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Phrases to express the future

You may like to differentiate between using the traditional future forms of 'I will' and 'I'm going to' by using phrases that convey a future meaning, eg 'I plan to' and 'I hope to'.

A young man with three thought bubbles, one of a motorbike, one of a sportscar and the other of expensive clothes.

These verbs follow exactly the same pattern as werden + infinitive.

  • ich will... + Infinitiv – I want to... + infinitive
  • ich möchte... + Infinitiv – I would like to... + infinitive
  • ich wĂĽrde gern... + Infinitiv – I would like to... + infinitive

The following verbs follow a very similar pattern, but need the word zu before the infinitive at the end.

  • ich plane,... + zu Infinitiv – I plan to + infinitive...
  • ich hoffe,... + zu Infinitiv – I hope to + infinitive...
  • ich habe vor,... + zu Infinitiv – I intend to + infinitive...
  • ich habe Lust,... + zu Infinitiv – I want to + infinitive...

Question

Read the following sentences and fill in the gaps.

  • Meine Schwester möchte gerne Bungeejumping probieren. – My sister _____ _____ to try bungee jumping.
  • Im Sommer planst du einen Teilzeit job zu finden um Geld zu verdienen? – Do _____ _____ to find a part-time job in the summer in order to _____ money?
  • Meine Mutter hofft in einem groĂźen Haus auf dem Land zu wohnen. – My mum _____ to _____ in a big house in the countryside.
  • Nächsten Sonntag will ich mit meiner Freundin in Australien skypen. – Next Sunday I _____ _____ Skype my friend in Australia.
  • Ich habe vor um die Welt zu reisen und viel Geld zu haben. – I _____ to travel the world and _____ lots of money.
  • Haben Sie Lust später im Leben fĂĽr eine Hilfsorganisation zu arbeiten? – _____ _____ _____ to work for a charity later in life?
  • Sie wĂĽrden gern nächsten Sommer ein Schwimmbad im Garten haben. – They _____ _____ _____ _____ a swimming pool in the garden next summer.
  • Ich will mir ein schnelles Auto kaufen. – I _____ to _____ myself a fast car.
  • Kemal hofft in der Zukunft als Regisseur zu arbeiten. – In the future Kemal _____ to _____ as a film director.
An actor and director reading a script on a film set.

Did you know?

Ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut in the future? Hast du vor, Astronaut zu werden?

Germany has its own aerospace centre, abbreviated to DLR which stands for Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt – German Centre for Air and Space Travel.

DLR's work includes exploratory research of the Earth and the solar system. It also looks into ways of protecting the environment and the development of future products that will be environmentally-friendly – umweltfreundlich.

This scientific and technical expertise has succeeded in making a name for Germany in the fields of industry and technology.

Moon over the earth
Image caption,
DLR is responsible for Germany's national space programme