For actions that will be completed in the future—like achieving a result, making a promise, or finishing a task—Russian uses the simple future tense.
Forming the Simple Future
To form the simple future, conjugate a perfective verb using standard present-tense endings. Because perfective verbs focus on completed results, they cannot describe an ongoing action in the present. Adding present-tense endings automatically pushes the action into the future.
Here is how you conjugate the perfective verb решить (to solve):
| Pronoun | решить (Future) |
|---|---|
| я | решу |
| ты | решишь |
| он / она / оно | решит |
| мы | решим |
| вы | решите |
| они | решат |
| I will solve this problem tomorrow. | Я решу эту проблему завтра. |
| We will solve this difficult task. | Мы решим эту трудную задачу. |
Perfective Verbs with Prefixes
Many perfective verbs are just their imperfective counterparts with an added prefix, such as выучить (to learn completely) and рассказать (to tell). You conjugate these exactly like the unprefixed base verbs.
| I will quickly learn this rule. | Я быстро выучу это правило. |
| This is a difficult rule, therefore we will ask the teacher. | Это трудное правило, поэтому мы спросим учителя. |
| I will definitely tell you the truth. | Я точно расскажу тебе правду. |
Stem Changes
Just like in the present tense, some verbs have stem changes or consonant mutations when conjugated in the simple future. For instance, the perfective verb помочь (to help) changes its stem to помог- or помож- depending on the pronoun (я помогу, ты поможешь, он поможет).
| I will definitely help you in the afternoon. | Я обязательно помогу тебе днём. |
| My brother will help us in the evening. | Мой брат поможет нам вечером. |
