Near future and simple future: Grammar in context
French has two ways to talk about the future. The near future (le futur proche) is formed with the present tense of aller plus an infinitive and is used, like English 'going to', for plans that feel close or certain (je vais manger).
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Method
- For the near future, conjugate aller in the present tense to match the subject, then add an infinitive: je vais partir, tu vas manger, elle va sortir, nous allons regarder, vous allez finir, ils vont prendre.
- For the simple future of regular verbs, use the whole infinitive as the stem for -er and -ir verbs (parler-, finir-), and drop the final e from -re verbs (vendre becomes vendr-).
- Add the future endings to that stem, which are the present-tense endings of avoir: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont, as in je parlerai, tu parleras, il parlera, nous parlerons, vous parlerez, ils parleront.
- Learn the common irregular future stems by heart: être becomes ser-, avoir becomes aur-, aller becomes ir-, faire becomes fer-, pouvoir becomes pourr-, vouloir becomes voudr-, devoir becomes devr-, venir becomes viendr-, voir becomes verr-, envoyer becomes enverr-, savoir becomes saur-; the endings stay regular even when the stem is irregular.
- Use the near future for plans that already feel decided or close in time (ce soir, ce week-end, demain), and the simple future for more distant, general or formal predictions (l'année prochaine, dans dix ans, un jour), and after quand when the main clause is also in the future (quand j'aurai dix-huit ans, je conduirai).
- Keep the grave accent on stems like acheter- before a silent -e ending: j'achèterai; note that -yer verbs change y to i throughout the future, as in envoyer becoming j'enverrai.
Worked example
Rewrite each sentence in the simple future, then say whether the near future (aller + infinitive) would also have been possible and why: (a) Je finis mes devoirs. (b) Nous avons un examen difficile. (c) Il fait beau demain.
- (a) 'finir' is regular -ir, stem finir-, plus -ai for je: je finirai mes devoirs.
- Near future would also work here (je vais finir mes devoirs) because finishing homework is a near, concrete plan; both are grammatically correct, but the near future feels more immediate and spoken.
- (b) 'avoir' has the irregular stem aur-; add -ons for nous: nous aurons un examen difficile.
- Near future is also possible (nous allons avoir un examen difficile) since it describes a near, scheduled event.
- (c) 'faire' has the irregular stem fer-; the impersonal subject il takes -a: il fera beau demain.
- Because the sentence already contains 'demain', the near future is the more natural everyday choice (il va faire beau demain), though the simple future is equally correct here.
Practice questions
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Q1Give the je form of the simple future of 'être'.Show answer
Answer: je serai.
Q2Conjugate the near future of 'partir' for nous.Show answer
Answer: nous allons partir.
Q3Give the irregular future stem of 'pouvoir'.Show answer
Answer: pourr-.
Q4Complete: Demain, il ______ (pleuvoir).Show answer
Answer: pleuvra (irregular stem pleuvr-).
Q5Translate: 'I am going to visit my grandmother this weekend.'Show answer
Answer: Je vais rendre visite à ma grand-mère ce week-end.
Q6Explain why mixing 'quand je serai grand, je vais être docteur' is inconsistent, and give the corrected version.Show answer
Answer: Both clauses describe the same distant future plan, so both should be in the simple future: Quand je serai grand, je serai docteur.
Q7Give the vous form of the simple future of 'faire'.Show answer
Answer: vous ferez.
Q8Translate: 'They (feminine) will travel to Spain next year.'Show answer
Answer: Elles voyageront en Espagne l'année prochaine.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: L'année prochaine, je passerai mes examens et j'espère que je réussirai. Après le lycée, je voudrais aller à l'université, mais je ne sais pas encore ce que j'étudierai. Mes parents disent que je serai très fier de moi.
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Write approximately 90 words in French about your future plans. You must mention: what job you would like to do and why, where you will live in ten years, one thing you will do to prepare for your future, and your feelings about leaving school.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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