A1 · Section 18
The Future
The simplest tense in the language: one marker, **-s-**, inserted between the stem and the ending, and one set of endings for every verb there is. The only difficulty is what happens when the stem already ends in a consonant that will not stand beside an s.
The Future Formed with -s-
99.The future is built from the infinitive stem — the infinitive less its -ti — with -s- and the endings below. There is no division into conjugations here and no second stem to learn: whatever a verb does in the present and the past, its future is regular.
- Rytoj skaitysiu knygą.
- Tomorrow I shall read a book.
- Mes važiuosime į Vilnių.
- We shall go to Vilnius.
- Ką tu darysi?
- What will you do?
| person | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | dirbsiu | dirbsime |
| 2 | dirbsi | dirbsite |
| 3 | dirbs | dirbs |
Consonant Changes before the -s-
100.Where the infinitive stem already ends in s, z, š, ž, the marker cannot be heard beside it and the two merge into one consonant. Where it ends in d or t, that consonant becomes s. The endings are untouched; only the joint is affected, and the change is one of pronunciation written down rather than a grammatical irregularity.
- Rytoj grįšiu namo.
- Tomorrow I shall return home. — *grįž-* + *-s-* gives *grįš-*
- Jis neš knygas.
- He will carry the books.
| infinitive | stem | future 1 sg. | future 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| d → s | vesti | ved- | vesiu | ves |
| t → s | mesti | met- | mesiu | mes |
| š + s → š | nešti | neš- | nešiu | neš |
| ž + s → š | grįžti | grįž- | grįšiu | grįš |
| no change | dirbti | dirb- | dirbsiu | dirbs |
The Future of Būti
101.Būti follows the rule exactly, and its third person bus is among the most useful words in the language: it does duty for there will be, it will be, and they will be together, and it is what a Lithuanian says when asked whether something is going to happen.
- Rytoj būsiu namie.
- Tomorrow I shall be at home.
- Ar bus kavos?
- Will there be coffee? — genitive after an existential question, as with *yra* and *nėra*
- Bus gerai.
- It will be all right.
| person | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | būsiu | būsime |
| 2 | būsi | būsite |
| 3 | bus | bus |
Negation in the Future
102.As in the other tenses, ne- is written onto the front of the verb and the object of the negated verb passes into the genitive. Nothing new is needed; what is needed is the habit, since a learner who has mastered the genitive of negation in the present often loses it the moment the tense changes.
- Rytoj nedirbsiu.
- Tomorrow I shall not work.
- Aš nepirksiu šios knygos.
- I shall not buy this book. — genitive *knygos*, not accusative *knygą*
- Jų nebus.
- They will not be there.
Saying What Will Happen
103.The future serves for intention, for promise and for prediction alike; Lithuanian has no separate going to. Its usual markers are rytoj (tomorrow), kitą savaitę (next week) and po with the genitive (¶33). Note that where English uses a present tense after when and if in speaking of the future, Lithuanian uses the future there too, and says what it means.
- Kitą savaitę važiuosime prie jūros.
- Next week we shall go to the seaside.
- Po mėnesio jis bus Lietuvoje.
- In a month he will be in Lithuania.
| Lithuanian | English | note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| plain | Rytoj dirbsiu. | Tomorrow I shall work. | prediction |
| promise | Padarysiu. | I'll do it. | no pronoun needed |
| after when | Kai grįšiu, skambinsiu. | When I get back, I'll ring. | future in both halves |
Vocabulary
- rytoj
- tomorrow · adverb
- kitas
- other, next · adjective
- kita
- grįžti
- to return, to come back · verb
- grįžta, grįžo, I
- nešti
- to carry · verb
- neša, nešė, I
- vesti
- to lead, to take (someone somewhere) · verb
- veda, vedė, I
- daryti
- to do, to make · verb
- daro, darė, III
- jūra
- sea · noun
- jūros, jūrą, f.
- kai
- when (in a statement) · conjunction