Progetti e futuro
Chapter Overview and Objectives
Marco's package finally arrived, his professor accepted the late assignment, and Chiara is still talking about that film — but life keeps moving forward. This chapter turns from the day-to-day toward what comes next: the trip Marco is planning, the course Chiara wants to start, and the small predictions people make about how things will turn out. You already know how to talk about the present and the past with control. Now you will learn the future simple tense, the main way Italian expresses plans, predictions, and arrangements that have not happened yet. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Form the future simple of regular -are, -ere, and -ire verbs.
- Use the future simple of high-frequency irregular verbs, including essere, avere, andare, potere, dovere, volere, and fare.
- Talk about future plans, goals, and projects using appropriate time expressions.
- Make predictions and express expectations about people, events, and outcomes.
- Distinguish future-tense planning from the present-tense near future you already use.
- Understand a short spoken account of upcoming plans and predictions.
- Write and discuss a personal, study, travel, or work project using the future simple.
Communication Scenario
A few weeks after their conversation about the film, Marco and Chiara meet again to talk about their plans for the coming months. Marco is organizing a trip to visit his cousin, and Chiara is thinking about signing up for an evening course. Both of them make a few predictions about how things will go — not all of them agree.
- You will read and listen to Marco and Chiara discussing their upcoming plans and predictions.
- You will then describe a project of your own, explaining what you will do, when, and what you expect to happen.
Where This Chapter Fits
Chapter 16 opens Unit IV, Comunicare in autonomia, the final stretch of Volume II before the transition into Volume III.
Coming Into This Chapter
You can narrate the past, describe routines, resolve practical problems, and support an opinion — all in the present or past. You have used the present tense informally to talk about near-future plans, as in domani vado al mercato.
In This Chapter
You will learn the future simple tense as a new, more explicit way to talk about plans, predictions, and arrangements, and you will begin to notice when Italian speakers prefer the future tense over the present.
Looking Forward
Chapter 17, Inviti, accordi e condizioni, introduces the conditional present for polite requests and wishes, along with simple se clauses, as you begin negotiating plans and conditions with others.
Core Vocabulary
These items support talking about future plans, projects, and predictions.
| Italian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| il progetto | the project | masculine |
| l'obiettivo | the goal | masculine |
| la scadenza | the deadline | feminine |
| l'appuntamento | the appointment | masculine |
| il corso serale | the evening course | masculine |
| la previsione | the prediction, forecast | feminine |
| l'aspettativa | the expectation | feminine |
| organizzare | to organize | -are verb |
| iscriversi (a) | to enroll (in) | reflexive; recycled from Volume I reflexive pattern |
| prevedere | to predict, foresee | irregular like vedere |
| tra/fra due settimane | in two weeks | future time expression |
| l'anno prossimo | next year | future time expression |
| il mese prossimo | next month | future time expression |
| un giorno | someday | future time expression |
| appena | as soon as | connector, often followed by future in both clauses |
Receptive only: il piano quinquennale (five-year plan), la roadmap, and other project-management terms belong to later volumes and appear here only for recognition if encountered.
Pronunciation Focus
Future-tense endings are always stressed on the ending itself, not on the verb stem. Listen for the stress falling on the final syllable in io and lui/lei forms: parlerò (par-leh-ROH), partirà (par-tee-RAH). The written accent on these two forms is not optional — it marks exactly where the stress falls.
16.1 Stress across the full future paradigm
Beyond the first and third person singular, stress remains on the ending throughout the future paradigm: parleremo (par-leh-REH-mo), partirete (par-tee-REH-teh). Avoid shifting stress back onto the stem out of habit from the present tense.
16.2 Intonation for predictions
Predictions and expectations often carry a slightly rising-then-falling contour, softer than a flat statement of fact, as in Sarà un bel viaggio, secondo me — the voice rises gently on bel viaggio before settling for the added opinion.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
To form the future simple of regular verbs, drop the final -e of the infinitive and add the future endings. Note that -are verbs change their stem vowel to -e-, making them identical in pattern to -ere verbs.
| Subject | parlare → parler- | scrivere → scriver- | partire → partir- |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | parlerò | scriverò | partirò |
| tu | parlerai | scriverai | partirai |
| lui/lei/Lei | parlerà | scriverà | partirà |
| noi | parleremo | scriveremo | partiremo |
| voi | parlerete | scriverete | partirete |
| loro | parleranno | scriveranno | partiranno |
Verbs ending in -care and -gare insert an h throughout the future to keep the hard sound: cercherò, pagherai. Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i: comincerò, mangeremo.
A small set of very common verbs have irregular future stems, though they keep the same regular endings. Learn these stems as a group rather than one at a time.
| Infinitive | Future stem | io form |
|---|---|---|
| essere | sar- | sarò |
| avere | avr- | avrò |
| andare | andr- | andrò |
| potere | potr- | potrò |
| dovere | dovr- | dovrò |
| volere | vorr- | vorrò |
| venire | verr- | verrò |
| fare | far- | farò |
| sapere | sapr- | saprò |
You already know how to use the present tense for arrangements that feel close and settled, as in domani vado dal medico. The future simple is used for plans that feel less immediate, less certain, or more general, and it is the natural choice for predictions: un giorno andrò in Sicilia, sarà un viaggio interessante. Both forms remain correct for near-future plans; the future simply adds a layer of distance, formality, or uncertainty that the present does not always carry.
Unlike English, Italian often uses the future tense in both clauses when one future event depends on another: Appena arriverò, ti scriverò (As soon as I arrive, I'll write to you) — not the present tense as in the English "as soon as I arrive." This pattern will be developed further in Volume III; for now, treat it as a recognizable formula tied to appena, quando, and similar time connectors used with two future-tense verbs.
This chapter reviews modal verbs and the present tense of motion verbs from earlier chapters within the new future-tense context; it does not introduce the conditional or hypothetical se clauses, which begin in Chapter 17.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Marco and Chiara meet for coffee again, a few weeks after Chapter 15, and talk about their plans for the coming months.
Domande di comprensione — Comprehension questions:
- When will Marco leave for his trip, and how long will he stay?
- What will Marco do as soon as he gets back?
- What course will Chiara enroll in, and when will it start and finish?
- What does Chiara think she will need to buy?
Guided Practice
Esercizio 1 — Complete with the correct regular future form:
- Domani io ______ (parlare) con il professore.
- Noi ______ (partire) alle otto di mattina.
- Loro ______ (scrivere) una lettera ai nonni.
- Tu ______ (cominciare) il nuovo lavoro lunedì.
Esercizio 2 — Complete with the correct irregular future form:
- Lei ______ (essere) in ritardo, secondo me.
- Noi ______ (avere) bisogno di più tempo.
- Voi ______ (andare) a Bologna in treno?
- Io non ______ (potere) venire venerdì.
- Marco ______ (dovere) comprare un biglietto.
Esercizio 3 — Choose future or present for the near future, and explain your choice in one sentence:
- Domani sera ______ (io / cenare) con un'amica. (settled, immediate plan)
- Un giorno ______ (io / visitare) il Giappone. (distant, uncertain plan)
Esercizio 4 — Complete the appena pattern with two future-tense verbs:
- Appena ______ (io / arrivare), ti ______ (io / telefonare).
Listening Practice
Ask an instructor, study partner, or fluent Italian speaker to read the passage below aloud, at a natural pace, twice.
If no speakers are available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Read it aloud yourself, slowly at first, then at a more natural pace. Any spoken model should be verified by a fluent Italian speaker before being treated as a pronunciation standard.
I progetti dell'estate — Summer projects:
Marco partirà a luglio per andare a trovare suo cugino a Bologna e ci rimarrà per due settimane. Appena tornerà, scriverà a Chiara con tutte le foto del viaggio. Chiara, invece, si iscriverà a un corso serale di fotografia che comincerà a settembre e finirà a dicembre. Dovrà comprare una macchina fotografica migliore prima dell'inizio del corso. Entrambi pensano che sarà un'estate impegnata ma interessante.
Compito di ascolto — Listening task:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When will Marco leave, and for how long will he stay? | ______ |
| What will Marco do as soon as he returns? | ______ |
| When will Chiara's course start and finish? | ______ |
| What does Chiara need to buy before the course begins? | ______ |
Speaking Practice
Pratica controllata — Controlled practice: verb chain
With a partner, take turns building a chain of future-tense sentences about a single day: one person says what they will do first, the next person continues with what will happen after that, using a new verb each time.
Compito comunicativo — Communicative task: my project
In pairs or as a solo recording, describe a personal, study, travel, or work project. Explain what you will do, when you will do it, and what you expect the result will be, using at least three different future-tense verbs, including one irregular verb.
Pratica da solo — Solo alternative
Record yourself making three predictions about the coming year — for yourself, for a friend, and for something more general, such as the weather or a local event.
Reading Practice
Read the announcement below aloud, sounding out each Italian word slowly.
Domande di comprensione — Comprehension questions:
- When will the course start and finish?
- From which lesson onward will students need their own camera?
- What happens if a student enrolls by August 20?
Writing Workshop
Write a paragraph describing a project of your own — personal, academic, travel, or professional — similar to Marco's trip or Chiara's course.
Compito di scrittura — Writing task: Write eight to ten sentences. Include: at least four future-tense verbs, at least one irregular future verb, one future time expression, and one prediction or expectation about how the project will turn out.
- Introduce the project. State what you will do and roughly when.
- Add the steps. Explain two or three things that will happen along the way, using a future time expression for at least one of them.
- Add an appena sentence. Connect one future event to another using appena with two future-tense verbs.
- Make a prediction. Say what you expect the outcome will be.
Lista di controllo — Editing checklist:
- Regular future verbs are formed correctly, with attention to -care/-gare and -ciare/-giare spelling changes where relevant.
- At least one irregular future stem is used correctly.
- The accent appears correctly on io and lui/lei forms.
- The appena sentence uses the future tense in both clauses.
- A future time expression is used naturally.
Culture and Communication
Evening and weekend courses in subjects such as photography, languages, cooking, and crafts are common in many Italian cities and towns, often organized through community centers, cultural associations, or private schools. Availability, cost, and popularity vary by region and by the size of the town, so this scenario should not be read as describing every community identically.
Visiting family in another city or region during the summer, as Marco does, is a common pattern across Italian-speaking contexts, though the length of typical summer breaks, travel habits, and family visiting customs differ by profession, region, and personal circumstance.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing parlero or partira without the accent.
Correction: parlerò and partirà. The accent is required spelling, not a stylistic choice, and it marks where the stress falls.
Error: Writing Appena arrivo, ti scriverò by analogy with the English "as soon as I arrive."
Correction: Appena arriverò, ti scriverò. Italian typically uses the future tense in both clauses when both events are still in the future.
Error: Writing andarò or potrò incorrectly formed from the infinitive without adjusting the stem.
Correction: andrò (not andarò) and potrò keep the shortened irregular stem throughout the paradigm: andrai, andrà, andremo, andrete, andranno.
Chapter Summary
This chapter introduced the future simple tense for regular and high-frequency irregular verbs, future time expressions, the appena + future pattern, and the distinction between future-tense planning and present-tense near-future arrangements, following Marco and Chiara as they discussed a summer trip and an evening photography course.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Comprensione (Comprehension)
1. Return to the model dialogue and answer in English:
- What will Marco do as soon as he returns from Bologna?
- What will Chiara need to buy, and why?
Parte B — Grammatica (Grammar)
1. Complete with the regular future: Noi ______ (scrivere) una cartolina.
2. Complete with the irregular future: Loro ______ (venire) alla festa.
3. Complete the appena pattern: Appena ______ (io / finire), ti ______ (io / chiamare).
Parte C — Lettura (Reading)
1. Return to the course announcement and answer:
- On which two days will classes be held?
- What discount is available, and under what condition?
Parte D — Scrittura (Writing)
1. Write a project paragraph following the writing workshop steps above.
Parte E — Parlato (Speaking)
1. With a partner or recorded solo, describe your own future project, including at least one irregular future verb and one prediction.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 16 Performance Task — Progetti e futuro
Il mio progetto — My Project
Complete the following four connected tasks in order.
- Listen to the summer-plans passage and complete the listening table.
- Read the course announcement and answer the comprehension questions.
- Write a project paragraph using regular and irregular future forms, a future time expression, and a prediction.
- Speak by presenting your project to a partner or recording yourself, including at least one irregular future verb.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Regular future forms | The learner forms regular future verbs accurately across persons. |
| Irregular future forms | The learner uses at least one high-frequency irregular future stem correctly. |
| Future time expressions | The learner places plans in time using an appropriate future expression. |
| Predictions | The learner expresses at least one clear prediction or expectation. |
| Present vs. future choice | The learner distinguishes settled near-future plans from more distant or uncertain ones. |
This task introduces the future simple tense and future time expressions as authorized for Chapter 16. It does not require the conditional, hypothetical se clauses, or subjunctive forms, which remain outside this chapter's scope.
Answer Key
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Marco will leave in July and will stay in Bologna for two weeks.
- As soon as he returns, Marco will write to Chiara with all the photos.
- Chiara will enroll in an evening photography course that will start in September and finish in December.
- Chiara thinks she will need to buy a better camera.
Guided Practice
Esercizio 1: (1) parlerò (2) partiremo (3) scriveranno (4) comincerai
Esercizio 2: (1) sarà (2) avremo (3) andrete (4) potrò (5) dovrà
Esercizio 3: (1) ceno (present, settled/immediate) (2) visiterò (future, distant/uncertain)
Esercizio 4: arriverò ... telefonerò
Listening
- Marco will leave in July and stay for two weeks.
- He will write to Chiara with all the photos as soon as he returns.
- The course will start in September and finish in December.
- Chiara needs to buy a better camera.
Reading — Comprehension
- The course will start on September 9 and finish on December 15.
- From the second lesson onward.
- A discount on the course price, if the student enrolls by August 20.
Chapter Review — Parte B
- scriveremo
- verranno
- finirò ... chiamerò
Looking Ahead
Cosa sai fare ora — What you can do now
You can now talk about future plans, projects, and predictions using the future simple tense, form both regular and high-frequency irregular futures, and choose naturally between the present and future for near-future events. This opens Unit IV, Comunicare in autonomia, and moves you toward fully independent B1 communication.