Explanation and Application of the Future Tense in French | I'm going to France, taking a study holiday with Sprachcaffe, and I'm going to have a blast. How can I translate all this? Of course, with the future tense in French: that's the topic of this lesson!
As in any language, in French we can conjugate verbs in the future tense, allowing us to express concepts and actions that have not yet occurred at the time we speak. We can also refer to a future tense that is further ahead than another, using both the simple future in French and the perfect future.
The key is to use the right endings and the right auxiliaries. Let's learn all about the future in French in this lesson with Sprachcaffe, which also includes numerous examples to help you understand how these verbs work in context.
Let's get started!
How the French Future Tense Works and When to Use It
French has three ways to talk about the future, and knowing which to use makes your French sound natural. The futur proche (aller + infinitive) expresses what is going to happen soon, the futur simple expresses what will happen, and the futur antérieur expresses what will have happened before another future event. This guide from SPRACHCAFFE explains all three, with clear endings, conjugation tables, and examples.
The three French future tenses at a glance
Tense
Formation
Meaning
Example
Futur proche (near future)
aller (present) + infinitive
going to / about to
Je vais partir - I'm going to leave
Futur simple (simple future)
infinitive + endings
will
Je partirai - I will leave
Futur antérieur (future perfect)
avoir/être (futur simple) + past participle
will have
J'aurai fini - I will have finished
Futur proche: the near future
The futur proche describes an action that is going to happen soon. It is formed with the present tense of aller (to go) followed by the infinitive of the main verb. It is extremely common in spoken French, much like "going to" in English.
Present tense of aller: je vais, tu vas, il/elle va, nous allons, vous allez, ils/elles vont.
Je vais partir. → I'm going to leave.
Nous allons déménager en été. → We're going to move in the summer.
Tu vas venir à la fête ? → Are you going to come to the party?
Il va pleuvoir. → It's going to rain.
How to Use the Simple Future Tense in French
Futur simple: the simple future
The futur simple expresses what will happen, for general statements, promises, and predictions. It is formed by adding the endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the infinitive (for -re verbs, drop the final -e first).
Nous partirons jeudi. → We will leave on Thursday.
Je t'appellerai dès que possible. → I'll call you as soon as possible.
Il pleuvra demain. → It will rain tomorrow.
Futur simple endings for regular verbs
First group (-er), e.g. parler (to speak): je parlerai, tu parleras, il/elle parlera, nous parlerons, vous parlerez, ils/elles parleront.
Second group (-ir), e.g. finir (to finish): je finirai, tu finiras, il/elle finira, nous finirons, vous finirez, ils/elles finiront.
Third group (-re), e.g. vendre (to sell), drop the -e: je vendrai, tu vendras, il/elle vendra, nous vendrons, vous vendrez, ils/elles vendront.
Common irregular futur simple stems
Verb
Future stem
je form
avoir (to have)
aur-
j'aurai
être (to be)
ser-
je serai
faire (to do/make)
fer-
je ferai
aller (to go)
ir-
j'irai
pouvoir (to be able to)
pourr-
je pourrai
vouloir (to want)
voudr-
je voudrai
venir (to come)
viendr-
je viendrai
voir (to see)
verr-
je verrai
The endings are always the same; only the stem changes. Many of the most common verbs, including avoir, être, aller, faire, pouvoir, and vouloir, have irregular future stems worth memorising.
Futur antérieur: the future perfect
The futur antérieur (future perfect) expresses an action that will have been completed before another future action. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir or être in the futur simple, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Quand j'aurai fini mes devoirs, je sortirai avec mes amis. → When I have finished my homework, I'll go out with my friends.
Il aura déjà mangé avant notre arrivée. → He will have already eaten before we arrive.
Choosing the auxiliary follows the same rule as the passé composé: most verbs take avoir, but verbs of movement and change of state take être (aller, venir, sortir, naître, mourir, and others). With être, the participle agrees with the subject: je serai allé(e) → I will have gone.
