French Future Simple
French Future Simple (Le Futur Simple)
The Future Simple is used for things that will happen in the future, predictions, and intentions. It corresponds to "will" in English.
How to Conjugate the Future Simple
To form the future simple, take the infinitive as the stem and add the future endings (which are essentially the present forms of the verb avoir, except for nous and vous).
For -re verbs, drop the final -e from the infinitive before adding the endings.
| Person | Ending | Example (parler) |
|---|---|---|
| je | -ai | parlerai |
| tu | -as | parleras |
| il/elle | -a | parlera |
| nous | -ons | parlerons |
| vous | -ez | parlerez |
| ils/elles | -ont | parleront |
Common Irregular Verbs
Many verbs have irregular stems in the future, but they all use the same endings:
- Avoir: j'aurai
- Être: je serai
- Aller: j'irai
- Faire: je ferai
- Savoir: je saurai
- Pouvoir: je pourrai
- Vouloir: je voudrai
- Venir: je viendrai
- Voir: je verrai
Future Simple vs. Near Future (Futur Proche)
While the Futur Proche (aller + infinitive) is used for things happening soon or things you are certain about, the Futur Simple is more formal and used for general predictions or long-term intentions.