By the end of this lesson you'll be able to form the futur simple of many common verbs, and use it to make predictions and promises.
How it's formed
The future is one of the easiest tenses to build. Take the infinitive and add these endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je parlerai / tu parleras / il parlera | zhuh par-luh-RAY / tew par-luh-RAH / eel par-luh-RAH | I will speak / you will speak / he will speak |
| nous parlerons / vous parlerez / ils parleront | noo par-luh-ROHN / voo par-luh-RAY / eel par-luh-ROHN | we will speak / you will speak / they will speak |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je finirai / tu finiras / il finira | zhuh fee-nee-RAY / tew fee-nee-RAH / eel fee-nee-RAH | I will finish / you will finish / he will finish |
| nous finirons / vous finirez / ils finiront | noo fee-nee-ROHN / voo fee-nee-RAY / eel fee-nee-ROHN | we will finish / you will finish / they will finish |
Verbs ending in -re drop the final -e first. So attendre gives j'attendrai, vendre gives je vendrai, and prendre gives je prendrai.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'attendrai / tu attendras / il attendra | zhah-tahn-DRAY / tew ah-tahn-DRAH / ee-lah-tahn-DRAH | I will wait / you will wait / he will wait |
| nous attendrons / vous attendrez / ils attendront | noo-zah-tahn-DROHN / voo-zah-tahn-DRAY / eel-zah-tahn-DROHN | we will wait / you will wait / they will wait |
Other verbs you know follow this rule too: mettre (je mettrai), dire (je dirai), lire (je lirai), écrire (j'écrirai), boire (je boirai) and dormir (je dormirai).
Je parlerai à Marie.
I will speak to Marie.
Nous finirons à six heures.
We will finish at six o'clock.
Elles prendront le train.
They will take the train.
How it sounds
You can always hear the r just before the ending. That's what tells you it's the future. -ai and -ez sound alike, as in je parlerai and vous parlerez.
Two small spelling changes
Some verbs change their spelling slightly in the future.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'achèterai | zhah-sheh-tuh-RAY | I will buy |
| j'appellerai | zhah-pel-RAY | I will call |
| je mangerai | zhuh mahn-zhuh-RAY | I will eat |
Acheter takes a grave accent: j'achèterai. Appeler doubles its l: j'appellerai. Manger doesn't change: je mangerai.
Four irregular stems
Four common verbs have a special stem, with the same endings as usual. Other verbs have irregular stems too, and you'll meet those later.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je serai / tu seras / il sera | zhuh suh-RAY / tew suh-RAH / eel suh-RAH | I will be / you will be / he will be |
| nous serons / vous serez / ils seront | noo suh-ROHN / voo suh-RAY / eel suh-ROHN | we will be / you will be / they will be |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'aurai / tu auras / il aura | zhoh-RAY / tew oh-RAH / ee-loh-RAH | I will have / you will have / he will have |
| nous aurons / vous aurez / ils auront | noo-zoh-ROHN / voo-zoh-RAY / eel-zoh-ROHN | we will have / you will have / they will have |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| j'irai / tu iras / il ira | zhee-RAY / tew ee-RAH / ee-lee-RAH | I will go / you will go / he will go |
| nous irons / vous irez / ils iront | noo-zee-ROHN / voo-zee-RAY / eel-zee-ROHN | we will go / you will go / they will go |
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je ferai / tu feras / il fera | zhuh fuh-RAY / tew fuh-RAH / eel fuh-RAH | I will do, make / you will do, make / he will do, make |
| nous ferons / vous ferez / ils feront | noo fuh-ROHN / voo fuh-RAY / eel fuh-ROHN | we will do, make / you will do, make / they will do, make |
Two forms come up very often. You'll know the weather words from the lesson on weather and seasons.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| il y aura | eel-yoh-RAH | there will be |
| il fera beau | eel fuh-rah BOH | the weather will be nice |
| l'année prochaine | lah-nay proh-SHEN | next year |
L'année prochaine, je serai à Lille.
Next year, I'll be in Lille.
Tu auras un vélo ?
Will you have a bike?
Nous irons au Maroc en juillet.
We will go to Morocco in July.
Il y aura des bus.
There will be some buses.
The time words from the lesson on the near future work here too: demain, la semaine prochaine, bientôt, and en with a month or a year.
Near future or futur simple?
You already know two ways of talking about the future, and they often overlap. In everyday speech, either usually works.
- The near future (aller + infinitive) is common for plans and things coming soon: Je vais partir demain.
- The futur simple is common for things further ahead, for promises, for predictions, and in formal writing: Je partirai en 2030.
A weather forecast
- Quel temps fera-t-il demain ? (What will the weather be like tomorrow?)
- Demain, il fera beau à Nice. (Tomorrow, the weather will be nice in Nice.)
- Et à Lille ? (And in Lille?)
- Il fera froid à Lille, et il y aura du vent. (It will be cold in Lille, and it will be windy.)
Travel plans
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| une photo | ewn foh-TOH | a photoPrendre des photos: to take photos. |
L'année prochaine, j'irai au Canada avec ma sœur. Nous prendrons l'avion en juin. Nous serons à Montréal et nous irons au Québec. Je prendrai des photos et j'écrirai à mes parents. (Next year, I'll go to Canada with my sister. We'll take the plane in June. We'll be in Montréal, and we'll go to Québec. I'll take some photos and I'll write to my parents.)
What's next
Next, the lesson on booking a hotel helps you plan where to stay. You'll use the futur simple again in the review of this unit.