The Everyday Future Tense
In everyday Farsi, you rarely need a dedicated future tense to talk about your plans. Just as in English ("I am going to the gallery tomorrow"), Farsi uses the standard present indicative tense (verbs starting with می) to talk about the future.
To shift the meaning from the present to the future, simply add a future time expression.
| Tonight we are watching a new comedy. | امشب یک کمدی جدید میبینیم.emshab yek komedi jadid mibinim. |
| Tomorrow I will go home, and then I will go to the shopping center. | فردا میرم خونه و بعد میرم پاساژ.fardâ miram khune o ba'd miram pâsâzh. |
Making Plans with Time Expressions
Time words like "tonight," "tomorrow," or "this weekend" usually appear near the beginning of the sentence.
| The day after tomorrow, we will talk about the weekend plans. | پسفردا راجع به برنامهی آخر هفته صحبت میکنیم.pas-fardâ râje' be barnâme-ye âkhar-e hafte sohbat mikonim. |
| Tomorrow evening, I will walk from the shopping center to the gallery. | فردا عصر از پاساژ تا گالری پیادهروی میکنم.fardâ asr az pâsâzh tâ gâleri piyâde-ravi mikonam |
| I'll go shopping during the holidays. | تو تعطیلات میرم خرید.tu ta'tilât miram kharid. |
Formal vs. Informal Future
Farsi does have a dedicated future tense using the auxiliary verb خواهد, but it is strictly reserved for formal situations, literature, and news broadcasts.
Using the formal future tense to invite a friend to hang out would sound unusually stiff. For casual conversations, text messages, and everyday plans, the present indicative is always the right choice.
| They will play football on Friday morning, and go bowling at night. | آنها جمعه صبح فوتبال بازی میکنند و شب به بولینگ میروند.ânhâ jom'e sobh footbâl bâzi mikonand va shab be boling miravand. |
| We are having fast food this weekend, otherwise we have to cook. | آخر هفته فستفود میخوریم، وگرنه باید آشپزی کنیم.âkher hafte fast fud mikhorim, vagarna bâyad âshpazi konim. |