Future Tense with -ta-

01

The Pattern

• Utarudi kesho?

  Will you come back tomorrow?

• u- you
• -ta- will
• rudi return
• nitasoma - I will read
• utasoma - you will read
• atasoma - he will read
• tutasoma - we will read

• Tutaonana hivi karibuni.

  We will see each other soon.

• Kesho, nitaosha nywele zangu.

  Tomorrow I will wash my hair.

02

Plans, Promises and Predictions Alike

English divides these between will, shall and going to. Swahili uses the one marker for all of them.

• Nitakupa aspirini kwa ajili ya maumivu ya kichwa.

  I will give you aspirin for a headache.

• Nitaenda kutazama igizo la jukwaani.

  I will go and watch a stage play.

• Bidhaa yetu itasuluhisha matatizo yako yote.

  Our product will solve all your problems.

The first is a promise, the second a plan, the third a prediction, and the verb is built the same way in each.

03

The Negative Keeps -ta-

Unlike the past, the future negative leaves the tense marker alone and changes only the subject prefix. That makes it the easiest negative in the language.

• nitakuja I will come becomes sitakuja I will not come
• watakuja they will come becomes hawatakuja they will not come

• Nitakuja na kamera. Tutumai mvua haitanyesha.

  I will bring a camera. Let us hope it will not rain.

haitanyesha is the class 9 negative hai- with -ta- still sitting in place behind it.

04

Short Verbs Keep ku- Here Too

• Nitakuja na kamera.

  I will bring a camera.

nitakuja is ni-ta-ku-ja: the ku- of kuja to come stays after -ta-.

05

The Future in Requests

A question in the future is a common way of asking someone politely to do something.

• Utarudi kesho?

  Will you come back tomorrow?

• Utanisaidia kesho?

  Will you help me tomorrow?

06

Things as Subjects

With a class prefix instead of a person, the future reports what is scheduled or expected.

• Haitakuwa ghali sana. Nitainunua hivi karibuni.

  It will not be very expensive. I will buy it soon.

• Usingoje muda mrefu. Zitakwisha.

  Do not wait long. They will run out.

07

Time Words It Keeps Company With

• kesho - tomorrow
• wiki ijayo - next week
• mwakani - next year

• Nitafanya kazi yangu ya ziada ya shuleni baadaye.

  I will do my extra schoolwork later.

08

The Future of 'to Be' and 'to Have'

Neither ni is nor -na have can carry a tense, so both borrow the verb kuwa to be.

• Haitakuwa ghali sana.

  It will not be very expensive.

• Nitakuwa na muda kesho.

  I will have time tomorrow.