Section 1
Forming the future tense
Ще + present tense — one rule, no exceptions.
The Bulgarian future tense is formed by placing the particle ще before the present tense form of the verb. That is the entire rule. No new endings, no stem changes — just add ще in front of the verb you already know.
| Person | Present (work) | Future (will work) | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| аз | работя | ще работя | shte rabotya |
| ти | работиш | ще работиш | shte rabotish |
| той/тя/то | работи | ще работи | shte raboti |
| ние | работим | ще работим | shte rabotim |
| вие | работите | ще работите | shte rabotite |
| те | работят | ще работят | shte rabotyat |
💡 Ще — three uses in one
Ще expresses: (1) future plans — Ще ида на пазара (I will go to the market); (2) predictions — Ще вали утре (It will rain tomorrow); (3) promises — Ще се обадя (I will call). It is also used for polite offers: Ще ви помогна (I will help you).
Section 2
Negative future — няма да
The negative future is a separate construction.
To negate the future, you do NOT say не ще. Instead, use няма да + present tense verb. This is one of the most important patterns in Bulgarian — it is used constantly and sounds natural immediately.
| Positive future | Negative future | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ще ида. | Няма да ида. | I will go. / I will not go. |
| Ще работи. | Няма да работи. | She will work. / She will not work. |
| Ще дойдем. | Няма да дойдем. | We will come. / We will not come. |
| Ще валя. | Няма да вали. | It will rain. / It will not rain. |
| Ще се обадиш. | Няма да се обадиш. | You will call. / You will not call. |
💡 Why няма да and not не ще?
Historically ще is a contraction of щеш (you will want), so its negative became не щеш → няма да. You will occasionally see не ще in literary Bulgarian, but in everyday speech and in exams, няма да is always the correct form.
Section 3
Future time expressions
The words that signal the future tense.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| утре | utre | tomorrow |
| вдругиден | vdrugiден | the day after tomorrow |
| следващата седмица | sledvashtata sedmitsa | next week |
| следващия месец | sledvashtiya mesets | next month |
| следващата година | sledvashtata godina | next year |
| след малко | sled malko | in a little while / shortly |
| след час | sled chas | in an hour |
| след три дни | sled tri dni | in three days |
| скоро | skoro | soon |
| някой ден | nyakoy den | one day / someday |
| завинаги | zavinagi | forever |
Section 4
Future in questions and conditionals
Asking about and discussing the future.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ще дойдеш ли? | Shte doydesh li? | Will you come? |
| Кога ще се върнеш? | Koga shte se varnesh? | When will you be back? |
| Какво ще правиш утре? | Kakvo shte pravish utre? | What will you do tomorrow? |
| Ще вали ли? | Shte vali li? | Will it rain? |
| Ако дойдеш, ще се радвам. | Ako doydesh, shte se radvam. | If you come, I will be happy. |
| Когато завърша, ще ти кажа. | Kogato zavarsha, shte ti kazha. | When I finish, I will tell you. |
Section 5
Dialogue — making plans
A full conversation using all three tenses.
— Какво правиш тази седмица?
— Работя до петък. В събота ще отида при родителите ми.
— Ще останеш ли цял уикенд?
— Не, няма да остана. Ще се върна в неделя вечерта.
— А следващата седмица?
— Следващата седмица ще имам много работа. Ще представям нов проект.
— Кога ще завършиш проекта?
— Надявам се до края на месеца. После ще си взема отпуск.
— Звучи добре! Ще отидем ли на море заедно?
— Страхотна идея! Ще помисля и ще ти кажа.
— Kakvo pravish tazi sedmitsa?
— Rabotya do petak. V sabota shte otida pri roditelite mi.
— Shte ostanesh li tsyal vikend?
— Ne, nyama da ostana. Shte se varna v nedelya vecherта.
— A sledvashtata sedmitsa?
— Sledvashtata sedmitsa shte imam mnogo rabota. Shte predstavyam nov proekt.
— Koga shte zavаrshish proekta?
— Nadyavam se do kraya na mesетsa. Posle shte si vzema otpusk.
— Zvuchi dobre! Shte otidem li na more zaedno?
— Strakhotna ideya! Shte pomislya i shte ti kazha.
— What are you doing this week?
— I am working until Friday. On Saturday I will go to my parents.
— Will you stay the whole weekend?
— No, I won't stay. I will come back on Sunday evening.
— And next week?
— Next week I will have a lot of work. I will be presenting a new project.
— When will you finish the project?
— I hope by the end of the month. Then I will take some leave.
— Sounds good! Shall we go to the seaside together?
— Great idea! I will think about it and let you know.
Section 6
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 24
- Write 5 positive and 5 negative future sentences using verbs from Days 12 and 23.
- Translate: "Next week I will not work. I will go to Plovdiv and visit the old town."
- Write a short paragraph about your plans for the next month.
- What is the difference between "ще ида" and "отивам"? When would you use each?
Show answers
1. E.g. Ще уча. / Няма да уча. Ще отида. / Няма да отида.
2. Следващата седмица няма да работя. Ще отида в Пловдив и ще посетя стария град.
3. Free answer — use следващия месец, ще + present forms, няма да for negatives.
4. ще ида = definite future plan/intention. отивам = present tense (I am going, I go habitually). Context determines which fits.
Day 24 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
How is the Bulgarian future tense formed?
Question 2 of 8
"She will not come" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 3 of 8
"What will you do tomorrow?" in Bulgarian:
Question 4 of 8
"Will it rain?" in Bulgarian:
Question 5 of 8
"In three days" in Bulgarian:
Question 6 of 8
"The day after tomorrow" in Bulgarian:
Question 7 of 8
"If you come, I will be happy" — ако introduces:
Question 8 of 8
"We will not stay" — correct Bulgarian:
Day 24 Recap
Review before Day 25. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Future formation | ще + present tense. No new endings. Completely regular. | ще работя, ще работиш, ще работи... |
| Negative future | няма да + present tense. Never не ще. | Няма да ида. Няма да работи. |
| Future questions | ще + verb + ли? | Ще дойдеш ли? Ще вали ли? |
| Future time words | утре · вдругиден · следващата седмица · след X дни · скоро | These words trigger ще automatically |
| Conditionals | ако + present → ще + present (if ... will ...) | Ако дойдеш, ще се радвам. |
| Tense summary | Present: работя · Past (aorist): работих · Future: ще работя | Three tenses now complete |