Many languages talk about the future in ways that are strikingly different from English. And whether we notice it or not, those differences may shape or reflect how we think, how we behave, and even the choices we make every day. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

In English, there’s a hard future tense that marks what lies ahead, clearly separating it from the present: we say “It will rain tomorrow.” Many other languages lack such a clear-cut distinction, or at least have a much hazier distinction between now and what comes next.

In many other European languages, there is an optional element when referring to a future-time reference. For example, in German, you could use a future tense by saying “Es wird morgen regnen” (

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