Talking about the future without a future tense

Finnish has no future tense. For plans, you use the present tense together with a word that shows the time. Nobody needs to be told the time is future, because the context and the time word make it clear.

The short version: present tense + time word = future. For a firm intention, use aion with the infinitive.

The present tense with a time word

• Menen huomenna töihin. (I am going to work tomorrow.)
• Tulemme ensi viikolla. (We are coming next week.)
• Lentokone lähtee kello kolme. (The plane leaves at three o'clock.)

Useful time words: huomenna (tomorrow), ensi viikolla (next week), ensi vuonna (next year), myöhemmin (later).

Intentions with aion

For a plan you have decided on, aion (I intend) followed by the infinitive gives the same meaning as "I am going to". The infinitive here is the -a form.

• Aion opiskella huomenna. (I intend to study tomorrow.)
• Aiotko tulla mukaan? (Are you planning to come along?)

The verb aion changes like this: aion, aiot, aikoo, aiomme, aiotte, aikovat.

Common mistakes

• Adding a future marker. There is no Finnish equivalent of will. The standard form is Menen. You will hear Tulen menemään. in speech, when a speaker wants to make a future meaning unmistakable. It is borrowed from Swedish (jag kommer att gå), so it is colloquial and best avoided in writing and exams.
• Using the wrong verb form after aion. After aion the verb is the infinitive, not a conjugated form. Wrong: Aion opiskelen. Right: Aion opiskella.
• Thinking the present is always now. Check the time word. Menen means "I go" (habit) without one, and "I am going to go" with huomenna.