The Future Tense in Kikuyu

🎯 Lesson Goal

By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to use simple, natural Kikuyu to:

• Talk about future plans.
• Say what they will do.
• Ask someone what they will do.
• Talk about tomorrow and later.
• Say where they will go.
• Say who they will meet or go with.

🎯 Lesson Introduction

So far you have learned how to talk about yourself, your family, food and your work. Those lessons were about what is true now and what people do every day. In this lesson you will learn how to talk about things that have not happened yet. Planning ahead is part of everyday conversation: people ask each other what they will do tomorrow, where they will go and who they will meet. In Kikuyu, the future is shown by a small marker inside the verb. There are two markers: one for things that will happen tomorrow and after, and one for things that will happen today. Once you learn them, you can build many sentences by changing only the verb. You will use them in simple situations such as:

• Tomorrow – saying what you will do the next day.
• Later today – talking about the coming hours.
• Next week – making plans a little further ahead.
• Going somewhere – saying where you will go.
• Meeting someone – saying who you will see.
• Studying and working – talking about your daily plans.

Pronunciation tip: Copy the small marks on ĩ and ũ carefully. When a verb begins with o, the vowel is long and written double, as in Nĩngoona (I will meet). Say the double vowel a little longer.

📚 Future-time Vocabulary

Learn these useful time expressions. Practise saying each one aloud.

Note: thuthaini is used for both “later” and “afterwards”.

📖 Common Future Actions

These are common verbs. In the dictionary form each begins with kũ- or gũ-, which means “to”.

🧩 The Future Tense Structure

Kikuyu does not use a separate word for “will”. Instead, a small future marker sits inside the verb, between the subject marker and the verb stem. Kikuyu has two future markers, depending on when the action will happen.

nĩ + subject marker + future marker + verb stem

nĩ + ũ + ga + thiĩ → Nĩũgathiĩ = You will go.

How the future works

• The future is marked by -ga- (tomorrow and after) or -gũ- (today). After n they are written nga and ngũ.
• The marker is attached, not separate. The whole verb is written as one word.
• The subject changes the beginning of the word: ng- (I), ũ- (you), a- (he/she), tũ- (we), mũ- (you all), ma- (they).
• The verb stem stays the same for all subjects. Only the front of the word changes.
• Nĩ usually starts the sentence and confirms what is said.
• Most examples in this lesson use -ga-, because it covers plans for tomorrow and later.

📖 Different Subjects

Here is the verb gũthiĩ (to go) in the future tense with each subject, using -ga- (tomorrow and after).

Note: Kikuyu uses the same form for “he” and “she”.

🗣️ Example Sentences

🗣️ Asking About Future Plans

Use the question words you learned in Lesson 3 at the end of the sentence, after the future verb.

Question words

• atĩa = what
• kũũ = where
• rĩ = when
• ũũ = who
• For a yes/no question, use the same sentence with no question word. Answer Ĩĩ (yes) or Aca (no).

💬 Example Conversation

Two friends talk about tomorrow.

🧩 Pattern Recognition

Kikuyu pattern: Nĩ + [subject] + ga + [verb]

Meaning: [Someone] will [do something] (tomorrow and after).

Example 1: Nĩngathiĩ. → I will go.

Example 2: Nĩũkaruta wĩra. → You will work.

Example 3: Nĩmagathoma. → They will study.

✍️ Short Speaking Practice