What are the two future tenses in French?
Planning on doing something tonight, on the weekend or even in two years? There are two ways to talk about the future in French: The Futur Proche and the Futur Simple.
The Futur Proche in French:
The Futur Proche is the French equivalent of the verb to be + going to+ infinitive verb in English.
You should use the Futur Proche when talking about changes or events that will happen shortly.
Futur Proche Examples:
Je vais être une grande sœur.
I am going to be a big sister.
Je vais aller à la plage cet après-midi.
I am going to the beach this afternoon.
The Futur Simple in French:
On the other hand, the Futur Simple is used to talk about a prediction, a forecast or a project.
Here are some keywords that indicate that you have to use the Futur Simple: quand (when), lorsque (when), aussitôt que (as soon as), and dès que (as soon as).
Futur Simple Examples:
Il fera nuageux ce soir.
It will be cloudy tonight.
Nous irons en voyage à New York.
We will go on a trip to New York.
How to Conjugate the Future tense in French:
How to conjugate le futur proche:
The near future is composed of the verb to go + infinitive verb.
pronouns | Verb to go (aller) | Infinitive (infinitif) |
(I) Je | vais | finir |
(you) tu | vas | aimer |
(he) il / (she) elle/ (we) on | va | aller |
(we) nous | allons | manger |
(you) vous | allez | danser |
They ils/elles | vont | courir |
How to conjugate le futur simple:
When conjugating le futur simple, most of the verbs ending in -er, will follow the verb AIMER. Many verbs ending in -ir, will follow the verb FINIR.
Pronouns | Verb to love (aimer) | Verb to finish (finir) |
(I) Je | aimerai | finirai |
(you) tu | aimeras | finiras |
(he) il / (she) elle/ (we) on | aimera | finira |
(we) nous | aimerons | finirons |
(you) vous | aimerez | finirez |
They ils/elles | aimeront | finiront |
Some verbs are irregular because of their radical changes. Their endings are the same as the verbs to love and to finish.
Here are 5 of these verbs:
Avoir (to have) | Être (to be) | Aller (to go) | Faire (to do) | Voir (to see) | |
Radical | au- | se- | i- | fe- | ver- |
Terminaisons (endings): -rai, -ras, -ra, -rons, -rez, -ront |
Some verbs are irregular because of their radical changes. Their endings are the same as the verbs to love and to finish.
Here are 5 of these verbs:
Avoir (to have) | Être (to be) | Aller (to go) | |
Radical | au– | se– | i– |
Terminaisons (endings): -rai, -ras, -ra, -rons, -rez, -ront |
Faire (to do) | Voir (to see) | |
Radical | fe– | ver– |
Terminaisons (endings): -rai, -ras, -ra, -rons, -rez, -ront |
It's Time To Practice! Here are Some Free Printable Worksheets:
Now that you’ve learned about the future tenses in French, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test! Practice what you’ve learned with our free printable futur simple et futur proche worksheets! These free exercises are great for kids!