After the Great Internet collapse of 2020, a weary world will turn back to the technology of a simpler age: pneumatic tubes. Large tubes and small tubes will snake across the continents and even unto the depths of the oceans. Information will travel across our world at the speed of compressed air, soaring even to the heavens themselves through a special pneumatic tube China will build to connect earth with its first geosynchronous space colony.

Not exactly what you expected of the Future? In this podcast we review five of the most common ways to put your sentences and thoughts in the future tense. Because you can't change the future unless you know how to express it properly. Or maybe you can, but you should still know this stuff by now.
gaford
 said on
April 27, 2009
I quite like the measured and grammar-centric approach in this lesson. Putting the sample sentences on the text page was also useful. You should do that more often.
toneandcolor
 said on
April 28, 2009
Great lesson showcasing Popup's clear and direct approach to teaching! Hope "grammar only" lessons like this become a regular feature.
Echo
 said on
April 28, 2009
@toneandcolor,

我们也这么觉得 :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
henning
 said on
April 28, 2009
I second that. Very helpful lesson.
Echo
 said on
April 28, 2009
@henning,

:)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
paglino9
 said on
April 28, 2009
中文怎么说 "I don't want to contract swine flu on my trip to Mexico next week."

I don't think I will need to use this sentence... ever, but I just want Echo to practice her translation skills. =)
menglelan
 said on
April 28, 2009
可不可以说“我下礼拜到墨西哥去一趟不愿意得猪流感”？
Echo
 said on
April 28, 2009
@小虎,

谢谢你,希望我的翻译水平能够得到很好的锻炼,不过,你不是真去墨西哥吧?

@乐岚，

“我下周去墨西哥，希望不会染上猪流感。” ； “我可不想在下周去墨西哥的时候染上猪流感。”

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
orbital
 said on
April 29, 2009
Agreed. Quite useful.
minghan
 said on
January 20, 2013
In the last part of the podcast Echo says "我会在这儿等你们“ but no 的 at the end. HELP. It is ok to omit the 的 or it isn't? Or it's only ok to omit the 的 when the 会 in the sentence cannot be confused with ability, like the 会 in "会弹钢琴"
Echo
 said on
January 21, 2013
@minghan,

Yes, we can only omit the 的 when the 会 is not going to be confused with ability. Very good point by the way!

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
minghan
 said on
January 21, 2013
Thanks Echo!! Can the same be said for the 要。。。了 structure? If I'm on my way to class and I see a friend can I say "我要上课" (I'm going to class). Oh and can you combine the time structure with the 要 structure, like "我明天要离开中国了"

Sorry, one more question! In my 3 years of learning Chinese I was never taught about the future tense! I just tried to pick it up from talking to Chinese friends, but I'm realizing now I don't know if I'm doing it accurately. How can you express something in the future that you're about to do like "I'm about to leave" or "I can't talk now, I'm about to get into the shower, I'll call you after"
Echo
 said on
January 21, 2013
@minghan,

This is a very good point. I recommend this lesson to you: http://www.popupchinese.com/lessons/absolute-beginners/whats-wrong-lassie#comment-11616 Although it's an absolute beginner lesson, it explains the question you as well as many people have.

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
minghan
 said on
January 22, 2013
Hahah wow just recorded that one yesterday. :) So what I want to say in my third questions is maybe something like ”我还是在家里，马上要走了" and "我马上要洗澡了，以后给你打电话“, is this correct? Oh, what about combining the time structure with 要...了？
Echo
 said on
January 23, 2013
@minghan,

“我还在家里，马上要走了”, otherwise all correct.

What do you mean by "time structure"?

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
minghan
 said on
January 24, 2013
I'm sorry, I mean the first way you talk about expressing the future. 把未来的时间词放在句子里 combined with 要。。。了. For example, "我明天要离开中国了"
Echo
 said on
January 27, 2013
@minghan,

Yes, you can. That's totally fine :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
minghan
 said on
January 30, 2013
Thanks Echo! You're awesome :)
gologusonn
 said on
March 29, 2013
Hi! Thanks for the useful overview :)

On this topic, could anyone tell me how 将 is used to express the future? I've seen it written quite a lot but I'm not sure I've ever heard it spoken - is it just a formal equivalent of 会? Or would you use it in speech sometimes?
Echo
 said on
April 1, 2013
@gologusonn,

将 is very formal and you'll almost never hear it in speech unless someone is quoting ancient Chinese poems or making a very formal speech. The way to use 将 is different from 会. It's usually used together with another word, like 将要, as in 一个新的时代将要来了 (A new era is coming); 即将 as in 暴风雨即将来临 (A rainstorm will come); 终将 as in 胜利终将属于我们 (The victory will eventually belong to us).

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
gologusonn
 said on
April 2, 2013
Thanks Echo, that's really useful :)