Breakdown of Was wirst du nächste Woche machen?
du
you (informal singular)
machen
to make, to do
was
what
die Woche
the week
werden
will (future auxiliary)
nächste Woche
next week
nächste
next
Questions & Answers about Was wirst du nächste Woche machen?
How is the future tense formed in this sentence?
The German future tense (Futur I) uses the helper verb werden combined with an infinitive. Here, we use wirst because the subject is du. The main verb, machen, stays in its dictionary form (infinitive) and gets pushed to the very end of the sentence.
Why is machen at the very end instead of right after wirst?
German uses a sentence bracket for verbs. When you have a helper verb like werden, it takes the normal verb position right after the question word. The main action verb (machen) must be kicked to the very end of the sentence.
Why is it nächste Woche with an -e at the end?
Time expressions without a preposition (like next week, last year) take the accusative case in German. Because the word for week (die Woche) is feminine, the adjective nächste takes the feminine accusative ending, which is -e.
Do Germans actually use werden here, or could I use the present tense?
You can absolutely use the present tense! In fact, Germans often prefer the present tense for future plans if there is a time word. You could simply ask Was machst du nächste Woche? and it means exactly the same thing.
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