The future tense in Nahuatl takes the suffix /z/ in the singular and /zceh/ in the plural..
Class three verbs end in /ia/ and /oa/. In the future tense, they lose their final vowel and add /z/ or /zceh/. For example:
Ixcacuatitlan Veracruz CC BY COERLL Nahuatl
Tlachīhualiztli tlen Panoz (Verbs in future or indefinite tense)
ni – (verbal base) – z
ti – (verbal base) – z
ø – (verbal base) – z
ti – (verbal base) – zceh
in – (verbal base) – zceh
ø – (verbal base) – zceh
Tlamanēxtilli tlen ahāhuitiliztli tlen tlachīhualiztli (Example of conjugation of verbs)
/tequiti/ “to work”
Nitequitiz “I will work”
Titequitiz “You will work”
Tequitiz “She/he will work”
Titequitizceh “We will work”
Intequitizceh “You (plural) will work”
Tequitizceh “They will work”
/momachtia/ “to study”
/tlacua/ “to eat”
Tlamānēxtilli tlen tlahtolāamitl pan tlachīhualiztli tlen panoz (Examples of sentences in future tense)
Nochocho motlaloz pan caltlamachtihcān.
“My brother will run in the school.”
María huanya ichocho tlachpanāzceh mōztla.
“Maria and her younger sister will sweep tomorrow.”
Juan īchān māltizceh tlayōhua.
“You all will bathe in Juan’s house tonight.”
Nochocho huan na nochipa tinehnemizceh īcā tiotlac.
“My younger brother and I will always walk in the afternoons.”
Mario mihtōtiz huanya īyōltzin pan tlaixpiyalli.
“Mario will dance with his girlfriend at the dance.”
Tequitl tlen momachtianih (Exercise for the students)
Identify the verbs in future tense, and then conjugate them in present tense.
Mōztla īcā yāhuatzinco nimēhuaz, nitlacuāz huan nimopatlaz huanya nochocho. Teipan tiyāzceh caltlamachtihcān. Ne caltlamachtihcān tinehnemizceh huan timotlalozceh. Teipan nochocho huan na timocuapazceh īcā tiotlac huan timāltizceh tochān.
First conjugate the following verbs in the future tense using all subject and number markers.
Māltia
Chōca
Ātli
Now make sentences with these verbs in the future tense.
Māltia
Chōca
Ātli