Day 25: The future
★ Chinese has no future tense. None. There is nothing to conjugate and nothing to add.
我明天去北京。 — I'm going to Beijing tomorrow. The verb 去 is identical to the one in I went and I go. The word 明天 does the entire job.
Today gives you the four optional ways to add nuance on top of that — and ★ 要…了, which is how you say something is about to happen.
1. ★★ The default: a time word and the plain verb
### Time word + normal sentence. That's it.
| 我明天去北京。 | I'm going to Beijing tomorrow |
|---|---|
| 下个星期我很忙。 | I'll be busy next week |
| 他六点来。 | He's coming at six |
| 我们晚上吃火锅。 | We're having hotpot tonight |
★ This covers most of what English marks with "will" or "going to" — and it is what native speakers use for anything scheduled, arranged or planned.
⚠️ The time word goes before the verb (Day 9, Day 22). 我明天去, never 我去明天.
| 明天 | tomorrow | 后天 | day after tomorrow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 下个星期 | next week | 下个月 | next month | |
| 明年 | next year | 以后 | later, afterwards | |
| 一会儿 | in a bit | 将来 | in the future (distant) |
2. ★ 要 — going to, definitely
### 要 + verb = an intention or a fixed plan
| 我要去北京。 | I'm going to Beijing |
|---|---|
| 我们要搬家了。 | We're going to move |
| 他要走了。 | He's about to leave |
★ 要 makes it more definite than the bare time word. 我明天去 is a fact on a calendar; 我要去 is a decision you have made.
⚠️ 要 also means "want" (Day 19). 我要一杯咖啡 = I'll have a coffee. ★ Context separates them easily, because 要 + noun = want, 要 + verb = going to.
3. ★ 会 — will, probably
### 会 + verb = a prediction or a likelihood
| 明天会下雨。 | It'll rain tomorrow |
|---|---|
| 他会来吗? | Will he come? |
| 应该不会太贵。 | It shouldn't be too expensive |
| 我想他不会同意。 | I don't think he'll agree |
★ 会 is about what is likely, not what you intend. You do not say 我会去北京 for a trip you have booked — that is 我要去 or 我明天去.
⚠️ 会 also means "can (learned skill)" (Day 19). 会说中文 = can speak Chinese. ★ Again, context separates them: 会 + a skill = ability; 会 + an event = prediction.
4. ★ 打算 — plan to
| 我打算去中国。 | I'm planning to go to China |
|---|---|
| 你打算做什么? | ★ What are you planning to do? |
| 我还没打算。 | I haven't decided yet |
★ 打算 is softer than 要 and more concrete than 想 — a plan you have thought about but have not locked in.
★ The scale, from softest to firmest:想 (would like) → 打算 (planning to) → 要 (going to) → 明天就去 (going, tomorrow, decided)
5. ★★ 要…了 — about to happen
### 要 + verb + 了 = "about to" / "any moment now"
| 要下雨了。 | ★ It's about to rain |
|---|---|
| 我要走了。 | ★ I'm off / I have to go |
| 火车要开了。 | The train's about to leave |
| 他要到了。 | He's nearly here |
| 快要开始了。 | It's about to start |
| 快下班了。 | ★ Almost time to knock off |
★ The 了 is compulsory — 要下雨了, never just 要下雨. ★ This 了 marks a change of situation, which is Day 26's whole subject and your first sight of it.
★ 快…了 and 快要…了 mean the same thing and are equally common.
★ 我要走了 is the phrase to have ready — it is how you leave any conversation politely, and you will use it every day.
6. Dialogue
小明: 你周末打算做什么?Alex: 我要去上海。票已经买了。小明: 坐高铁还是飞机?Alex: 高铁。五个小时。小明: 上海这个星期会下雨。你带伞了吗?Alex: 还没。我明天买。小明: 你在那儿住几天?Alex: 三天。星期一回来。小明: 回来以后我们一起吃饭,怎么样?Alex: 好啊! 下个星期我不太忙。小明: 那说定了。哦,几点的车?Alex: 早上八点。所以我今天要早点儿睡。小明: 对。啊,快十一点了! 我要走了。Alex: 好,路上小心!
★ All four shapes, each doing its own job:打算做什么 (plan) · 要去上海 (decided) · 会下雨 (prediction) · 我明天买 (plain time word).★ And ★ 快十一点了 / 我要走了 — the 要…了 pattern closing the conversation, exactly as §5 says.
7. Exercises
A. ★ Which one — plain time word, 要, 会, or 打算?
- I'm going to Beijing tomorrow. (scheduled)
- It'll rain tomorrow. (prediction)
- I'm planning to go to China. (thinking about it)
- I'm going to move house. (decided)
- Will he come? (likelihood)
B. ★★ 要…了 — build it.
- It's about to rain.
- I'm off.
- The train's about to leave.
- It's about to start.
C. ⚠️ 要 = want or going to?
- 我要一杯咖啡。 2. 我要去北京。 3. 你要什么? 4. 我要走了。
D. ⚠️ 会 = can or will?
- 我会说中文。 2. 明天会下雨。 3. 他会来吗? 4. 我不会做饭。
E. Translate.
- What are you planning to do at the weekend?
- I'll be busy next week.
- It shouldn't be too expensive.
- I haven't decided yet.
- Almost eleven o'clock!
F. ⚠️ Fix the mistake.
- 我去明天北京。
- 要下雨。 (about to rain)
- 我会去北京。 (I've booked it)
- 我打算一杯咖啡。
Answers
A. 1. 我明天去北京。 2. 明天会下雨。 3. 我打算去中国。 4. 我要搬家了。 5. 他会来吗? B. 1. 要下雨了。 2. 我要走了。 3. 火车要开了。 4. 快要开始了。 C. 1. want 2. going to 3. want 4. going to D. 1. can 2. will 3. will 4. can E. 1. 你周末打算做什么? 2. 下个星期我很忙。 3. 应该不会太贵。 4. 我还没打算。 5. 快十一点了! F. 1. 我明天去北京 — time before the verb 2. 要下雨了 — 了 is compulsory 3. 我要去北京 — 会 is a prediction 4. 我要一杯咖啡 — 打算 needs a verb
8. Today's 10 sentences (flashcards)
- 我明天去北京。 — I'm going to Beijing tomorrow
- 你周末打算做什么? — What are you planning this weekend?
- 我要去上海。 — I'm going to Shanghai
- 明天会下雨。 — It'll rain tomorrow
- 他会来吗? — Will he come?
- 要下雨了。 — It's about to rain
- 我要走了。 — I'm off
- 火车要开了。 — The train's about to leave
- 快十一点了。 — It's nearly eleven
- 下个星期我不太忙。 — I'm not very busy next week
9. 📲 Upload to LangNote
Upload sections 2–5 and section 8 → study language Chinese.
| Mission | What to do with it today |
|---|---|
| 🎧 Podcast | The dialogue — four future shapes in fourteen lines |
| ✍️ Dictation | ★ The final 了 in 要…了 is neutral and easy to drop |
| 🗣 Shadowing | Today's key mission. Five plans with 要, five predictions with 会 |
| 📖 Vocab | ★ 想 → 打算 → 要 as a scale on one card |
| 🎭 Role-play | Make weekend plans — state a plan, predict the weather, leave with 我要走了 |
★ Say five real plans for this week out loud tonight, then five predictions about things you don't control. The difference in feel between 要 and 会 is the lesson.
⚠️ Tomorrow is 了 — the single most misunderstood thing in Chinese grammar, and the last big day of the course.
langNote is a paid subscription and this course recommends it. The 30 lessons are free and complete either way.