We talk about the future all the time, from what we are going to do tomorrow to things that are going to happen soon. In French, we can express these ideas with the futur proche (near future). An entirely regular conjugation pattern makes it the easiest French verb conjugation to learn and the most common way to express the future. We’ll show you how to put any French verb into the futur proche in two simple steps.
Some aspects of the French language are relatively easy to learn and remember. For those that aren’t, Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method helps you master the language through natural connections between words and images instead of relying on rote memorization. Get started with this simple French grammar lesson.
What is the near future (futur proche) in French?
The futur proche is a French verb tense used to show events that are going to happen. It combines the verb aller (to go) with any verb you want to express in the future.
- Tu vas demander à la boulangère demain. = You are going to ask the baker tomorrow.
- Nous allons donner à Dion son cadeau lundi. = We’re going to give Dion his present on Monday.
There is also a second future tense in French, the futur simple, which affixes special endings to verbs to indicate the future instead of using the helping verb aller.
When should you use the futur proche in French?
If there are two French future tenses, how do you know when to choose each one? The futur proche is considered the less formal future tense and is more likely to be used in spoken language than in writing. It is also associated with events happening in the very near future and with events that are certain to occur.
- Le bureau va être tout droit. = The office is going to be straight ahead.
- Je vais aller au supermarché vendredi. = I am going to go to the supermarket Friday.
In contrast, the futur simple is more commonly used for events that are further in the future or where there is some doubt if the action will happen.
- Je défendrai ma famille ! = I will defend my family!
How to conjugate the near future tense in French (regular verbs)
If you know how to conjugate the verb aller in the présent (present tense), you have the tools needed to make the futur proche. The conjugation pattern for every verb is:
aller conjugated to match the sentence subject + the infinitive form of the verb
As a reminder, here is the conjugation of aller in the présent:
aller – to go
| je vais | I go | nous allons | We go |
| tu vas | You go (singular, informal) | vous allez | You go(plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va | He/she/it goes | ils/elles vont | They go |
But not all French grammar is so simple. Rosetta Stone’s intuitive and proven method helps you master the language naturally using authentic, realistic stories and conversations instead of trying to memorize each grammar rule. Our TruAccent speech recognition engine ensures you’re as confident speaking as you are reading and writing in French.
Futur proche for -IR verbs
All -IR verbs follow the standard aller + infinitive pattern whether the -IR verb is regular or irregular in other tenses.
finir – to finish
| je vais finir | I am going to finish | nous allons finir | We are going to finish |
| tu vas finir | You are going to finish (singular, informal) | vous allez finir | You are going to finish (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va finir | He/she/it is going to finish | ils/elles vont finir | They are going to finish |
Here are some sentence example of -IR verbs in the futur proche:
- Je vais partir samedi. = I am going to leave on Saturday.
- Le restaurant va ouvrir à 18h00. = The restaurant is going to open at 6 PM.
- Nous n’allons pas choisir. = We are not going to choose.
Futur proche for -RE verbs
Verbs ending in -RE are also completely regular in the futur proche: There are no exceptions you need to learn for the futur proche.
vendre – to sell
| je vais vendre | I am going to sell | nous allons vendre | We are going to sell |
| tu vas vendre | You are going to sell (singular, informal) | vous allez vendre | You are going to sell (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va vendre | He/she/it is going to sell | ils/elles vont vendre | They are going to sell |
Here are a few more examples of -RE verbs in the futur proche:
- Est-ce que tu vas prendre le train ? = Are you going to take the train?
- Nous n’allons pas attendre notre copain. = We are not going to wait for our friend.
- Ils vont rendre le rapport demain. = They are going to turn in the report tomorrow.
Futur proche for -ER verbs
Verbs ending in -ER in the present tense have some irregular groups like stem-changing verbs, but since the futur proche only uses the infinitive form of -ER verbs, all of them are regular in this tense.
parler – to talk
| je vais parler | I am going to talk | nous allons parler | We are going to talk |
| tu vas parler | You are going to talk (singular, informal) | vous allez parler | You are going to talk (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va parler | He/she/it is going to talk | ils/elles vont parler | They are going to talk |
Here are more examples of -ER verbs in the futur proche:
- Je vais visiter le musée. = I am going to visit the museum.
- Est-ce que vous allez acheter des vêtements ? = Are you going to buy clothes?
- Elles ne vont pas payer en espèces. = They are not going to pay in cash.
How to negate with the futur proche
Just as important as saying something is going to happen is saying something is not going to happen. All French verbs are negated by putting the ne pas particles around the verb. For example, in the présent (present tense) it looks like this:
- J’aime la pizza. = I like pizza.
- Je n’aime pas la pizza. = I don’t like pizza.
To negate in the futur proche, the ne pas goes around the conjugated form of aller, and then the infinitive verb follows.
- Il va être surpris. = He is going to be surprised.
- Il ne va pas être surpris. = He is not going to be surprised.
How to conjugate the near future tense in French (irregular verbs)
Generally, the most common verbs in French, like être, avoir, aller, and faire, have irregular conjugations. But in the futur proche, even the normally irregular verbs follow the same pattern as any other verb: Combine the conjugated form of aller with the infinitive of the verb you want to put in the future.
Aller
Putting the verb aller in the futur proche sometimes throws learners for a loop because saying a sentence like, “Nous allons aller…” (“We are going to go…”) or “Vous allez aller…” (“You are going to go…”) sounds so repetitive it must be wrong. But it is correct. As long as you follow the pattern of conjugated form of aller + infinitive, you’re doing it right.
aller – to go
| je vais aller | I am going to go | nous allons aller | We are going to go |
| tu vas aller | You are going to go (singular, informal) | vous allez aller | You are going to go (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va aller | He/she/it is going to go | ils/elles vont aller | They are going to go |
Here are some more examples:
- Est-ce que tu vas aller en avion ? = Are you going to be flying?
- Elle ne va pas aller au parc. = She is not going to go to the park.
- Nous allons aller ensemble. = We are going to go together.
- Vous allez aller au musée. = You are going to go to the museum.
- Ils ne vont pas aller au concert. = They are not going to go to the concert.
Être
Être (to be) is the most commonly used French verb.
être – to be
| je vais être | I am going to be | nous allons être | We are going to be |
| tu vas être | You are going to be (singular, informal) | vous allez être | You going to be (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va être | He/she/it is going to be | ils/elles vont être | They going to be |
Other examples include:
- Je vais être prêt. = I am going to be ready.
- Est-ce que vous allez être à l’heure ? = Are you going to be on time?
- Ils ne vont pas être contents. = They are not going to be happy.
Avoir
Avoir (to have) is the second most common verb in French.
avoir – to have
| je vais avoir | I am going to have | nous allons avoir | We going to have |
| tu vas avoir | You are going to have (singular, informal) | vous allez avoir | You are going to have (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va avoir | He/she/it is going to have | ils/elles vont avoir | They are going to have |
Other examples include:
- Tu ne vas pas avoir assez de temps. = You are not going to have enough time .
- Nous allons avoir chaud demain. = We are going to be hot tomorrow.
- Est-ce que vous allez avoir besoin d’aide ? = Are you going to need help?
Faire
Faire (to do/make) is among the top five most common French verbs.
faire – to make, to do
| je vais faire | I am going to make | nous allons faire | We are going to make |
| tu vas faire | You are going to make (singular, informal) | vous allez faire | You are going to make (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va faire | He/she/it are going to make | ils/elles vont faire | They are going to make |
Here are a few more examples:
- Je vais faire un effort. = I am going to make an effort.
- Il ne va pas faire une tarte. = He is not going to make a pie.
- Est -ce que nous allons faire de l’équitation ? = Are we going to go horseback riding?
Pouvoir
Pouvoir (to be able to) isn’t the most common French verb, but it’s in the top fifteen.
pouvoir – to be able to, can
| je vais pouvoir | I am going to be able to | nous pourrons pouvoir | We are going to be able to |
| tu vas pouvoir | You are going to be able to (singular, informal) | vous pourrez pouvoir | You are going to be able to (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va pouvoir | He/she/it is going to be able to | ils/elles pourront pouvoir | They are going to be able to |
Here are some example sentences:
- Tu vas pouvoir lire en français. = You are going to be able to read in French.
- Est-ce que vous allez pouvoir trouver le parking ? = Are you going to be able to find the parking lot?
- Ils ne vont pas pouvoir finir cette tâche. = They are not going to be able to finish that task.
Vouloir
Vouloir (to want) is one of the top twenty most common verbs in French.
vouloir – to want
| je vais vouloir | I am going to want | nous allons vouloir | We are going to want |
| tu vas vouloir | You are going to want (singular, informal) | vous allez vouloir | You are going to want (plural, formal) |
| il/elle/on va vouloir | He/she/it is going to want | ils/elles vont vouloir | They are going to want |
See how this looks in complete sentences:
- Il va vouloir une boisson chaude. = He is going to want a hot drink.
- Nous allons vouloir de bonnes idées. = We are going to want some good ideas.
- Elles ne vont pas vouloir attendre. = They are not going to want to wait.
Key takeaways
- The futur proche is the only completely regular verb tense in French.
- The futur proche shows that something will happen in the near future.
- Combine aller + infinitive of any verb to get the futur proche.
- Do use aller in the futur proche conjugation of aller.
Written by: Denise Brown
0 Commentaires