When you start learning French, you quickly realize that talking about the future is essential. You want to say what you will do tomorrow, next week, or next year. In French, there are specific ways to express the future, and understanding them will help you communicate much more naturally.
What Is the Future in French?
The futur en français refers to the grammatical tenses and structures used to talk about actions or events that have not happened yet. Just like in English, French has more than one way to express the future. The two main ways are the futur proche (near future) and the futur simple (simple future). Each one is used in slightly different situations.
Here are two simple examples to get started:
- Je vais manger une pizza ce soir. → I am going to eat a pizza tonight.
- Je mangerai une pizza demain. → I will eat a pizza tomorrow.
Les éléments du futur en français
Let’s look at the main components of the future in French. Understanding each one will give you a solid foundation.
1. Le futur proche (The Near Future)
The futur proche is the easiest and most common way to talk about the future in everyday French. It is formed with the present tense of the verb aller + an infinitive verb.
Formula: Subject + aller (conjugated) + infinitive
| Subject | Aller (present) | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je | vais | Je vais travailler. | I am going to work. |
| Tu | vas | Tu vas partir. | You are going to leave. |
| Il / Elle | va | Elle va cuisiner. | She is going to cook. |
| Nous | allons | Nous allons voyager. | We are going to travel. |
| Vous | allez | Vous allez étudier. | You are going to study. |
| Ils / Elles | vont | Ils vont jouer. | They are going to play. |
This tense is used for plans, intentions, or things happening very soon.
2. Le futur simple (The Simple Future)
The futur simple is used for more distant or uncertain future events. It is also used in formal writing and speech. To form it, you take the infinitive of the verb and add specific endings.
Endings for regular verbs:
- -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont
Example with the verb parler (to speak):
- Je parlerai → I will speak
- Tu parleras → You will speak
- Il parlera → He will speak
- Nous parlerons → We will speak
- Vous parlerez → You will speak
- Ils parleront → They will speak
Some common verbs have irregular stems in the futur simple:
| Verb | Irregular stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| être (to be) | ser- | Je serai → I will be |
| avoir (to have) | aur- | Tu auras → You will have |
| faire (to do/make) | fer- | Il fera → He will do |
| aller (to go) | ir- | Nous irons → We will go |
3. When to Use Which Tense?
A simple rule to remember:
- Use futur proche for things happening soon or that are already planned.
- Use futur simple for more general or distant future events.
Why Understanding the Future in French Matters
Talking about the future is one of the most important skills in any language. Without it, you cannot make plans, share your dreams, or discuss upcoming events. In French, knowing the difference between the two main future tenses helps you sound more natural and precise. Native speakers use both tenses regularly, so recognizing them will also help you understand movies, podcasts, and conversations much better.
Comparaison avec d’autres langues
It is helpful to compare French to other languages you may already know.
| Language | Near future structure | Simple future structure |
|---|---|---|
| French | aller + infinitive (Je vais partir) | Infinitive + endings (Je partirai) |
| Spanish | ir + a + infinitive (Voy a salir) | Infinitive + endings (Saldré) |
| English | going to + verb (I am going to leave) | will + verb (I will leave) |
You can see that French and Spanish work in a very similar way. If you already speak Spanish, the French future will feel quite familiar!
Exemple complet
Let’s look at a short example to see both tenses in action in a real context:
Ce soir, je vais regarder un film avec mes amis. Demain matin, je travaillerai de bonne heure. Le week-end prochain, nous irons à la mer.
- Je vais regarder → near future, a plan for tonight
- Je travaillerai → simple future, a general statement about tomorrow
- Nous irons → simple future (irregular), an event next weekend
Points à retenir
- French has two main ways to talk about the future: futur proche and futur simple.
- The futur proche uses aller + infinitive and is great for everyday conversation.
- The futur simple uses the infinitive + special endings and is used for more distant or formal contexts.
- Some verbs have irregular stems in the futur simple — learn the most common ones first.
- Both tenses are widely used in spoken and written French.
Sources
- Bescherelle, La Conjugaison pour tous, Hatier, 2019.
- Grégoire, M. & Thiévenaz, O., Grammaire Progressive du Français, CLE International, 2012.
- Council of Europe, Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), 2020. Available at: coe.int