{"id":117330,"date":"2023-08-21T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T20:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/french-future-tense\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T07:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T11:12:03","slug":"french-future-tense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/french\/french-future-tense\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Future Tense in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future is one of the most dynamic topics in any language. In French, mastering future tenses allows you to express these plans and ideas with precision. From simple statements to complex sequences, French has a variety of future forms that add depth to conversation.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s explore when and how to use these tenses to talk confidently about what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n

When to Use the Future Tenses<\/h2>\n

French has multiple future\u00a0<\/em>tenses, and just like in English, they’re used when referring to events that haven’t occurred yet\u2014things that will take place anytime in l’avenir<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(the future). The indicative tense forms of\u00a0the future\u00a0<\/em>tense\u00a0<\/em>are also sometimes used to express other things, such as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Politeness<\/strong>: “Je vous demanderai de ne pas faire de bruit.”\u00a0<\/em>(I have to ask you to not make noise.)<\/li>\n
  2. Probability or hypothesis<\/strong>: “Si \u00e7a sonne \u00e0 la porte, ce sera s\u00fbrement lui” <\/em>(If it rings at the door, it will surely be him.)<\/li>\n
  3. Emotion<\/strong>: “Nous devrons tout supporter en silence.”<\/em>\u00a0(We must endure everything silently.)\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Of course, it expresses the future as well, and it can be simple to use.<\/p>\n

    Simple Future vs. Future Perfect: What’s the Difference?<\/i><\/h2>\n

    The simple future tense (le futur simple<\/em>)<\/strong>\u00a0is the basic form of the future, and the English equivalent of “will + verb<\/strong>.” Here’s an example of how the simple future tense is used:<\/p>\n

    Ils mangeront dans l’avion. <\/em>(They will eat on the plane.)<\/p>\n

    Note that in French, there is no translation for the often-used “will” in English. The future tense is one entity; more specifically, it is made of the entire verb plus an ending, depending on what subject is being used.<\/p>\n

    In the above case, ils\u00a0<\/em>refers to a group of people (“Il”<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>meaning “he” and the extra “s” meaning “they,” referring to either a group of men or a group of men and women).\u00a0Ils\u00a0<\/em>(and elles,\u00a0<\/em>which is used for groups of women)\u00a0gets an ending of\u00a0-ont<\/em>\u00a0at the end. For further explanation about what endings go with what subject, see the conjugation section below.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

    The future perfect tense (le futur ant\u00e9rieur<\/em>)<\/strong>, on the other hand, expresses an act that will have happened<\/strong> in the future. Here’s an example of how the future perfect tense is used:<\/p>\n

    Demain, j’aurai d\u00e9j\u00e0 lu mon livre. <\/em>(Tomorrow, I will have already read my book.)<\/p>\n

    See here how this tense is very specific. You know for a fact that you’ve set aside time to read the book tomorrow, and, therefore, it will be finished.<\/p>\n

    Oftentimes, these two tenses are used together:<\/p>\n

    Quand j’aurai d\u00e9jeun\u00e9, je travaillerai. <\/i>(After I’ve eaten, I will start working).<\/p>\n

    The first half of that sentence is in the future perfect tense,\u00a0<\/em>and expresses an action (eating) that you know will have to be completed before you are able to complete the next action in the future (working, expressed with the simple future tense).<\/p>\n

    Conjugating Future Tenses in French<\/h2>\n

    \"501<\/a><\/p>\n

    Here’s how to conjugate both tenses. One of my favorite tools for looking up irregular conjugations is WordReference<\/a>, as well as my book of\u00a0“501 French Verbs”<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The guidelines are for regular conjugations<\/strong>, so use the aforementioned tools for complete conjugating rules. You’ll also find some common irregular verbs conjugated in the simple future tense below.<\/p>\n

    Simple Future Tense in French<\/b>
    \n<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n

    Formation of Simple Future Tense: <\/strong>Use the entire verb as the stem, adding -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont <\/em>at the end.<\/p>\n

    Here are two examples of regular -er<\/em><\/a> and -ir<\/em><\/a> verbs<\/strong> conjugated in the simple future tense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Parler<\/em><\/strong> (to speak)<\/th>Finir<\/em> (to finish)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Je parlerai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je finirai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu parleras<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu finiras<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle parlera<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle finira<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous parlerons<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous finirons<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous parlerez<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous finirez<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles parleront<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles finiront<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Regular\u00a0-re<\/em><\/a>\u00a0verbs also follow a pattern<\/strong>: simply remove the “e” from the ending of the infinitive and add your future endings. For example: for descendre\u00a0<\/em>(to descend, to go down) and apprendre <\/em>(to learn), add the future endings to the stem descendr- <\/em>(je descendr<\/em>ai<\/em>, etc) and apprendr- <\/em>(je apprendrai<\/em>, etc) respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Descendre<\/em><\/strong> (to descend, to go down)<\/th>Apprendre <\/em> (to learn)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Je descendrai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> J'apprendrai<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu descendras<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu apprendras<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle descendra<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle apprendra<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous descendrons<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous apprendrons<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous descendrez<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous apprendrez<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles descendront<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles apprendront<\/strong> <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    \u00ca<\/em>tre\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and\u00a0Avoir <\/strong><\/i>in the Simple\u00a0<\/strong>Future Tense<\/h3>\n

    \u00catre<\/strong> <\/em>(to be)\u00a0<\/em>and avoir<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/i>(to have) are not only basic verbs in French, but are also helping verbs for the future perfect tense. They have\u00a0irregular conjugations in the simple future tense,\u00a0<\/em>just as they’re irregular in the present tense. Since we’ll be using their simple future conjugations when we form the future perfect tense, here are their simple future tense conjugations for reference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Avoir<\/em><\/strong> (to have)<\/th>\u00catre<\/em><\/strong> (to be)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    J'aurai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je serai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu auras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu seras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle aura <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle sera <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous aurons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous serons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous aurez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous serez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles auront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles seront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Notice that with irregular verbs, it’s only the stem that changes<\/strong>\u2014the endings remain the same. For avoir<\/em>, the stem is\u00a0aur-,\u00a0<\/em>and for \u00eatre,\u00a0<\/em>it’s\u00a0ser-<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    There are many other verbs that also have irregular conjugations in the simple future tense (meaning the stem changes). Here are some of the most common irregular verb conjugations<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Aller<\/em><\/strong> (to go)<\/th>Faire <\/em><\/strong> (to do, to make)<\/th>Pouvoir <\/em><\/strong> (to be able to)<\/th>Envoyer <\/em><\/strong> (to send)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    J'irai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je ferai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je pourrai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> J'enverrai <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu iras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu feras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu pourras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu enverras <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle ira <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle fera <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle pourra <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle enverra <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous irons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous ferons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous pourrons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous enverrons <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous irez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous ferez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous pourrez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous enverrez <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles iront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles feront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles pourront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles enverront <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    For more irregular verbs in the simple future tense, check out this very useful ThoughtCo. article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Future Perfect Tense in French<\/h3>\n

    Channel your knowledge of the simple past tense<\/a>,<\/em><\/em><\/em> the French tense that uses either\u00a0avoir\u00a0<\/em>or \u00eatre<\/em><\/a> as a stem with a past participle<\/a>. A past participle<\/strong> indicates a past or completed action or time, and there is a specific participle for every verb in the French language.<\/p>\n

    To form the past participle:<\/p>\n

    For regular -er<\/em> verbs<\/strong>, like parler: <\/em>knock off the “r” and accent the “e.” For\u00a0parler,\u00a0<\/em>we get\u00a0parl\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

    For regular -ir <\/em>verbs<\/strong>, like finir: <\/em>take away the “r.” For finir<\/em>, we get fini<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    For regular -re <\/em>verbs<\/strong>, like descendre: <\/em>remove the “re” and add “u.” For descendre<\/em>, we get descendu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    Formation of Future Perfect Tense:<\/strong> Simple future (of main verb’s auxiliary,\u00a0avoir <\/em>or\u00a0\u00eatre<\/em>) + past participle (of main verb).<\/p>\n

    How do you know which helping verb to use (avoir\u00a0<\/em>or \u00eatre<\/em>)? Well, each French verb either takes one or the other, so with time you’ll learn which verbs go with which helping verb.<\/p>\n

    For now, know that most verbs that use\u00a0\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>are verbs of movement (although not all verbs of movement use \u00eatre<\/em>). Reflexive verbs<\/a> such as s’habiller\u00a0<\/em>(to get dressed) also use\u00a0\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>as their helping verb.<\/p>\n

    The best way to remember when starting out is to familiarize yourself with the main verbs that take\u00a0\u00eatre\u00a0<\/em>as its helping verb. When I was learning French, my French professors suggested the following mnemonic:\u00a0DR. AND MRS. VANDERTRAMPP.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    D<\/strong>evenir <\/em>(to come from)
    \nR<\/strong>evenir <\/em>(to come back, to return)
    \n&<\/strong><\/em>
    \nM<\/strong>onter <\/em>(to go up, climb)
    \nR<\/strong>ester <\/em>(to stay)
    \nS<\/strong>ortir <\/em>(to go out)<\/p>\n

    V<\/strong>enir <\/em>(to come)
    \nA<\/strong>ller <\/em>(to go)
    \nN<\/strong>a\u00eetre <\/em>(to be born)
    \nD<\/strong>escendre <\/em>(to go down)
    \nE<\/strong>ntrer <\/em>(to enter)
    \nR<\/strong>entrer <\/em>(to return)
    \nT<\/strong>omber <\/em>(to fall)
    \nR<\/strong>etourner <\/em>(to return)
    \nA<\/strong>rriver <\/em>(to arrive, to come)
    \nM<\/strong>ourir <\/em>(to die)
    \nP<\/strong>artir <\/em>(to leave)
    \nP<\/strong>asser <\/em>(to pass [by])<\/p>\n

    This list is not exhaustive, but it covers the verbs that people use most often.<\/p>\n

    Here are some of these verbs conjugated in the future perfect tense:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Aller<\/em><\/strong> (to go)<\/th>Sortir<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (to go out)<\/th>Descendre<\/em><\/strong> (to descend, to go down)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Je serai all\u00e9\/all\u00e9e <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je serai sorti\/sortie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Je serai descendu\/descendue <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu seras all\u00e9\/all\u00e9e <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu seras sorti\/sortie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu seras descendu\/descendue <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle sera all\u00e9\/all\u00e9e <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle sera sorti\/sortie <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle sera descendu\/descendue <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous serons all\u00e9s\/all\u00e9es <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous serons sortis\/sorties <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous serons descendus\/descendues <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous serez all\u00e9s\/all\u00e9es <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous serez sortis\/sorties <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous serez descendus\/descendues <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles seront all\u00e9s\/all\u00e9es <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles seront sortis\/sorties <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles seront descendu\/descendues <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    The rest of the time, verbs use\u00a0avoir\u00a0<\/em>as their helping verb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The verbs parler <\/em>(to speak), entendre<\/em> (to hear) and finir <\/em>(to finish) take avoir <\/em>as their helping verb. So, to form the future perfect tense, we begin with the conjugated avoir<\/em>\u00a0(in simple future tense) and pair it with the past participle of\u00a0parler, entendre<\/em> or finir<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
    Parler<\/em><\/strong> (to speak)<\/th>Entendre<\/em><\/strong> (to hear)<\/th>Finir<\/em><\/strong> (to finish)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    J'aurai parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> J'aurai entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> J'aurai fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Tu auras parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu auras entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Tu auras fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Il\/Elle aura parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle aura entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Il\/Elle aura fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Nous aurons parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous aurons entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Nous aurons fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vous aurez parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous aurez entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Vous aurez fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ils\/Elles auront parl\u00e9 <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles auront entendu <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> Ils\/Elles auront fini <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    For a full list of past participles, check out this chart.<\/a><\/p>\n

    The Near Future Tense:\u00a0<\/em>Using Aller<\/em>\u00a0to Express the Future<\/h2>\n

    The near future tense (le futur proche<\/em>)<\/strong> is used to express something that will be happening in the very near future<\/strong>, and is formed by conjugating the verb aller <\/em>(to go)\u00a0into the present tense and pairing it with the infinitive verb<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Formation of Near Future Tense:<\/strong> Present tense of aller<\/em>\u00a0+ infinitive (main verb)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t
    Aller<\/em><\/strong> (to go)<\/th><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Je vais <\/a>\n <\/em>
    \n     Tu vas <\/a>\n <\/em>
    \n     Il\/Elle va <\/a>\n <\/em>
    \n     Nous allons <\/a>\n <\/em>
    \n     Vous allez <\/a>\n <\/em>
    \n     Ils\/Elles vont <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>    		+ Infinitive verb<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

    Here’s a sample sentence in the near future tense:<\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 Je vais nager. <\/em>(I am going to swim.)<\/p>\n

    See here that\u00a0aller\u00a0<\/em>is conjugated in the present while\u00a0nager\u00a0<\/em>stays in its infinitive form, unconjugated. You would say this if you were going swimming\u00a0in the near future.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you were going to swim sometime further in the future, your sentence would look more like this:<\/p>\n

    \u00a0 \u00a0 Je nagerai.<\/em>\u00a0(I will swim.)<\/p>\n

    This implies that you will swim sometime in the future. You can, of course, add words to be more specific, like la semaine prochaine\u00a0<\/em>(next week), demain\u00a0<\/em>(tomorrow) or l’\u00e9t\u00e9 prochain\u00a0<\/em>(next summer).<\/p>\n

    The Present Tense as Future in French<\/h2>\n

    In French, the future can also be expressed using the present tense<\/a>. You’ll often see an exchange similar to the one below:<\/p>\n

    John<\/strong>: Je rentre chez moi bient\u00f4t.\u00a0<\/em>(I’m going home soon.)
    \nMolly<\/strong>: Ok, j’arrive dans cinq minutes.\u00a0<\/em>(I’ll be there in five minutes.)<\/p>\n

    Notice here that no future tense is being used in the French. When you use a word that implies the future, like bient\u00f4t\u00a0<\/em>(soon), dans cinq minutes\u00a0<\/em>(in five minutes), l’an prochain\u00a0<\/em>(next year) or demain<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(tomorrow), you’re already expressing the future within the sentence.<\/p>\n

    Therefore, in spoken French, the future is sometimes completely left off.<\/p>\n

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