Use the near future and the simple future tenses to talk about what will happen in the future. Find out how to form and use them and check your understanding with activities and a quiz.
The futur proche (near future tense) describes what is going to happen with certainty and is very commonly used in French. For example, Je vais faire les courses. 鈥 I鈥檓 going to do some shopping.
The futur simple (simple future) describes what will happen for predictions and future projects and in sentences with si and quand. For example, J鈥檌rai 脿 l鈥檜niversit茅 si j鈥檃i mon bac. - I鈥檒l go to university if I pass my A levels.
Verbs that denote a future wish, with an infinitiveThe form of the verb that has not been conjugated and is usually translated with 'to' in English, for example 'to play'. , are often used to talk about the future. For example, Je voudrais aller 脿 l鈥檜niversit茅 脿 l鈥檃venir. 鈥 I would like to go to university in the future.
Useful verbs denoting a future wish include:
je voudrais + infinitive (I would like to/I鈥檇 like to)
je veux + infinitive (I want to)
箩鈥檈蝉辫猫谤别 + infinitive (I hope to)
j鈥檃i l鈥檌ntention de + infinitive (I plan to)
The future can also be expressed using the present tenseA verb that describes an action that is happening now or that happens regularly, eg I eat breakfast every day. with a future time phrase. For example, on va au cin茅ma cet apr猫s-midi. 鈥 we鈥檙e going to the cinema this afternoon.
Useful future time phrases that can be used with any of the above structures include:
脿 l鈥檃venir
in the future
l鈥檃nn茅e prochaine
next year
la semaine prochaine
next week
le weekend prochain
next weekend
demain
tomorrow
plus tard
later (on), in the future
ce soir
this evening
产颈别苍迟么迟
soon
脿 l鈥檃venir
in the future
l鈥檃nn茅e prochaine
next year
la semaine prochaine
next week
le weekend prochain
next weekend
demain
tomorrow
plus tard
later (on), in the future
ce soir
this evening
产颈别苍迟么迟
soon
When using quand (when) to refer to a time in the future, a future verb is needed, eg quand j鈥檃urai 18 ans 鈥 when I am 18.