Future with sa- and sawfa

To talk about the future, put a future marker in front of the present-tense verb:

• سـ (sa-) is joined to the verb: سأذهب (I will go), ستسافر (she will travel).
• سوف (sawfa) is a separate word: سوف أذهب, سوف تسافر. It sounds a little more formal.

Both mean will and you can use either one. The verb keeps all its present-tense prefixes and endings: سيكتبون (they will write), ستعملين (you, f., will work), ستسكنان (you two will live). Time words such as غدا (tomorrow), الأسبوع القادم (next week) and بعد ساعة (in an hour) show that the action is in the future. To say will not, use لن instead of سـ or سوف: لن أذهب (I will not go).