσ- family) are on building the perfective stem.
The default future: a bounded view
The first examples below name a specific occasion with an endpoint supplied by the verb or situation. The final one contains three journeys, but presents that finite series as one delimited plan. The shared feature is the bounded viewpoint, not objective event count.
Θα τελειώσω τη δουλειά μέχρι τις πέντε και μετά είμαι ελεύθερη.
tha telióso ti dhuliá méchri tis pénde ke metá íme eléftheri
I'll finish the work by five and then I'm free.
Θα πάρω εγώ τα παιδιά από το σχολείο σήμερα.
tha páro eghó ta pedhiá apó to scholío símera
I'll pick the kids up from school today.
Πες μου τι θέλεις και θα στο φέρω από την αγορά.
pes mu ti thélis ke tha sto féro apó tin aghorá
Tell me what you want and I'll bring it to you from the market.
Τον επόμενο μήνα θα πάω τρεις φορές στη Θεσσαλονίκη για δουλειά.
ton epómeno mína tha páo tris forés sti Thesaloníki ya dhuliá
Next month I'll go to Thessaloniki three times for work. (a finite series viewed as a whole)
Each is a promise or plan presented from the outside, and the perfective is the natural choice. That is what "default" means here: unless the speaker wants to foreground internal progress, an ongoing period, or an open habit, the simple future is the first form to consider.
Irregular perfectives carry straight over
The dozen highest-frequency verbs build their perfective stem suppletively — they swap in a whole new form instead of adding -σ-. Those irregular stems reappear intact after θα, so the simple futures of see, say, eat, go, take, find are the short, memorable forms θα δω, θα πω, θα φάω, θα πάω, θα πάρω, θα βρω:
Θα φάω κάτι γρήγορα και θα φύγω για τη δουλειά.
tha fáo káti ghríghora ke tha fígho ya ti dhuliá
I'll eat something quick and head off to work.
Θα δεις, όλα θα πάνε καλά στο τέλος.
tha dhis, óla tha páne kalá sto télos
You'll see, everything will turn out fine in the end.
Μη φεύγεις ακόμα, θα σου πω κάτι σημαντικό.
mi févyis akóma, tha su po káti simandikó
Don't leave yet, I'll tell you something important.
These suppletive stems (δω, πω, φάω, βρω, μπω, βγω, πιω…) are the single best memorisation in the Greek verb system, and they get their own treatment on irregular perfective stems. For the simple future, just register that there is no separate "future" form — the perfective stem you already learned for the aorist and the subjunctive is exactly what θα takes.
When the simple future is not enough
Choose the continuous future (θα γράφω) when you want an action in progress, an ongoing period viewed from inside, or an open/characteristic repetition such as "I'll write every week from now on." Mere duration or repetition does not force that choice: a finite series can be perfective, while one future event can be imperfective when you zoom into its course. The viewpoint decision is laid out on choosing future aspect.
Negation and questions
Negate with δεν before θα, exactly as everywhere else; ask a yes/no question just by raising your intonation (Greek needs no word-order change):
Δεν θα προλάβουμε την ταινία, ας πάμε στην επόμενη προβολή.
dhen tha prolávume tin tenía, as páme stin epómeni provolí
We won't make the film — let's go to the next screening.
Θα κλείσεις εσύ τα εισιτήρια ή να το κάνω εγώ;
tha klísis esí ta isitíria i na to káno eghó;
Will you book the tickets, or should I do it?
Common Mistakes
1. Putting the past (aorist) form after θα. In suitable contexts θα + a past form has modal readings such as inference, not the ordinary future. For "I'll see," you need the dependent perfective θα δω, not θα είδα.
❌ Θα είδα τον γιατρό αύριο το πρωί.
Incorrect — θα + the aorist είδα is not a future; use the bare perfective: Θα δω.
✅ Θα δω τον γιατρό αύριο το πρωί.
tha dho ton yatró ávrio to proí
I'll see the doctor tomorrow morning.
2. Keeping the past augment on the perfective stem. The aorist has an accented augment (έγραψα); the future strips it — θα γράψω, never ×θα έγραψω.
❌ Θα έγραψω το γράμμα το βράδυ, όταν ησυχάσω.
Incorrect — the future drops the augment: Θα γράψω.
✅ Θα γράψω το γράμμα το βράδυ, όταν ησυχάσω.
tha ghrápso to ghráma to vrádhi, ótan isicháso
I'll write the letter in the evening, when things quiet down.
3. Regularising an irregular perfective. The suppletive verbs do not take -σ-: βλέπω → θα δω (not ×θα βλέψω), τρώω → θα φάω (not ×θα τρώψω).
❌ Θα βλέψω τι μπορώ να κάνω και θα σε ενημερώσω αύριο.
Incorrect — βλέπω is suppletive: Θα δω.
✅ Θα δω τι μπορώ να κάνω και θα σε ενημερώσω αύριο.
tha dho ti boró na káno ke tha se enimeróso ávrio
I'll see what I can do and let you know tomorrow.
4. Treating the two futures as mutually exclusive descriptions of one event. θα τελειώσω packages the task as a bounded promise; θα τελειώνω is also grammatical when the speaker zooms into the work in progress.
Μην ανησυχείς, θα τελειώσω το άρθρο απόψε.
min anisichís, tha telióso to árthro apópse
Don't worry, I'll finish the article tonight. (the task as a bounded promise → perfective)
Κατά τις δέκα θα τελειώνω το άρθρο, οπότε πάρε με αργότερα.
katá tis dhéka tha telióno to árthro, opóte páre me arghótera
Around ten I'll be finishing the article, so call me later. (one event viewed internally → imperfective)
Key Takeaways
- The simple future is θα + the perfective stem with present endings: θα γράψω, θα γράψεις, θα γράψει, θα γράψουμε, θα γράψετε, θα γράψουν.
- It presents a future occurrence or finite/delimited series as a bounded whole, and it is the default for a specific plan, promise, or prediction.
- The perfective stem is the aorist stem without the augment: θα γράψω (not ×θα έγραψω).
- Irregular perfectives carry over unchanged: θα δω, θα πω, θα φάω, θα πάω, θα βρω.
- Choose the continuous future for an internal/ongoing view or an open habit. Duration and repetition are cues, not mechanical switches.
Related Topics
- Continuous Future (θα + imperfective)B1 — The internal/open future — θα before the imperfective present stem: θα γράφω for one unfolding stretch or an open habit, with duration and frequency expressions treated as cues rather than switches.
- Choosing Future AspectB1 — The practical decision page for θα γράψω vs θα γράφω: a bounded future unit (including a finite series) versus an open schedule or internally viewed stretch, with cues and minimal pairs for choosing the stem.
- Irregular Perfective StemsB1 — The commonest Greek verbs — see, say, eat, go, take, find, give, drink, come in, go out — build their perfective series unpredictably, often with a suppletive form (βλέπω → δω, λέω → πω, τρώω → φάω) instead of regular -σ-. Because these are the highest-frequency verbs, memorising their principal parts is one of the best-value things you can do in Greek.