The distant future tense involves talking about distant future. Look at the examples given below to learn further.
यदि पृच्छति तदा गन्तास्मि
yadi pṛcchati tadā gantāsmi
If he asks, then I will go.
यदि पृच्छति तदा गन्ता
yadi pṛcchati tadā gantā
If he asks, then he will go.
The difference between the ordinary future tense and the distant future tense is that distant future tense does not depend on the present while the ordinary future tense depends on the present.
Now let us look at how these words are formed.
Formation:
The distant nouns are formed from tr noun and verb as look at the table given below to learn further. Even though it is based on a noun, this is a real verb form. Look at the table given below to learn further.
bhū (a+, P, distant future tense)
| भू | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Person | भविता bhavitā | भवितारौ bhavitārau | भवितारः bhavitāraḥ |
| 2nd Person | भवितासि bhavitāsi | भवितास्थः bhavitāsthaḥ | भवितास्थ bhavitāstha |
| 1st Person | भवितास्मि bhavitāsmi | भवितास्वः bhavitāsvaḥ | भवितास्मः bhavitāsmaḥ |
Look at the observations given below:
In the first and second person: case singular and masculine –tr is used, this is followed by as which is inflected to show the person and the number of the verb.However, in case of the third person, we use first person endings instead of as, for the tr noun, no extra verb is used. This results in some ambiguity, look at the sentences given below to learn further.
स हन्ता
sa hantā
He is a killer.
स हन्ता
sa hantā
He will kill.
One has to depend on the context to understand whether something is a noun or a verb.
Distant future tense in Atmanaepada.
Distant future tense is truly rare, and usually, its forms are in parasmaipada. However, there are a few forms of Atmanepada which can be seen below.
Look at the table given below:
bhū (a+, A, distant future tense)
| भू | Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Person | भविता bhavitā | भवितारौ bhavitārau | भवितारः bhavitāraḥ |
| 2nd Person | भवितासे bhavitāse | भवितासाथे bhavitāsāthe | भविताध्वे bhavitādhve |
| 1st Person | भविताहे bhavitāhe | भवितास्वहे bhavitāsvahe | भवितास्महे bhavitāsmahe |
