How to Use Future Tense: Simple and Compound Forms in Ukrainian

Understanding the Future Tense in Ukrainian

In Ukrainian, the future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen. Unlike English, Ukrainian has two main ways to express the future: the simple future and the compound future. Understanding both forms will help you speak and write more naturally.

Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense in Ukrainian is formed by conjugating perfective verbs. Perfective verbs indicate completed actions and naturally express future meaning when conjugated in the present tense. This form is used to describe a single, completed action that will happen in the future.

For example, the verb прочитати (to read - perfective) in the simple future tense:

• Я прочитаю (I will read)
• Ти прочитаєш (You will read)
• Він/Вона прочитає (He/She will read)
• Ми прочитаємо (We will read)
• Ви прочитаєте (You all will read)
• Вони прочитають (They will read)

Compound Future Tense

The compound future tense is formed with the imperfective verb infinitive plus the present tense of the auxiliary verb бути (to be). This form is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the future.

The structure is: буду + infinitive (for я), and similarly for other persons.

• Я буду читати (I will be reading)
• Ти будеш читати (You will be reading)
• Він/Вона буде читати (He/She will be reading)
• Ми будемо читати (We will be reading)
• Ви будете читати (You all will be reading)
• Вони будуть читати (They will be reading)

When to Use Simple vs Compound Future

Use the simple future with perfective verbs to express a single, completed action in the future. Use the compound future with imperfective verbs to express ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions in the future.

For example:

• Я прочитаю книгу завтра. (I will read the book tomorrow.) - simple future, completed action
• Я буду читати книгу кожен день. (I will be reading the book every day.) - compound future, repeated action

Common Verbs and Their Future Forms

Practice conjugating these verbs in both future forms to get comfortable with the patterns.

Tips for Learning Ukrainian Future Tense

• Identify whether the verb is perfective or imperfective.
• Use simple future with perfective verbs for completed future actions.
• Use compound future with imperfective verbs for ongoing or repeated future actions.
• Practice conjugation regularly to build confidence.
• Listen to native speakers to hear natural usage.