Breakdown of Я буду ждать тебя здесь.
здесь
here
я
I
ты
you (singular)
быть
to be
ждать
to wait (imperfective)
Questions & Answers about Я буду ждать тебя здесь.
Why are there two verbs, буду ждать, to say "will wait"?
This is the compound future tense in Russian! To talk about an ongoing or repeated action in the future, you use a conjugated future form of the verb "to be" (быть) and add the dictionary form (infinitive) of your main verb. Here, буду means "I will (be)" and ждать is the infinitive "to wait".
Can I use a perfective verb after буду?
No, never! The compound future tense (буду, будешь, etc.) is only ever paired with imperfective verbs. Because ждать (to wait) is an imperfective verb, it fits perfectly here to show the ongoing process of waiting.
Why does the sentence use тебя instead of ты?
тебя is the Accusative case form of ты (you). In Russian, the person you are waiting for is the direct object of the verb ждать (to wait). Just like in English we say "wait for him" instead of "wait for he", Russian changes the pronoun to show it's receiving the action.
Could I use тут instead of здесь?
Yes, you absolutely can! тут and здесь both mean "here" and are almost completely interchangeable in everyday speech. тут is slightly more casual, while здесь is a bit more neutral, but both work perfectly in this sentence.
Learn Я буду ждать тебя здесь and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free