In French, the future tense is used to talk about actions that will happen later. There are two main ways to express the future: the simple future and the near future.
- Simple Future (Futur Simple): This tense is formed by adding endings to the infinitive form of the verb (for -re verbs, drop the final e). The endings are: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
Example:
- Parler (to speak): je parlerai, tu parleras, il/elle parlera, nous parlerons, vous parlerez, ils/elles parleront
- Finir (to finish): je finirai, tu finiras, il/elle finira, nous finirons, vous finirez, ils/elles finiront
- Vendre (to sell): je vendrai, tu vendras, il/elle vendra, nous vendrons, vous vendrez, ils/elles vendront
- Near Future (Futur Proche): Used for actions that are about to happen. It’s formed with the present tense of aller + infinitive of the main verb.
Example:
- Je vais parler (I am going to speak)
- Tu vas finir (You are going to finish)
- Il va vendre (He is going to sell)
The simple future is more formal and often used in writing, while the near future is common in spoken French. Both convey future meaning, so context helps determine which to use.
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Table of Contents
- Futur Proche
Futur Proche in French grammar, showing how to use the near future tense with conjugation rules and examples.
- Futur Simple
The French futur simple tense, including how to form it, common irregular verbs, and examples of usage in context.
- Futur Antérieur
The futur antérieur is a French past future tense used to describe actions that will have been completed before another future event or point in time.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
