Future Tense in French

The future tense is used to talk about upcoming events. While the French future tense has a full set of conjugations, the English equivalent is just the modal verb “will” + main verb.

Even though the French future tense has a set of explicit conjugations it is one of the simplest French tenses. The endings for all verbs, be it ‘er’, ‘ir’ or ‘re’ remain the same. 

Future Simple

Formation:

Most of the verbs – even the ones which are irregular in the present tense – use their infinitive as the root. For the ‘re’ verbs we drop the last ‘e’ and add the same endings. There are only a few verbs which have irregular future stems. Even the verbs that have irregular stems take the same endings. It is also worth noting that the stem of all verbs, whether regular or irregular in future,the last letter of all of their stem is still ‘r’.

The ending for future tense is the same as the endings of avoir in present tense which are:

ai, as, a, ons, ez and ont.

J’ai

Tu as

IL/Elle a

Nous avons

Vous avez

Ils/Elles ont

To conjugate an -ER or -IR verb in the future tense, add the appropriate endings to the infinitive form of the verbs. For -RE verbs, remove the final -e and then add the future endings. For irregular verbs, add the endings to the irregular future stem. 

For example, here are the future conjugations for the regular verbs parler (to speak), choisir (to choose), and vendre (to sell) and the aller (to go) with a irregular stem in future:

PronounFuture endingparler > parler-finir > finir-vendre > vendr-aller > ir-
 je -aiparleraifiniraivendraiirai
 tu -asparlerasfinirasvendrasiras
 il -aparlerafiniravendraira
 nous -onsparleronsfinironsvendronsirons
 vous -ezparlerezfinirezvendrezirez
 ils -ontparlerontfinirontvendrontiront

List of verbs with irregular future stems in French:

  1. Aller (to go) – ir-
  2. Avoir (to have) – aur-
  3. Être (to be) – ser-
  4. Faire (to do/make) – fer-
  5. Pouvoir (to be able to) – pourr-
  6. Savoir (to know) – saur-
  7. Venir (to come) – viendr-
  8. Vouloir (to want) – voudr-
  9. Devoir (to have to/must) – devr-
  10. Recevoir (to receive) – recevr-
  11. Envoyer (to send) – enverr-
  12. Courir (to run) – courr-
  13. Tenir (to hold) – tiendr-
  14. Pleuvoir (to rain) – pleuvr-
  15. Acheter (to buy) – achèter- similar verbs: achever, amener, emmener, lever, promener.
  16. Appeler (to be called) – appeller- similar verbs: épeler, rappeler
  17. Essayer (to try) – essaier- similar verbs: balayer, effrayer, payer
  18. Falloir(must) – faudr

These verbs have irregular stems in the future tense, so when conjugating them, you use these stems before adding the future tense endings.

  • Demain, j’aurai un examen important. – Tomorrow, I will have an important exam.
  • La semaine prochaine, nous serons en vacances. – Next week, we will be on vacation.
  • L’année prochaine, ils iront en France pour les vacances.- Next year, they will go to France for the holidays.
  • Ce week-end, je ferai un gâteau pour l’anniversaire de ma sœur.-This weekend, I will make a cake for my sister’s birthday.
  • Après le cours, tu parleras à ton professeur pour des questions. -After class, you will speak to your teacher about some questions.
  • Nous finirons nos devoirs avant de regarder un film. – We will finish our homework before watching a movie.

Future Proche

Future proche is a verb construction used to express something that is going to happen soon, an upcoming event which is going to occur in the near future. The near future tense is one tense, which in French is quite similar to its English counterpart. 

While the French future tense has a full set of conjugations, the English equivalent is to add the verb “to go” is present tense along with the verb that shows the action performed by the subject.


I am going to go to the market tomorrow.

Demain, Je vais aller au marché 

The equivalent of the present continuous tense I am going is “Je vais” and the infinitive equivalent of the verb “to go” is aller. 

I am going= Je vais

I go = Je vais 

Also notice that adverbs (Demain) are usually used at the start of the sentence in French.  

I am going to dance at the party next week

Le semaine prochain, je vais danser a la boum

Thus the formation of futur proche is:

Present tense of verb aller + infinitive of action verb

  • Examples:
    Je vais voir Luc. – I am going to see Luc.
    Il va arriver. – He is going to arrive.
    Nous allons manger. – We are going to eat.

The Glamourous French Riviera

French Riviera

Image by Guy Dugas from Pixabay

The French Riviera, also known as the Côte d’Azur, is a glamorous and picturesque stretch of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France. It extends from the Italian border to the town of Saint-Tropez. The French Riviera is renowned for its stunning scenery, luxurious resorts, beautiful beaches, and vibrant nightlife.

This region is synonymous with wealth, luxury, and high society, attracting celebrities, aristocrats, and tourists from around the world. The cities and towns along the French Riviera are known for their elegant promenades, chic boutiques, and upscale restaurants. Some of the most famous destinations on the French Riviera include Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Saint-Tropez, Antibes, and Menton.

In addition to its glamorous atmosphere, the French Riviera also offers a rich cultural experience with museums, galleries, and historical sites to explore. The region’s mild Mediterranean climate makes it a popular destination year-round for both relaxation and entertainment.

Exercises:

  1. Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in the future tense(simple or proche):
  1. Demain, je ______ (aller) au marché.
  2. La semaine prochaine, nous ______ (finir) nos devoirs.
  3. Tu ______ (être) très content avec ton nouveau travail.
  4. Demain, il ______ (faire) beau demain.
  5. Elles ______ (venir) chez nous ce soir.
  6. Nous (partir) en vacances l’été prochain.
  7. Tu (manger) au restaurant ce weekend.
  8. Ils (voir) leur projet la semaine prochaine.
  9. Tu (envoyer) ce paquet la semaine prochaine.
  10. Demain, je ______ (avoir) un examen.
  11. Elle ______ (savoir) la réponse bientôt.
  12. Nous ______ (parler) avec le directeur demain.
  13. Tu ______ (courir) dans le parc ce week-end.
  14. Ils ______ (pouvoir) venir à la fête.
  15. Vous ______ (vouloir) aller au cinéma samedi.

2. Translation into Future Proche or Future Simple

  1. I will have a new car next year.
  2. I am going to have lunch in a few minutes.
  3. You (singular) will know the answer tomorrow.
  4. You (singular) are going to run in the park tomorrow.
  5. They (masculine) are going to be able to finish the project soon.
  6. He will speak with his boss later.
  7. I will speak with the teacher tomorrow.
  8. She will sell her car next month.
  9. We will be happy to help you.
  10. We will run in the marathon next month.
  11. They (feminine) will be able to come to the meeting next week.
  12. You (plural) will want to eat after the movie.
  13. She is going to know the truth soon.
  14. We are going to speak with the teacher after class.

3. Choose the correct future tense form of the verb in parentheses:

  1. Il ______ (être) en retard.
    a) sera
    b) seras
    c) serons
  2. Nous ______ (manger) au restaurant ce soir.
    a) mangera
    b) mangerons
    c) mangerez
  3. Tu ______ (avoir) un chien.
    a) aurai
    b) aura
    c) auras
  4. Je ______ (prendre) le bus demain matin.
    a) prendrai
    b) prendras
    c) prendront
  5. Elles ______ (aller) à la plage.
    a) ira
    b) iront
    c) irons

4. Writing Practice

Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) about your plans for the next holiday, using the future tense. Be sure to include different verbs and subject pronouns.

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