Future Tense (-ko / -go)

The future tense in Basque is very regular: you add a particle to the verb’s base form and keep the auxiliary verb conjugated in the present. With this lesson, you’ll be able to form almost any “I will do, I will go, I will see…”.

The rule in one line

Base verb + -ko or -go + auxiliary (present)

Verb	Base form	Future	Example
joan (to go)	joan	joango	Bilbora joango naiz (I will go to Bilbao)
etorri (to come)	etorri	etorriko	Bihar etorriko da (He/she will come tomorrow)
ikusi (to see)	ikusi	ikusiko	Filma ikusiko dut (I will see the film)
jan (to eat)	jan	jango	Pizza jango dugu (We will eat pizza)
eskatu (to order)	eskatu	eskatuko	Kafea eskatuko dut (I will order coffee)

The -ko vs -go rule

It’s a purely phonetic choice:

• -go after n (for verbs ending in -n: joan, jan, izan, egon, eraman).
• -ko after anything else.

Examples:

• joan → joango (n + go)
• jan → jango (n + go)
• izan → izango (n + go)
• ikusi → ikusiko (i + ko)
• erosi → erosiko (i + ko)
• eskatu → eskatuko (u + ko)

If you make a mistake and say joan-ko, everyone will understand. But the correct and natural form is joango.

The auxiliary stays in the present

Even though the sentence refers to the future, the auxiliary verb does not change:

Person	Auxiliary (NOR)	Example
ni	naiz	Bilbora joango naiz
zu	zara	Bilbora joango zara
hura	da	Bilbora joango da
gu	gara	Bilbora joango gara
zuek	zarete	Bilbora joango zarete
haiek	dira	Bilbora joango dira

The same goes for the transitive auxiliary (ukan) when there is an object:

Person	Auxiliary (NOR-NORK)	Example
nik	dut	Filma ikusiko dut
zuk	duzu	Filma ikusiko duzu
hark	du	Filma ikusiko du
guk	dugu	Filma ikusiko dugu
zuek	duzue	Filma ikusiko duzue
haiek	dute	Filma ikusiko dute

Examples in context

• Bihar mendira joango naiz. — Tomorrow I will go to the mountain.
• Datorren astean klasera etorriko zara? — Will you come to class next week?
• Asteburuan film bat ikusiko dugu. — This weekend we will watch a film.
• Etzi familia etorriko da. — The day after tomorrow the family will come.
• Larunbatean lan egingo dut. — On Saturday I will work.

Negation

To negate, add ez before the auxiliary verb, which then moves before the main verb:

• Bihar ez naiz Bilbora joango. — Tomorrow I will not go to Bilbao.
• Filma ez dut ikusiko. — I will not watch the film.

And for questions:

• Etorriko al zara? — Will you come?
• Joango al gara mendira? — Shall we go to the mountain?

Cultural note: In Basque, the future tense with -ko/-go is often used in situations where Spanish would use the simple present (e.g., ordering at a bar). For an English speaker, this usage feels quite natural: Zer hartuko duzu? translates to “What will you have?” or “What are you having?”. It’s one of the most characteristic features of the language; the sooner your ear gets used to it, the better.