French Future Tense: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need!

Mastering the future tense in French might seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be! The Académie Française, the authority on the French language, emphasizes understanding fundamental verb conjugations as key. French language learning apps like Duolingo can be a helpful tool in practicing and reinforcing how to form future tense in french. Remember, the basic structure of adding endings to the infinitive form is frequently taught in French classes from beginners, and with regular use in conversation, it becomes second nature. So let's jump in and unlock the secrets to confidently speaking about what's to come in French!

Image taken from the YouTube channel Learn French With Alexa , from the video titled The Future Tense in French: futur proche or futur simple? .

French Future Tense: The Only Guide You'll Ever Need!

Let's embark on a journey to master the French future tense! Many learners find it daunting, but with a clear understanding of its structure, you'll be speaking about tomorrow in no time. This guide focuses on how to form future tense in French, providing you with a comprehensive overview.

Understanding the Basics of the French Future Tense

The French future tense allows you to express actions that will happen in the future. There are two main ways to form the future tense: futur simple and futur proche. We'll primarily focus on the futur simple here as it's often the core concept beginners need to grasp. Futur proche, using aller + infinitive, is generally easier to understand.

How to Form Future Tense in French: The Futur Simple

This is the heart of our guide! Learning how to conjugate verbs in the futur simple is crucial.

Regular Verbs: The Foundation

Forming the futur simple with regular verbs is surprisingly straightforward. You simply add specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb. Think of the infinitive (like parler, finir, vendre) as the raw, unconjugated verb.

• Verbs Ending in -er (e.g., parler - to speak):

  • Keep the infinitive (parler)

  • Add the following endings:

    • Je parlerai (I will speak)
    • Tu parleras (You will speak)
    • Il/Elle/On parlera (He/She/One will speak)
    • Nous parlerons (We will speak)
    • Vous parlerez (You will speak)
    • Ils/Elles parleront (They will speak)

• Verbs Ending in -ir (e.g., finir - to finish):

  • Keep the infinitive (finir)

  • Add the same endings as above:

    • Je finirai (I will finish)
    • Tu finiras (You will finish)
    • Il/Elle/On finira (He/She/One will finish)
    • Nous finirons (We will finish)
    • Vous finirez (You will finish)
    • Ils/Elles finiront (They will finish)

• Verbs Ending in -re (e.g., vendre - to sell):

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  • Remove the e from the infinitive (vendr)

  • Add the same endings as above:

    • Je vendrai (I will sell)
    • Tu vendras (You will sell)
    • Il/Elle/On vendra (He/She/One will sell)
    • Nous vendrons (We will sell)
    • Vous vendrez (You will sell)
    • Ils/Elles vendront (They will sell)

Irregular Verbs: A Little More Effort

Unfortunately, some verbs have irregular stems in the future tense. These need to be memorized. However, the endings are the same as for regular verbs. Here are some common examples:

• Être (to be): The stem becomes ser-

  • Je serai (I will be)
  • Tu seras (You will be)
  • Il/Elle/On sera (He/She/One will be)
  • Nous serons (We will be)
  • Vous serez (You will be)
  • Ils/Elles seront (They will be)

• Avoir (to have): The stem becomes aur-

  • Je aurai (I will have)
  • Tu auras (You will have)
  • Il/Elle/On aura (He/She/One will have)
  • Nous aurons (We will have)
  • Vous aurez (You will have)
  • Ils/Elles auront (They will have)

• Aller (to go): The stem becomes ir-

  • Je irai (I will go)
  • Tu iras (You will go)
  • Il/Elle/On ira (He/She/One will go)
  • Nous irons (We will go)
  • Vous irez (You will go)
  • Ils/Elles iront (They will go)

• Faire (to do/make): The stem becomes fer-

  • Je ferai (I will do/make)
  • Tu feras (You will do/make)
  • Il/Elle/On fera (He/She/One will do/make)
  • Nous ferons (We will do/make)
  • Vous ferez (You will do/make)
  • Ils/Elles feront (They will do/make)

Here's a table summarizing the irregular stems:

Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs (those that use se, like se laver - to wash oneself) also follow the same pattern. The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) goes before the verb, and the future tense is conjugated as normal.

Example: Se laver

• Je me laverai (I will wash myself)
• Tu te laveras (You will wash yourself)
• Il/Elle/On se lavera (He/She/One will wash himself/herself/oneself)
• Nous nous laverons (We will wash ourselves)
• Vous vous laverez (You will wash yourselves)
• Ils/Elles se laveront (They will wash themselves)

Futur Proche: A Simpler Alternative

While this guide focuses on futur simple because it's critical for a foundational understanding, it's worth briefly mentioning futur proche as it is far easier to construct.

Futur Proche is formed using: aller (to go) conjugated in the present tense + the infinitive of the verb.

For example: Je vais manger (I am going to eat). This is a much easier way to express near future actions.

Practice Makes Perfect

The best way to master the future tense is through practice. Try conjugating different verbs in the future simple. Write sentences using the future tense to describe your plans for the future. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! They are a part of the learning process.

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