Future Tense - Roots √hū, √bhū and √as
Of these three roots corresponding to the English verb ‘to be’, only √hū and √bhū have conjugated forms in the Future Tense. We do not find conjugated forms of √as in the Future Tense.
Conjugation of √bhū (bhava)
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Third Person | bhavissati | bhavissanti |
| Second Person | bhavissasi | bhavissatha |
| First Person | bhavissāmi | bhavissāma |
As the verbal base of √bhū is bhava, which is an a-ending verbal base, it conjugates like other a-ending verbal bases in the future tense.
Conjugation of √hū
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Third Person | hessati | hessanti |
| Second Person | hessasi | hessatha |
| First Person | hessāmi | hessāma |
All the future tense conjugated forms of √bhū and √hū are translated as ‘will be’.
Let us translate a few Pali sentences into English containing these conjugated verb forms.
1. Ācariyassa putto amacco bhavissati.
Translation : The teacher’s son will become a minister.
2. Rājiniyo upāsikāyo bhavissanti.
Translation : The queens will be / will become lay devotees.
3. Uyyānamhi rukkhesu pupphāni ca phalāni ca hessanti.
Translation : There will be flowers and fruits on the trees in the park.
4. Tvaṃ paṇḍito sappuriso bhavissasi.
Translation : You will be / become a wise (and) virtuous man.
5. Sugatassa sāvakā hessāma.
Translation : We will be the disciples of the Buddha (suagata = buddha / well-gone / well-fared)