The Formal Future
Persian has an official future tense. It exists in grammar books (like UT Austin’s Persian reference), news broadcasts, and formal writing. And approximately zero percent of Iranians use it in daily conversation. Welcome to the farsi future tense. where three methods compete and the unofficial ones win.
This post is part of the Persian Grammar series.
The formal future uses the auxiliary verb khâstan (خواستن. to want/will) conjugated in present tense + the past stem of the main verb. The structure: khâh- + ending + past stem. You can practice future forms on Cooljugator to see how each verb conjugates.
khâham raft (خواهم رفت) = I will go
khâhi raft (خواهی رفت) = you will go
khâhad raft (خواهد رفت) = he/she will go
khâhim raft (خواهیم رفت) = we will go
khâhid raft (خواهید رفت) = you (pl) will go
khâhand raft (خواهند رفت) = they will go
Another example with khordan (to eat, past stem: khord):
khâham khord = I will eat
khâhad khord = he/she will eat
khâhim khord = we will eat
The pattern is consistent: conjugate khâstan in present tense (khâh- + am/i/ad/im/id/and), then add the past stem of whatever verb you’re using. Clean, logical, and almost never heard outside of a newsroom.
Full Formal Conjugation
The auxiliary khâstan conjugates with these present-tense forms:
khâham (خواهم) = I will
khâhi (خواهی) = you will
khâhad (خواهد) = he/she will
khâhim (خواهیم) = we will
khâhid (خواهید) = you (pl/formal) will
khâhand (خواهند) = they will
Then you bolt on the past stem of any verb: raft (go), khord (eat), goft (say), nevesht (write), kard (do). “Khâham nevesht” = I will write. “Khâhand goft” = they will say.
If you’re reading Persian newspapers, books, or official documents, you’ll see this form regularly. It’s the standard written future. But the moment you step into a conversation…
Why Nobody Uses the Formal Future
The formal future sounds stiff, literary, and oddly archaic in conversation. Imagine saying “I shall depart on the morrow” in English. grammatically perfect, socially bizarre. That’s how “khâham raft” lands in a Tehran café.
Some contexts where you will encounter it:
News: “Ra’is jomhur fardâ safar khâhad kard” = The president will travel tomorrow
Contracts/legal: “Moshtari mablagh râ pardâkht khâhad kard” = The customer will pay the amount
Literary writing: Poetry and formal prose (see Persian verb tenses on Wikipedia for more examples)
Speeches: Political and ceremonial contexts
In everything else. conversation, texting, casual writing, emails to friends. Iranians use one of the next two methods instead.
Method 2. Present Tense for Future
This is the most common way to express future in spoken Persian: just use the present tense with a time word. Done.
Fardâ miram (فردا میرم) = I’m going tomorrow / I’ll go tomorrow
Shab miâm (شب میام) = I’m coming tonight / I’ll come tonight
Hafte-ye dige zang mizanam (هفته دیگه زنگ میزنم) = I’ll call next week
Sâl-e dige ezdevâj mikonam (سال دیگه ازدواج میکنم) = I’ll get married next year
The present tense form (mi- + present stem + ending) handles future meaning effortlessly when you add a time word: fardâ (tomorrow), shab (tonight), hafte-ye dige (next week), ba’dan (later). English does this too. “I’m leaving tomorrow”. but in Farsi it’s the dominant method, not just an alternative.
This was previewed in the present tense lesson. the mi- form covering future plans is so common that some linguists argue spoken Persian functionally has no future tense at all.
Method 3. Mikhâm + Subjunctive
The third method uses “mikhâm” (I want) + subjunctive verb. expressing intention that doubles as future:
Mikhâm beram (میخوام برم) = I want to go / I’m gonna go
Mikhâm bekhâbam (میخوام بخوابم) = I want to sleep / I’m gonna sleep
Mikhâd bere (میخواد بره) = He/she wants to go / He/she’s gonna go
Mikhâim berim (میخوایم بریم) = We want to go / We’re gonna go
This is the “gonna” of Farsi. Just like English “I’m gonna go” blurs intention and future, “mikhâm beram” covers both “I want to go” and “I will go.” Context tells you whether it’s a desire or a plan.
The subjunctive part (be- + present stem + ending) is technically a different mood. we’ll cover it fully at B1. but for now, just know the pattern: mikhâm + be + stem. “Mikhâm bekhoram” = I’m gonna eat. “Mikhâd bege” = He’s gonna say.
In spoken Farsi, this method carries more certainty and immediacy than Method 2. “Fardâ miram” = I’ll go tomorrow (plan). “Mikhâm beram” = I’m gonna go (intention, more immediate). But the line between them is thin, and Iranians switch freely.
When Each Method Is Used
Formal future (khâham raft): Writing, news, speeches, contracts. Never in casual conversation.
Present tense + time word (fardâ miram): Default for plans, schedules, routine future events. Most common overall.
Mikhâm + subjunctive (mikhâm beram): Intentions, immediate plans, “gonna.” More personal/emotional than present tense.
In practice, a typical conversation mixes methods 2 and 3 freely:
“Fardâ miram bâzâr” (I’m going to the market tomorrow. plan)
“Mikhâm ye chizi bekharam” (I wanna buy something. intention)
“Ba’dish miâm khune” (Then I’m coming home. plan continuation)
Negative Future
Each method negates differently:
Formal: nakhâham raft (نخواهم رفت) = I will not go
Present tense: fardâ nemiram (فردا نمیرم) = I won’t go tomorrow
Mikhâm: nemikham beram (نمیخوام برم) = I don’t wanna go / I won’t go
The negation prefix na-/ne- applies to whichever verb form you’re using. For formal: na- + khâham. For present: ne + mi = nemi-. For mikhâm: nemikhâm.
In spoken Farsi, “nemiram” (I won’t go) and “nemikham beram” (I don’t wanna go) are the two you’ll actually hear and use.
Future Tense. Three Methods: Formal: khâham + past stem (writing only). Spoken default: present tense + time word (fardâ miram). Intention: mikhâm + subjunctive (mikhâm beram).
man khâham raft
من خواهم رفت
I will go
man miram / mikhâm beram
من میرم / میخوام برم
I’ll go / I’m gonna go
The formal future tense (khâham raft) is so rarely used in conversation that hearing it in casual speech would be jarring. like someone announcing “I shall proceed to the marketplace” in English. Some linguists argue that spoken Persian effectively has no true future tense, just present tense repurposed with context. When an Iranian says “fardâ miram” (literally “tomorrow I go”), the time word does all the future-marking. The language trusts speakers to handle ambiguity through context rather than dedicated grammar.
Form the formal future of “to eat” (khordan) for “we.”
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khâhim khord (خواهیم خورد) = we will eat. Khâhim (we will) + khord (past stem of khordan). You’ll see this in formal writing but never hear it in conversation.
Say “I’m going tomorrow” the spoken way.
Show answer
Fardâ miram (فردا میرم). just present tense + time word. No future auxiliary needed. This is how 95% of future statements work in spoken Farsi.
Say “I’m gonna call” using the mikhâm method.
Show answer
Mikhâm zang bezanam (میخوام زنگ بزنم). mikhâm (I want/gonna) + zang bezanam (subjunctive of zang zadan = to call). “Zang zadan” is a compound verb, so the be- prefix goes on the light verb zadan → bezanam.
The future tense connects directly to conditional sentences. where “if X happens, Y will happen” uses present and subjunctive forms more than the formal future.
For the full grammar roadmap, head to the Persian Grammar Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you form the future tense in Farsi?
Why don’t Iranians use the formal future tense?
Can you use the present tense for future in Persian?
What does “mikham beram” mean in Farsi?
How do you negate the future tense in Farsi?
Future tense is best practiced through planning conversations. talking about your week, your goals, your travel plans. In a Preply lesson with me, we do exactly that: plan an imaginary trip to Iran using all three future methods until you stop reaching for “khâham raft” and start defaulting to “fardâ miram” like a native speaker.
