Future Tense in Turkish

Overview

The Turkish future tense (gelecek zaman) is formed with the suffix -ecek/-acak and is used to express future actions, intentions, predictions, and plans. It is one of the most straightforward tenses to form, and it covers the same ground as English "will" and "going to." In fact, the word "gelecek" itself means both "future" and "the one that will come."

At the A2 level, the future tense completes your core tense toolkit. With the present continuous (-iyor), the aorist (-ir/-er), the past (-di), and now the future (-ecek/-acak), you can talk about what is happening now, what generally happens, what happened, and what will happen. This covers the vast majority of everyday conversation.

The future tense in Turkish has a wonderfully colloquial shortened form used in rapid speech, and it also plays a role in expressing intention and willingness. It is one of the easier tenses to learn because the pattern is regular with no major exceptions.

How It Works

Formation

Verb stem + -ecek/-acak + personal suffix

The vowel choice follows two-way vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the stem:

Last vowel	Suffix
Front (e, i, ö, ü)	-ecek
Back (a, ı, o, u)	-acak

Full Conjugation

Person	gelmek (to come)	yapmak (to do)
Ben	geleceğim	yapacağım
Sen	geleceksin	yapacaksın
O	gelecek	yapacak
Biz	geleceğiz	yapacağız
Siz	geleceksiniz	yapacaksınız
Onlar	gelecekler	yapacaklar

Consonant Change: k → ğ

Notice that the "k" in -ecek/-acak softens to ğ before suffixes starting with a vowel (first person singular and plural):

• gelecek + im → geleceğim (not geleckim)
• yapacak + ız → yapacağız (not yapacakız)

But before consonant-starting suffixes, the "k" stays:

• gelecek + sin → geleceksin

Negative Form

Insert -me/-ma before -ecek/-acak:

Person	Affirmative	Negative
Ben	geleceğim	gelmeyeceğim
Sen	geleceksin	gelmeyeceksin
O	gelecek	gelmeyecek
Biz	geleceğiz	gelmeyeceğiz
Siz	geleceksiniz	gelmeyeceksiniz
Onlar	gelecekler	gelmeyecekler

Note the buffer -y- between -me and -ecek (since two vowels would collide).

For back-vowel verbs: yapmak → yapmayacağım, yapmayacaksın, etc.

Question Form

Add mı/mi after the suffix (before personal endings for some persons):

• Gelecek misin? (Will you come?)
• Yapacak mısınız? (Will you do it?)
• Yağmur yağacak mı? (Will it rain?)

Spoken Shortening

In rapid everyday speech, -ecek/-acak is often shortened to -çek/-çak or even -cek/-cak:

• Gelecek → "gelcek" or "gelicek" (colloquial)
• Yapacağım → "yapıcam" (very colloquial)
• Gideceksin → "gidiçeksin" or "gidecen" (informal)

These shortened forms are extremely common in speech but should be avoided in writing.

Uses of the Future Tense

Usage	Example	English
Future action	Yarın geleceğim.	I will come tomorrow.
Intention	Doktor olacağım.	I'm going to be a doctor.
Prediction	Yağmur yağacak.	It's going to rain.
Promise	Seni arayacağım.	I'll call you.
Plan	Bu yaz Türkiye'ye gideceğiz.	We're going to Turkey this summer.
Near certainty	Birazdan gelecek.	He/She will be here soon.

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Yarın geleceğim.	I will come tomorrow.	Future plan
Ne yapacaksın?	What will you do?	Question
Yağmur yağacak.	It's going to rain.	Prediction
Bu akşam film izleyeceğiz.	We'll watch a movie tonight.	Plan
Seni unutmayacağım.	I won't forget you.	Negative future
Türkçe öğreneceksin.	You will learn Turkish.	Encouragement
Otobüs saat kaçta gelecek?	What time will the bus come?	Schedule question
Param olursa araba alacağım.	If I have money, I'll buy a car.	Conditional + future
Bu iş kolay olmayacak.	This job won't be easy.	Negative prediction
Hazır olacak mısınız?	Will you be ready?	Question form
Merak etme, her şey iyi olacak.	Don't worry, everything will be fine.	Reassurance
Birazdan döneceğim.	I'll be back in a moment.	Near future

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the k → ğ Change

• Wrong: gelecekim or yapacakım
• Right: geleceğim / yapacağım
• Why: Before vowels (first person -im/-ız), the final k of -ecek/-acak softens to ğ. This is consonant softening in action.

Wrong Vowel Harmony

• Wrong: yapecek or gelacak
• Right: yapacak (back vowel stem) / gelecek (front vowel stem)
• Why: The suffix follows two-way vowel harmony: front stems take -ecek, back stems take -acak.

Confusing Future with Present Continuous for Plans

• Wrong: Using only -iyor for all future plans
• Right: Both work for near-future plans, but -ecek is more appropriate for distant future
• Why: "Yarın geliyorum" (I'm coming tomorrow — near, decided) and "Yarın geleceğim" (I will come tomorrow — future intention) are both acceptable. But for events further in the future, use -ecek/-acak.

Missing Buffer -y- in Negative

• Wrong: gelmeecek or gelmecek
• Right: gelmeyecek
• Why: A buffer -y- is needed between -me and -ecek to prevent two vowels from colliding.

Usage Notes

The Turkish future tense and the present continuous (-iyor) can overlap when talking about near-future plans, similar to English "I'm going tomorrow" vs. "I'll go tomorrow." In Turkish, "Yarın gidiyorum" suggests a firm, decided plan, while "Yarın gideceğim" is a more neutral statement about the future. In practice, both are commonly used for planned future events.

The colloquial shortened forms (-çak/-çek, and especially the very informal -ıcam/-icem) are ubiquitous in spoken Turkish. You will hear "yapıcam" far more often than "yapacağım" in casual conversation. Understanding these forms is important for comprehension, even if you choose to use the full forms in your own speech.

The future suffix -ecek/-acak also functions as a participle meaning "the one that will ___": "gelecek yıl" (the coming year, next year), "yapılacak işler" (things to be done).

Practice Tips

• Make plans in Turkish. Talk about your weekend plans, vacation plans, or life goals using the future tense: "Bu hafta sonu ne yapacağım?" (What will I do this weekend?). This makes the tense immediately practical.

• Practice the k → ğ change specifically. Write out first person (ben/biz) forms for 10 different verbs. The consonant softening in these forms is the most common error point.

• Listen for the colloquial forms. When watching Turkish media, notice how speakers shorten -ecek/-acak. Try to identify the full form behind each shortening. This bridges the gap between textbook Turkish and real speech.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Past Tense (-di) — knowing the past tense pattern helps you see how Turkish tenses are structured with stem + tense suffix + personal ending