Levantine Arabic Future Tense: How to Use رح (ra7)

One word does the work

English uses 'will' or 'going to' to talk about the future. Jordanian and Palestinian Arabic use a single short word: رح (ra7). It never changes, whoever you are talking about. All the person information sits on the verb that follows it.

This makes the Levantine future far simpler than the past tense, which has its own set of endings. If you can already say what you want to do with بدّي, you are one small step away from saying what you will do.

رح is a shortened form of راح, and you will occasionally hear the full version, especially when someone speaks slowly or wants emphasis. In parts of Palestine you may also hear a shorter حـ (7a-) attached directly to the verb. For speaking and listening practice, رح is the safest form to learn first.

The rule: رح plus the verb without b-

The verb after رح uses the bare present form, the one without the b- prefix. If you have read the article on the present tense without b-, you already know this form: it is the same one you use after بدّي, لازم and ممكن. That means there are no new endings to learn for the future.

So 'I study' is بَدرُس, but 'I will study' is رح أدرُس, not رح بَدرُس. The workbook makes the same point with the verb 'to run': بَركُض becomes رح أركُض.

Pay attention to the first vowel of the bare forms. Most verbs use ti-, yi- and ni- as person markers, but verbs with a long vowel in the stem, like روح and زور, attach the letter directly: رح تروح, رح يزور. Both patterns appear in the tables, and the forms match the workbook's verb lists.

More verbs in the future

Because رح itself never changes, you only need the bare forms of each verb. Here are three everyday verbs side by side, so you can see the pattern hold even with verbs that have long vowels or end in a vowel.

Tip: With verbs that end in a vowel, like حَكى (speak), the forms for 'you' (m.), 'you' (f.) and 'she' all look the same: رح تِحكي. Context and pronouns do the sorting.

Time words that go with the future

Future sentences usually carry a time word, often at the start. The most useful are بكرة (bukra, tomorrow), الليلة (il-leele, tonight), بعدين (ba3deen, later), الأسبوع الجاي (il-usboo3 ij-jaay, next week), الشهر الجاي (ish-shahr ij-jaay, next month) and السنة الجاي (is-sane ij-jaay, next year). You will also hear إن شاء الله (inshaalla, God willing) after plans.

Word order is flexible. You can say بكرة رح أروح or رح أروح بكرة, and both sound natural. Starting with the time word is slightly more common in conversation, because it sets the scene before the action.

• بكرة رح أروح عند ستّي.bukra ra7 aroo7 3ind sittiTomorrow I'll go to my grandma's.
• يا باسل، رح تروح معنا عالسينما؟ya baasil, ra7 troo7 ma3na 3as-seenama?Basel, will you go with us to the cinema?
• السنة الجاي رح يِدرُس برّا.is-sane ij-jaay ra7 yidrus barraNext year he'll study abroad.
• بنتي رح تِدرُس صيدلة إن شاء الله.binti ra7 tidrus Saydale inshaallaMy daughter will study pharmacy, God willing.
• بكرة رح ناكُل مسخّن.bukra ra7 naakul msakhkhanTomorrow we'll eat musakhan.
• رح تحِبّوا الحلو اللي عملته.ra7 t7ibbu il-7elu illi 3miltuYou're all going to love the dessert I made.
• بكرة رح يِدرسوا بالمكتبة.bukra ra7 yidirsu bil-maktabeTomorrow they'll study at the library.

Saying 'won't'

To make a future sentence negative, put ما (maa) before رح: ما رح أروح (I won't go), ما رح ياكُل (he won't eat). Nothing else changes. In quick speech ما رح often sounds almost like one word, marra7.

• ما رح أروح بكرة.maa ra7 aroo7 bukraI won't go tomorrow.
• ما رح ياكُل هلّق.maa ra7 yaakul hal2He won't eat now.
• ما رح نِشتغِل يوم الجمعة.maa ra7 nishtghil yoom ij-jum3aWe won't work on Friday.

You can also use رح for predictions and promises, not just plans. رح تحِبّ هالمطعم means 'you'll love this restaurant', the sort of thing a friend says while taking you there. Adding أكيد (akeed, definitely) makes it more confident: أكيد رح ينام بالطيارة, 'he'll definitely sleep on the plane'.

Don't confuse رح with راح

Beginners sometimes mix up the future marker with the verb راح, 'he went'. They look and sound related, but they do very different jobs. The future marker is followed by another verb: رح يروح (he will go). The verb راح stands on its own as a past-tense action: راح عالدكتور (he went to the doctor). If a verb follows, it is the future.

A quick test while listening: count the verbs. A single past-tense verb on its own means something already happened; رح followed by a second verb means it is still to come.

This is also a good moment to compare with Modern Standard Arabic, which uses سـ (sa-) or سوف (sawfa) for the future: سأدرس. You will see those in news and writing, but in conversation in Amman, Ramallah or Irbid you will hear رح.

Practice

Answer aloud, then check. Remember: رح never changes, and the verb after it has no b-. If you get one wrong, look back at the tables and check the person marker first.