Lesson 17 Overview: The General Future

Formation
The general future is one of the easiest conjugations to form:

• (1st cl.) strengthened root + (इ) स्य + pres. endings, e.g.,
  नी → ने + स्य + ति = नेष्यति, “will lead”
  कुप् → कोप् + इष्य + ति = कोपिष्यति, “will get angry”
• 10th cl. stem minus -अ + इष्य + pres. endings, e.g.,
  धृ धारय → धारय् + इष्य + ति, धारयिष्यति, “will hold”
  क्षल् क्षालय → क्षालय् + इष्य + ति, क्षालयिष्यति, “will wash”

Other regular examples include:

• क्षिप् क्षेप्स्यति, “will throw,” जि जेष्यति, “will conquer,” भू भविष्यति, “will be”
• चिन्त् चिन्तयिष्यति, “will think,” अर्थ् अर्थयिष्यते, “will request,” etc.

Usage
Sanskrit grammarians call this the general future tense: सामान्यभविष्यत्काले लृट्, i.e., the conjugation with the स्य- suffix and the pres. endings “in the sense of an indefinite or general (सामान्य) future (भविष्यत्) time (काल).”  This is to distinguish it from the periphrastic future (अनद्यतनभविष्यत्काले लुट्), which is classified as the non-immediate future of a definite time (see Lesson 35). The general future is prescribed for: 

• the near future (will do x [today, etc.])
• the continuous future (will be doing x [my whole life, regularly, etc.])
• the indefinite future (will do x [at some point])

By contrast, the second (periphrastic) future mentioned above is often used with an adverb of time to specify its non-immediate futurity (will do x [tomorrow, etc.]). As Deshpande notes, this distinction between the domains of the two futures is not always (some would say: is usually not) observed in practice.

Historical note: Neither future is attested in Proto-Indo-European, where the future is expressed instead by the subjunctive. Because the general future is based on an -s suffix (स्य) and was also prescribed in conditions of hope, it is possible that it derived from the older desiderative (which is based on a -स suffix). (See Lesson 40).