👉 French grammar | futur simple
Published April 24, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson • Native Audio by Marie Assel Cambier
The French near future tense, called le futur proche, is used to say what is going to happen. It is formed with the present tense of aller (to go) + an infinitive verb.
Examples:
Je vais parler. I am going to speak.
Nous allons finir. We are going to finish.
Ils vont attendre. They are going to wait.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to form the futur proche, when to use it, negative forms, and how it compares to the futur simple.
✅ How to form the futur proche
✅ Conjugation chart
✅ Uses and examples
✅ Negation rules
✅ Futur proche vs futur simple
How to form the French near future tense
Use the present tense of aller + infinitive.
Formula:
Aller (present tense) + infinitive
Examples:
Je vais manger.
I am going to eat.
Tu vas partir.
You are going to leave.
Nous allons étudier.
We are going to study.
Futur proche conjugation chart
Parler (to speak)
je vais parler – I am going to speak
tu vas parler – you are going to speak
il/elle va parler – he/she is going to speak
nous allons parler – we are going to speak
vous allez parler – you are going to speak
ils/elles vont parler – they are going to speak
Present tense of aller
Because the futur proche uses aller, it is important to know its present tense forms. In this tense, je vais means “I’m going to”.
je vais – I’m going to
tu vas – you’re going to
il/elle va – he/she’s going to
nous allons – we’re going to
vous allez – you’re going to
ils/elles vont – they’re going to
More examples with other verbs
The futur proche always uses a conjugated form of aller + infinitive, no matter which verb follows.
Je vais finir – I am going to finish.
Nous allons finir – We are going to finish.
Je vais attendre – I am going to wait.
Nous allons attendre – We are going to wait.
Je vais partir – I am going to leave.
Nous allons partir – We are going to leave.
Futur proche uses and examples
Use the futur proche to talk about planned actions, likely events, and things about to happen soon. It often sounds more immediate and certain than the futur simple.
Planned future actions
Je vais acheter les billets.
I am going to buy the tickets.
Nous allons dîner au restaurant.
We are going to eat at the restaurant.
Immediate future
Le train va partir.
The train is going to leave.
Je vais t’appeler dans une minute.
I am going to call you in a minute.
Strong likelihood
Il va pleuvoir.
It is going to rain.
Elle va réussir.
She is going to succeed.
Futur proche uses and examples
The futur proche is very common in spoken French and is often used instead of the futur simple in everyday conversation.
Je vais commencer maintenant.
I am going to start now.
On va gagner.
We are going to win.
Tu vas aimer ce film.
You are going to like this movie.
Ils vont déménager bientôt.
They are going to move soon.
Negation
To make the futur proche negative, place ne…pas around the conjugated form of aller.
Je ne vais pas sortir.
I am not going to go out.
Il ne va pas travailler demain.
He is not going to work tomorrow.
Nous n’allons pas attendre.
We are not going to wait.
Elle ne va pas venir.
She is not going to come.
Questions
The futur proche is often used in questions.
Tu vas partir quand ?
When are you going to leave?
Est-ce que vous allez acheter la voiture ?
Are you going to buy the car?
Qu’est-ce qu’il va faire ?
What is he going to do?
Futur proche vs futur simple
French has two common ways to talk about the future.
Futur proche
Usually sounds more immediate, planned, or likely.
Je vais appeler Marie.
I am going to call Marie.
Futur simple
Often sounds more neutral, formal, or less immediate.
J’appellerai Marie.
I will call Marie.
Compare
Nous allons partir dans cinq minutes.
We are going to leave in five minutes.
Nous partirons un jour.
We will leave one day.
Il va pleuvoir ce soir.
It is going to rain tonight.
Il pleuvra demain.
It will rain tomorrow.
Common mistakes
1. Forgetting aller must be conjugated
Correct: Je vais manger. (I’m going to eat.)
Not: Je aller manger.
2. Conjugating the second verb
Correct: Je vais manger.
Not: Je vais mange.
3. Using infinitive after allons / alle
Correct: Nous allons partir.
Correct: Vous allez venir.
📚 Related lessons on FrenchLearner
- French future tense (futur simple)
- Future perfect
- Present tense
- Imperfect tense
- Passé composé
- Conditional tense
- French verb conjugation guide
- French grammar lessons
