The simple future places the action after the moment when one speaks. It presents an upcoming fact as viewed from a distance, without bringing it into the present. It is used for an event that has not yet taken place, for a future state, or for an idea projected into the future. In Demain, je partirai tôt, the departure is situated after now. In Un jour, elle comprendra, the verb expresses a projection into the future. The simple future also serves to give the statement a value of certainty, because the speaker presents the event as planned or considered assured.

Common situations for the simple future

Usage	Explanation
Project	The simple future is used to announce a project that is still to come.
Intention	The simple future is used to express a firm intention.
Prediction	The simple future is chosen to make a prediction about what will happen.
Promise	The simple future is used to promise something to someone.
Threat	The simple future is used to express a threat or a warning.
Polite request	The simple future is chosen to soften a request in a polite context.

The simple future is chosen to announce a project that has already been formed, as in Nous visiterons Lyon cet été. It also appears in intentions and decisions made at the moment when one speaks, for example Je t’appellerai ce soir. For a prediction, the simple future presents an expected result, as in Il fera froid demain. It is used to promise, as in Je te rendrai ton livre, to threaten, as in Tu regretteras ce choix, and to formulate a polite request in sentences such as Vous pourrez m’aider ? or Vous me direz votre nom. In Vocabulary related to future projects and plans, this type of context is often found.

Choosing between the simple future and the near future

Usage	Explanation
Already organized project	The present is often used for an already planned future when the action is organized.
More distant future	The simple future is used to mark distance or a clearer projection.
Spontaneous spoken announcement	In speech, the present is often preferred for a near and certain future.
Prediction	The simple future is better suited to presenting a hypothesis about the future than an already fixed project.

The present can refer to an already organized future, especially in speech. One says Je pars demain, Nous arrivons à huit heures, Elle prend le train ce soir. The simple future remains possible, but it brings a clearer distance and a more formal or general tone. Je partirai demain presents the departure as an announced future fact, whereas Je pars demain emphasizes an already established schedule. With markers such as ce soir, demain or la semaine prochaine, the present works when the action is prepared or entered on a calendar. To see the difference from the other future tenses, Future tenses in French: overview provides a useful framework.

Differences between the future and conditional

Usage	Explanation
Certain action	The simple future is chosen for an action presented as certain.
Hypothesis	The conditional is used for an action dependent on a condition or less certain.
Mitigated request	The conditional is used to soften a request or a proposal.
Caution	The conditional is used to express cautious information or information reported with reservation.

The simple future asserts an upcoming fact. The conditional presents an action as dependent on a condition, a hypothesis, or unconfirmed information. Il viendra demain announces an arrival. Il viendrait demain s’il pouvait depends on a condition. The simple future is also used in firmer statements, such as Vous recevrez une réponse bientôt. The conditional softens a request, as in Je voudrais un café, or marks caution, as in Selon les premiers résultats, il y aurait un problème. To compare the two forms in similar sentences, Conditional and simple future: comparison explores the contrasts in meaning and form in greater depth.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
nous	parler
vous	parler
tu	parler
il ou elle	parler
ils ou elles	parler
je	parler

Simple future of -er verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	parler	parlerai
tu	parler	parleras
il ou elle	parler	parlera
nous	parler	parlerons
vous	parler	parlerez
ils ou elles	parler	parleront

Scramble

For -er verbs, take the complete infinitive and add the simple future endings. With parler, one obtains je parlerai, tu parleras, il parlera, nous parlerons, vous parlerez, ils parleront. The stem therefore remains identical to the infinitive. One says chanterai, mangera or travaillerons in the same way. This regularity makes -er verbs very easy to form, including in common sentences such as Demain, j’écouterai la réponse.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
vous	finir
nous	finir
tu	finir
je	finir
ils ou elles	finir
il ou elle	finir

Simple future of -ir verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	finir	finirai
tu	finir	finiras
il ou elle	finir	finira
nous	finir	finirons
vous	finir	finirez
ils ou elles	finir	finiront

Scramble

-ir verbs follow the same principle when their infinitive serves as the base for the future. Keep the infinitive and add the endings: finirai, finiras, finira, finirons, finirez, finiront. With choisir, one says je choisirai; with grandir, nous grandirons. In sentences such as Elle réussira or Vous dormirez, the stem remains recognizable and the ending carries the person information. Regular -ir verbs therefore use the same structure as -er verbs, without a change in the base.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
nous	vendre
il ou elle	vendre
vous	vendre
je	vendre
tu	vendre
ils ou elles	vendre

Simple future of -re verbs

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	vendre	vendrai
tu	vendre	vendras
il ou elle	vendre	vendra
nous	vendre	vendrons
vous	vendre	vendrez
ils ou elles	vendre	vendront

Scramble

-re verbs lose their final e before adding the simple future endings. With vendre, the future gives je vendrai, tu vendras, il vendra, nous vendrons, vous vendrez, ils vendront. With attendre, one obtains attendrai and attendrons. The e disappears before the endings, but the rest of the stem remains stable. This form appears in sentences such as Je répondrai plus tard or Ils comprendront la situation.

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
tu	parler
nous	parler
je	parler
vous	parler
il ou elle	parler
ils ou elles	parler

Regular simple future endings

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
je	parler	parlerai
tu	parler	parleras
il ou elle	parler	parlera
nous	parler	parlerons
vous	parler	parlerez
ils ou elles	parler	parleront

Scramble

The simple future endings are the same for all regular verbs and for many irregular ones: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. In the first person singular, add -ai: je parlerai. In the second person singular, add -as: tu parleras. In the third person singular, add -a: il parlera. In the first person plural, add -ons: nous parlerons. In the second person plural, add -ez: vous parlerez. In the third person plural, add -ont: ils parleront. These endings attach directly to the verb stem.

Very common irregular stems

Idea
The verb être forms its future with the stem ser.
The verb avoir forms its future with the stem aur.
The verb aller forms its future with the stem ir.
The verb faire forms its future with the stem fer.

Some verbs do not keep the infinitive as the base for the future. They take a special stem, followed by the regular endings. Être gives ser-, as in je serai; avoir gives aur-, as in nous aurons; aller gives ir-, as in vous irez; faire gives fer-, as in ils feront. These stems must be memorized with their base verbs. They are often found in very common sentences, which makes them essential for speaking about the future.

Other useful irregular stems

Idea
The verb venir forms its future with the stem viendr.
The verb voir forms its future with the stem verr.
The verb pouvoir forms its future with the stem pourr.
The verb envoyer forms its future with the stem enverr.

Other frequent verbs also have a particular stem in the future. Venir becomes viendr-, as in je viendrai and nous viendrons. Voir becomes verr-, as in tu verras and ils verront. Pouvoir becomes pourr-, as in vous pourrez. We also find devoir with devr-, recevoir with recevr-, and savoir with saur-. The operation remains the same: irregular stem + simple future ending. To enrich the vocabulary related to these forms, Vocabulary related to future projects and plans provides frequent contexts.

Future in a sentence with a subordinate clause

Usage	Explanation
After when	In a sentence in the future, the present is often used in the subordinate clause with when and the future in the main clause.
After when	The present is used in the subordinate clause with when and the future in the main clause.
After as soon as	With as soon as, the verb in the subordinate clause is put in the present and the main verb in the future.
After as soon as	With as soon as, the subordinate clause remains in the present while the main clause takes the future.

In a main clause in the future, the subordinate clause that announces the time often begins with quand, lorsque, dès que or aussitôt que and keeps the present. One says Quand tu arriveras, je t’attendrai if the subordinate clause also expresses a future, but the standard rule of written and careful language is Quand tu arriveras, je t’attendrai in the main action and quand tu arrives only when the idea is general or habitual. In common usage when speaking about a specific future, the temporal subordinate clause in the present appears in constructions such as Quand il arrivera, nous commencerons. The main verb remains in the simple future, because it is the one that carries the upcoming event.