grammar
Le futur proche: Expressing your plans and intentions.
When you want to talk about things you are "going to do," French uses a very simple and highly common tense called le futur proche (the near future). It works exactly like the English "going to" structure.
The Basic Structure: « Aller » + Infinitif
To form this tense, you simply take the present tense of the verb aller (to go) and follow it immediately with your action verb in its full, unconjugated form (the infinitive).
« Je vais manger au restaurant. » (I am going to eat at the restaurant.)
« Nous allons visiter le musée. » (We are going to visit the museum.)
« Elle va lire ce livre. » (She is going to read this book.)
The Negative Form
When you want to say you are not going to do something, remember your negative verb sandwich! The ne...pas goes exclusively around the conjugated verb (aller), leaving the infinitive outside.
« Vous n'allez pas travailler demain. » (You are not going to work tomorrow.)
« Il ne va rien dire ! » (He is going to say nothing!)
Why use the futur proche instead of the standard future tense (le futur simple)? The near future expresses an intention or a relatively certain future. Compare these two ideas:
« Nous allons voyager en Espagne. »
(C'est décidé! - It is decided, the tickets are likely bought.)
« Nous voyagerons en Espagne. »
(Peut-être, si c'est possible - Maybe one day, if it's possible.)