The Dutch future tense: gaan, zullen or just the present?

English speakers often look for a Dutch "will" and grab zullen. But Dutch talks about the future in several ways, and zullen is often not the most natural one. In everyday speech the present tense does most of the work, gaan covers plans, and zullen has its own special jobs: promises, offers and suggestions. Here's how to choose.

The four options at a glance

1. Present tense + a time word

This is the most common way to talk about the future in Dutch. As long as the context or a time word makes it clear, the present tense is enough:

• Ik bel je morgen. — I'll call you tomorrow.
• Volgende week gaan we naar Parijs. — Next week we're going to Paris.
• De trein vertrekt om half negen. — The train leaves at half past eight.
• Ik kom zo. — I'll be right there.
• Wat doe je in het weekend? — What are you doing at the weekend?

Useful time words: straks (later, in a bit), zo (in a moment), vanavond (tonight), morgen (tomorrow), overmorgen (the day after tomorrow), volgende week (next week), volgend jaar (next year), binnenkort (soon). Note that week is a de word but jaar is a het word, hence volgende week but volgend jaar; see adjective endings.

Where English needs "will" or "going to", Dutch is often happy with the present tense. If you remember only one thing from this post, make it this.

2. Gaan + infinitive

Gaan + infinitive works much like English "going to". Use it for plans and intentions, and for things you can see coming:

• Ik ga vanavond koken. — I'm going to cook tonight.
• We gaan volgend jaar trouwen. — We're getting married next year.
• Wat ga je doen na je studie? — What are you going to do after your studies?
• Kijk naar die wolken. Het gaat regenen. — Look at those clouds. It's going to rain.

Gaan is the conjugated verb in second position, and the infinitive goes to the end:

• Morgen ga ik mijn moeder bellen. — Tomorrow I'm going to call my mother.
• Ik denk dat het gaat regenen. — I think it's going to rain.

One trap: if the main verb is gaan itself (to go somewhere), don't double it. Say We gaan morgen naar het strand (We're going to the beach tomorrow), not We gaan morgen naar het strand gaan.

3. Zullen

Zullen is a modal verb, conjugated like this:

In questions you'll mostly hear Zal ik…? and Zullen we…?. For the full set of modals, see modal verbs.

In everyday speech, zullen for a plain neutral future can sound formal or heavy. It shines in these situations:

Promises

Zullen adds a sense of commitment: "I will, you can count on it."

• Ik zal je morgen bellen. — I'll call you tomorrow (I promise).
• Ik zal het niet vergeten. — I won't forget.
• We zullen ons best doen. — We'll do our best.

Offers and suggestions

This is probably the most useful zullen of all. Zal ik…? offers to do something, and Zullen we…? suggests doing something together:

• Zal ik het raam opendoen? — Shall I open the window?
• Zal ik je even helpen? — Shall I give you a hand?
• Zullen we vanavond uit eten gaan? — Shall we go out for dinner tonight?
• Zullen we om acht uur afspreken? — Shall we meet at eight?

Predictions and assumptions

In more formal language, like weather forecasts and the news, zullen is the standard future:

• Morgen zal het in het hele land regenen. — Tomorrow it will rain across the country.
• De nieuwe brug zal in 2028 klaar zijn. — The new bridge will be finished in 2028.

With wel, zullen expresses an assumption about now, not about the future:

• Hij zal wel moe zijn. — He's probably tired / He must be tired.
• Dat zal wel. — I suppose so (often a bit sceptical).

4. Van plan zijn om … te

To say what you intend or plan to do, use van plan zijn with om … te + infinitive:

• Ik ben van plan om volgend jaar Spaans te leren. — I'm planning to learn Spanish next year.
• We zijn van plan om in de zomer te verhuizen. — We're planning to move in the summer.
• Wat ben je van plan? — What are you planning (to do)?

With a separable verb, te goes between the two parts: Ik ben van plan om morgen vroeg op te staan. — I'm planning to get up early tomorrow. The om can also be left out, which sounds a little more formal: Ik ben van plan te verhuizen is also fine. More in te + infinitive.

Related phrases: Ik wil… (I want to…), Ik hoop… (I hope…), and Ik heb zin om… (I feel like…): Ik heb zin om naar zee te gaan. — I feel like going to the seaside.

The future perfect, briefly

To say something "will have happened" by a certain time, use zullen + participle + hebben or zijn:

• Volgend jaar zal ik mijn diploma hebben gehaald. — By next year I will have got my diploma.
• Om tien uur zullen ze wel zijn vertrokken. — By ten they'll probably have left.

The two final verbs can also be swapped: gehaald hebben, vertrokken zijn. With wel, it's again an assumption, now about the past:

• Hij zal de trein wel hebben gemist. — He'll have missed the train / He probably missed the train.

In everyday Dutch, the perfect tense or even the present tense plus a time word usually does the same job and sounds more natural:

• Volgend jaar heb ik mijn diploma gehaald. — By next year I'll have got my diploma.
• Volgende week heb ik het af. — I'll have finished it by next week.
• Morgen om deze tijd ben ik al in Spanje. — This time tomorrow I'll already be in Spain.

Quick summary

• The present tense + a time word is the most common future: Ik bel je morgen.
• Gaan + infinitive = "going to": Het gaat regenen. Don't say gaan … gaan.
• Zullen is for promises (Ik zal het doen), offers (Zal ik…?), suggestions (Zullen we…?) and formal predictions.
• Zal wel = probably: Hij zal wel moe zijn.
• Van plan zijn om … te = to plan / intend to.
• Future perfect: zal hebben gedaan, but in speech the perfect tense often replaces it.

Practise it

Make plans in Talking about the future, suggest things with Zullen we…? in Invitations, and plan your next trip in Travel.