grammar
Le futur simple: Expressing what "will" happen.
The near future (le futur proche) and the simple future (le futur simple) can both describe future events. The near future is especially common for plans and intentions; the simple future is frequent in writing, predictions, promises, and more formal speech. The two forms overlap.
The Regular Pattern
For most regular verbs, use the infinitive as the stem and add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. For regular -re verbs, remove the final e: vendre becomes je vendrai.
| Singulier | Pluriel |
|---|---|
| je parlerai | nous parlerons |
| tu parleras | vous parlerez |
| il/elle/on parlera | ils/elles parleront |
The Irregular Stems
Some of the most essential verbs in French have irregular stems in the future tense. The good news? The endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) never change! You only need to memorize the new stem, which almost always ends in an "r".
aller ➔ j'irai... (I will go)
être ➔ je serai... (I will be)
avoir ➔ j'aurai... (I will have)
pouvoir ➔ je pourrai... (I will be able to)
faire ➔ je ferai... (I will do/make)
voir ➔ je verrai... (I will see)
venir ➔ je viendrai... (I will come)
vendre ➔ je vendrai... (I will sell)
« L'année prochaine, nous voyagerons au Japon. » (Next year, we will travel to Japan.)
« Je ferai mes devoirs demain matin. » (I will do my homework tomorrow morning.)
« Ils auront une grande maison. » (They will have a big house.)