Español — Future of probability
In Spanish the simple future is not only about tomorrow. It also expresses a guess about what is happening right now: ¿Qué hora será? means 'I wonder what time it is', and Serán las tres means 'It's probably three o'clock'.
How it works
Use the simple future of the verb to guess about a present fact: Serán las tres = 'It must be about three'. For an action in progress, use the future of estar + gerund: Estará durmiendo = 'He's probably sleeping'. The tense is future in form but present in meaning.
Examples
| Spanish | Present-time meaning |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué hora será? | I wonder what time it is (now). |
| Serán las tres. | It's probably three o'clock. |
| Estará durmiendo. | He's probably sleeping (right now). |
| Tendrá unos treinta años. | He must be about thirty. |
| Estarán en casa. | They're probably at home. |
| ¿Quién será a estas horas? | Who can it be at this hour? |
Good to know
Don't confuse this with a real prediction. Serán las tres is a guess about now, while Mañana serán las tres cuando llegues is a genuine future. To conjecture about a past moment, Spanish switches to the conditional: Serían las tres cuando llamó = 'It was probably three when he called'.