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Grammar Notes

Grammatical concepts we covered in this unit

  • affirmative and negative future tense for all verbs

Affirmative and negative future tense for all verbs

Like the subjunctive mood which does not have any unusual conjugations, there are also no unusual conjugations for the future tense—all verbs are treated the same way and work off the infinitive.

But didn't we learn that the present tense can also be used as a future tense?

You're right! The present tense that we learned in previous units is often used to express future meanings. However, there is a subtle difference between the two. Often, when someone is asking a question, they will use the պիտի future tense form. The response can be in either the present tense or in the future tense.

Review the following examples:

  • Վաղը ճաշարան պիտի գա՞ս։
  • Այո՛, կու գամ։ → There's no doubt I am coming.
  • Պիտի գամ։ → There's some doubt that I will come...I'm not super sure.

So, if you want your listener to know that you're definitely going to be there tomorrow, use the present tense to assure them. If you want to instill doubt and worry, use the future tense.

To form the affirmative for all verbs in the future tense (all verbs EXCEPT for the verbs that have two present tense conjugations: ըլլալ, ունենալ, գիտնալ, կարենալ, and կայ), you replace the կը/կ՚/կու from the present tense conjugation with պիտի followed by a space. Unlike other conjugations where we replace the ը or ի with an apostrophe if the verb starts with a vowel sound, պիտի does not undergo a transformation for vocalic harmony (though some speakers will colloquially say պիտ՚ երթամ instead of պիտի երթամ). Examine the pairs below:

  • կը սիրեմ → պիտի սիրեմ
  • կ՚ուտենք → պիտի ուտենք
  • կու գաս → պիտի գաս

For ըլլալ, ունենալ, գիտնալ, and կարենալ, you just conjugate them as regular verbs using the infinitives (so they all take the -ալ verb endings), like so:

  • պիտի ըլլամ
  • պիտի գիտնաս
  • պիտի ունենանք

To form the negative for all verbs in the future tense (all verbs EXCEPT for the verbs that have two present tense conjugations: ըլլալ, ունենալ, գիտնալ, կարենալ, and կայ), you replace the կը/կ՚/կու from the AFFIRMATIVE present tense conjugation with պիտի followed by a space, just like with the affirmative future conjugation. To negate, we affix the չ- prefix on the conjugated part (not պիտի, though you might here some speakers affix it there). Unlike other conjugations where we replace the ը or ի with an apostrophe if the verb starts with a vowel sound, պիտի does not undergo a transformation for vocalic harmony (though some speakers will colloquially say չպիտ՚ երթամ instead of պիտի չերթամ). Examine the pairs below:

  • կը սիրեմ → պիտի չսիրեմ
  • կ՚ուտենք → պիտի չուտենք
  • կու գաս → պիտի չգաս

For ըլլալ, ունենալ, գիտնալ, and կարենալ, you just conjugate them as regular verbs using the infinitives (so they all take the -ալ verb endings), like so:

  • պիտի չըլլամ
  • պիտի չգիտնաս
  • պիտի չունենանք