In Spanish, the future tense isn't just for talking about tomorrow. You can also use it to express a guess, a hypothesis, or a probability about the present.
Wondering out loud (Questions)
When you ask a question using the future tense, you are wondering about a present situation. In English, this often translates to "I wonder if..." or "Could it be...?"
| I wonder if there is a space base on the moon. | ¿Habrá una base espacial en la luna? |
| I wonder what that strange planet is like. | ¿Cómo será ese planeta extraño? |
Making a guess (Statements)
When you make a statement using the future tense, you are expressing that something is likely true right now. It translates to "It is probably..." or "It must be...".
| That UFO is probably a spaceship. | Ese ovni será una nave espacial. |
| The ship is probably from another mysterious planet. | La nave será de otro planeta misterioso. |
Guessing what is happening right now
You can apply this same concept to continuous actions by using the future tense of estar followed by a gerund (-ando / -iendo). Use this to wonder what someone is doing right now, or to state what they are probably doing.
| I wonder if we are seeing a UFO now. | ¿Estaremos viendo un ovni ahora? |
| They are probably studying that mysterious light. | Estarán estudiando esa luz misteriosa. |
Putting it together
You will frequently hear these two uses paired together: asking a question in the future tense to wonder about a mystery, and making a statement in the future tense to guess the answer.
| Why might that mysterious light be shining so much? It must be a UFO. | ¿Por qué brillará tanto esa luz misteriosa? Será un ovni. |