Future Tense

Future Tense

The future tense in Pāli has the same meaning as in English – an action that will be done in the future.

brāhmaṇā karissanti …

Brahmans will do ….

“bhavissati” often expresses the idea of “should be”

parisuddho no kāyasamācāro bhavissati. (MN39)

Our bodily behaviour should be purified.

It can be used to express a mild form of imperative.

na uccāsoṇḍaṃ paggahetvā kulāni upasaṅkamissāmi (AN7.61)

I should not approach families intoxicated with pride.

The future tense can also express a condition, a possibility, or a statement of eternal truth. Keep these other meanings in mind when you are translating.

Future verbs can be easily formed by inserting -issa between the base or root and the present tense verbal ending.

e.g.

√kam 1 a (go)

pa + √kam + issa + ti > pakkamissati (he will go)

√kar 7 o (do, make)

√kar + issa + nti > karissanti (they will do)

√bhū 1 a (be) > bhava

bhava + issa + si > bhavissasi (you will be)

√har 1 a (carry)

vi + √har + issa + tha > viharissatha (you all will live)

√bhās 1 a (speak)

√bhās + issa + āmi > bhāsissāmi (I will speak)

√gam 1 a (go)

√gam + issa + āma > gamissāma (we will go)

Conjugation of -issa fut

	singular	plural
3rd	bhavissati	he will be	bhavissanti	they will be
2nd	bhavissasi	you will be	bhavissatha	you all will be
1st	bhavissāmi	I will be	bhavissāma	we will be

For verbs with bases ending in -e from group 8 and causative verbs etc, just add “ssa” between the base and the verbal ending.

√dhar 8 e (hold, carry) > dhare

dhare + ssa + ti > dhāressati (he will hold)

√dis 8 e (point out) > dese

dese + ssa + āma > desessāma (we will preach)

Conjugation of -essa fut

	singular	plural
3rd	bhāvessati	he will develop	bhāvessanti	they will develop
2nd	bhāvessasi	you will develop	bhāvessatha	you will develop
1st	bhāvessāmi	I will develop	bhāvessāma	we will develop