👉 French grammar | near future (futur proche)
Published September 12, 2012 • Updated April 24, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
The French future tense, called le futur simple, is used to talk about what will happen in the future. It is formed by adding the endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to the future stem of a verb. For example: je parlerai (I will speak), nous finirons (we will finish), ils attendront (they will wait).
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to form the futur simple, when to use it, common irregular stems, and how it compares to the near future tense.
✅ How to form the futur simple
✅ Irregular verbs
✅ Uses and examples
✅ Futur simple vs futur proche
How to form the French future tense
To form the futur simple, use these rules:
- For regular -er verbs, use the full infinitive + endings
- For regular -ir verbs, use the full infinitive + endings
- For regular -re verbs, remove the final -e, then add endings
Examples:
Parler (to speak)
je parlerai – I will speak
tu parleras – you will speak
il/elle parlera – he/she will speak
nous parlerons – we will speak
vous parlerez – you will speak
ils/elles parleront – they will speak
Finir (to finish)
je finirai – I will finish
tu finiras – you will finish
il/elle finira – he/she will finish
nous finirons – we will finish
vous finirez – you will finish
ils/elles finiront – they will finish
Attendre (to wait)
j’attendrai – I will wait
tu attendras – you will wait
il/elle attendra – he/she will wait
nous attendrons – we will wait
vous attendrez – you will wait
ils/elles attendront – they will wait
French future tense endings
The endings are the same for almost all verbs:
-ai
-as
-a
-ons
-ez
-ont
Irregular future stems
Many common French verbs use an irregular stem in the futur simple. Add the regular future endings -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont to these stems.
| Infinitive | English | Future stem | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| aller | (to go) | ir- | j’irai |
| acquérir | (to acquire) | acquerr- | j’acquerrai |
| avoir | (to have) | aur- | j’aurai |
| courir | (to run) | courr- | je courrai |
| devoir | (must, to have to) | devr- | je devrai |
| envoyer | (to send) | enverr- | j’enverrai |
| être | (to be) | ser- | je serai |
| faire | (to do, to make) | fer- | je ferai |
| falloir | (to be necessary) | faudr- | il faudra |
| mourir | (to die) | mourr- | je mourrai |
| pleuvoir | (to rain) | pleuvr- | il pleuvra |
| pouvoir | (can, to be able to) | pourr- | je pourrai |
| recevoir | (to receive) | recevr- | je recevrai |
| revenir | (to come back) | reviendr- | je reviendrai |
| savoir | (to know) | saur- | je saurai |
| tenir | (to hold) | tiendr- | je tiendrai |
| valoir | (to be worth) | vaudr- | cela vaudra |
| venir | (to come) | viendr- | je viendrai |
| voir | (to see) | verr- | je verrai |
| vouloir | (to want) | voudr- | je voudrai |
Examples:
Je serai prêt à huit heures.
I will be ready at eight o’clock.
Nous aurons plus de temps demain.
We will have more time tomorrow.
Elle viendra ce soir.
She will come tonight.
Futur simple uses and examples
The futur simple is commonly used for future actions, predictions, promises, and future events after certain time expressions. The following examples show how this tense is used in everyday French.
Future plans
Je travaillerai demain.
I will work tomorrow.
Nous visiterons Paris cet été.
We will visit Paris this summer.
Predictions
Il pleuvra demain.
It will rain tomorrow.
Les prix augmenteront bientôt.
Prices will increase soon.
Promises
Je t’aiderai.
I will help you.
Je serai toujours là pour toi.
I will always be there for you.
Formal or written future
Je vous répondrai dès que possible.
I will reply to you as soon as possible.
Le train partira à 9h15.
The train will leave at 9:15.
The future-after-when rule
In French, words such as quand, lorsque, dès que, and aussitôt que often require the futur simple when referring to future events.
Je t’appellerai quand j’arriverai.
I will call you when I arrive.
Nous partirons dès qu’il fera beau.
We will leave as soon as the weather is nice.
Il se couchera lorsqu’il finira son travail.
He will go to bed when he finishes his work.
Je t’écrirai aussitôt que je pourrai.
I will write to you as soon as I can.
Si clauses with the futur simple
A common pattern is:
si + present tense + futur simple
Si j’ai le temps, je partirai en vacances.
If I have time, I will go on vacation.
Si tu viens, nous mangerons ensemble.
If you come, we will eat together.
Si elle étudie, elle réussira.
If she studies, she will succeed.
Si nous économisons assez d’argent, nous achèterons une maison.
If we save enough money, we will buy a house.
Futur simple vs futur proche
French has another future tense called le futur proche (near future).
It is formed with aller + infinitive:
je vais parler
I am going to speak
General difference
- Futur simple often sounds more neutral, formal, or slightly less immediate
- Futur proche often suggests something planned, likely, or about to happen
Examples:
Je parlerai avec lui demain.
I will speak with him tomorrow.
Je vais parler avec lui maintenant.
I am going to speak with him now.
Nous partirons un jour.
We will leave one day.
Nous allons partir dans cinq minutes.
We are going to leave in five minutes.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting to remove -e from -re verbs
Correct: je vendrai
Not: je vendreai
2. Using English word order
Correct: Je t’appellerai quand j’arriverai.
Not: Je t’appellerai quand j’arrive.
3. Confusing futur simple and conditional
Je parlerai = I will speak
Je parlerais = I would speak
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner
- Near future tense (futur proche)
- Future perfect
- Present tense
- Imperfect tense
- Passé composé
- Conditional tense
- French verb conjugation guide
- French grammar lessons
