Lesson 18 · سَأَذْهَبُ
Talking about the future
To talk about the future, add سَـ (sa-) to the front of a present tense verb: أَذْهَبُ (I go) becomes سَأَذْهَبُ (sa-adh-habu, I will go). سَوْفَ (sawfa), written as a separate word, means the same and often points a little further ahead: سَوْفَ أُسَافِرُ (I will travel).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
سَأَذْهَبُ إِلَى مَكَّةَ غَدًاsa-adh-habu ilaa makkata ghadanI will go to Makkah tomorrow.
سَنَزُورُكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِsa-nazuurukum yawma l-jumuʿatiWe will visit you on Friday.
سَيَبْدَأُ الدَّرْسُ بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍsa-yabda’u d-darsu baʿda qaliilinThe lesson will start shortly.
سَوْفَ أَتَعَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَsawfa ataʿallamu l-ʿarabiyyataI will learn Arabic.
مَتَى سَتُسَافِرُ؟mataa sa-tusaafiru?When will you travel? (to a man)
لَنْ أَتَأَخَّرَlan ata’akhkharaI won’t be late.
لَنْ يَنْجَحَ الْكَسْلَانُlan yanjaḥa l-kaslaanuThe lazy one will not succeed.
سَتَكُونُ الْقَهْوَةُ جَاهِزَةً بَعْدَ دَقِيقَةٍsa-takuunu l-qahwatu jaahizatan baʿda daqiiqatinThe coffee will be ready in a minute.
Key points
- سَأَكْتُبُ I will write · سَتَكْتُبُ you will write (man), she will write · سَيَكْتُبُ he will write · سَنَكْتُبُ we will write
- To say “will not”, use لَنْ (lan) and change the last vowel to -a: لَنْ أَذْهَبَ (I will not go), لَنْ نَتَأَخَّرَ (we won’t be late).
- Time words help: غَدًا (tomorrow), بَعْدَ غَدٍ (the day after tomorrow), الْأُسْبُوعَ الْقَادِمَ (next week).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I will write.”
سَأَكْتُبُ sa-aktubu
Say “We will go tomorrow.”
سَنَذْهَبُ غَدًا sa-nadh-habu ghadan
Say “I will not go.”
لَنْ أَذْهَبَ lan adh-haba
After لَنْ the last vowel becomes -a.