Different futures?

[laepelba]

I was listening to a Spanish learning podcast yesterday and the speaker (a native Spanish speaker, although I don't know from where) said that when something is going to happen in the near future, you use present tense. His example was this: "Mañana, Juan escribe una carta al padre" or something very similar.

Please remember that I have not yet begun to learn about tenses AT ALL - I'm still SO new to learning Spanish! But this doesn't make sense to me. Would it be a different thing if the letter were to be written a year from now instead of tomorrow? Are there different futures based on proximity of time?

Thanks!

[literacola]

Yes you use the simple present tense ir + a construction for near future events.

Juan va a escribir una carta a su padre mañana.

Juan is going to write a letter to his dad tomorrow.


It is exactly the same as the way we use going to in English.

[Rusty]

What litercola described is known as the simple future tense. This can be used as stated, and can be used to describe events that are not in the near future.

The present tense can be used to express near future events, just like in English.
Examples:

Voy a la fiesta esta tarde. = I'm going to the party this afternoon.
Esta noche me acuesto temprano. = I'm going to bed early tonight.
Vuelo a Madrid el lunes. = I'm flying to Madrid on Monday.

[laepelba]

Yet, in the podcast I describe, they did NOT use the verb "ir". It was simply, "Mañana, Juan escribe...." That's why I thought it so strange. I wouldn't have even questioned it if it had the "ir + a..." form.

By the way, I would say (in English) "I'm flying to Madrid on Monday" and I would equally say "I'm flying to Madrid three years from now". The same verb tense in both of them.....

[Rusty]

I don't think you can use the Spanish present tense for the latter sentence. I believe you have to use the future or the simple future tense, instead.
Maybe I've given sentences that don't make it clear enough.

[laepelba]

That's okay, Rusty - I just wanted to clarify that really, truly, there is a difference in the use of the tenses when you're talking about a future in close proximity vs. a future farther down the road.....

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Present tense used as future can be used in Spanish, but I think that's rather in the informal speech.

-- ¿Cuándo te operan? --Me operan el sábado.

-- Estudio la maestría en el extranjero y regreso en dos años.

-- Te llamo en la tarde.

-- Te veo mañana y te digo cómo me fue.

-- Tengo una entrevista la próxima semana.

All of these sentences could use future conjugation, but all of them will be understood as future sentences even though expressed with present tense.

[poli]

The present tense in Spanish can be used to indicate the future just as it can be done in English. Example in English: The flight was cancelled today. Tomorrow we we travel. (tomorrow we are scheduled to travel) Today we fast; tomorrow we feast. Because of its versatility, the present tense is the most important one to know for beginners.

[laepelba]

Thanks for all of those wonderful examples, Angelica & Poli!