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French The Near Future

The futur proche says what is going to happen: present tense of aller + infinitive, as in Je vais appeler le client. It is the everyday way to talk about plans.

  • CEFR A1
  • 8-question quiz
  • 1 exercise
Aller + infinitive (parler)
  1. je→je vais parlerI am going to speak
  2. tu→tu vas parleryou are going to speak
  3. il / elle / on→elle va parlershe is going to speak
  4. nous→nous allons parlerwe are going to speak
  5. vous→vous allez parleryou are going to speak
  6. ils / elles→ils vont parlerthey are going to speak

Use the near future and the simple future tenses to talk about what will happen in the future. The futur proche (near future) tense describes what is going to happen with certainty.

When one expresses that they “are going to do something,” they are talking in the near future tense. The near future tense literally means that something is going to happen soon. The formation of the near future tense is simple:

Subject + conjugated form of aller + the infinitive of the verb that describes the future action

Remember that the infinitive of a verb is just a verb in its unconjugated form. It translates to “to do something.”  Examples of infinitives are parler,  finir, attendre, être, faire, aller, etc…

Examples of the near future:

Je vais aller au parc à 16h.                             I am going to go to the park at 4 o’clock.

Tu vas choisir le restaurant ce soir.                You are going to choose the restaurant tonight.

Il va partir demain.                                         He is going to leave tomorrow.

Nous allons écouter de la musique.                We are going to listen to music.

Vous allez vendre des légumes au marché.    You are going to sell some vegetables at the market. 

Ils vont rater le train!                                      They are going to miss the train!

There are two future tenses in French, the simple future and the near future (le futur proche). The futur proche is usually translated into English as going + infinitive (e.g., going to eat, going to drink, going to talk). The futur proche is characteristic of spoken French but is also used in writing, both informal and formal. It is formed with the verb aller (to go) conjugated in the present tense followed by an infinitive.

Key vocabulary

WordMeaningExample
demaintomorrowJe vais envoyer le rapport demain.
ce soirtonight, this eveningTu vas choisir le restaurant ce soir ?
bientôtsoonNous allons bientôt ouvrir un bureau à Lyon.
la semaine prochainenext weekElle va commencer son nouveau poste la semaine prochaine.
partirto leaveIl va partir en déplacement lundi.
raterto miss (a train, a bus)Dépêche-toi, nous allons rater le train !
appelerto callJe vais appeler le client après le déjeuner.
organiserto organizeIls vont organiser une réunion vendredi.

Practice: French The Near Future

Work through the exercises, then test yourself with the quiz. Learn from your mistakes and try again as often as you like.

Exercises

Form the near future

Complete with aller in the present tense + the infinitive in parentheses.

  1. Mes amis et moi, nous ______ à la piscine cet après-midi. (nager)

    My friends and I are going to swim at the pool this afternoon.

    Show answer

    allons nager

  2. Tous les acteurs du film ______ dans le théâtre. (entrer)

    All the actors in the movie are going to enter the theater.

    Show answer

    vont entrer

  3. ______-tu ______ avec la nouvelle recette ? (cuisiner)

    Are you going to cook with the new recipe?

    Show answer

    Vas-tu cuisiner

  4. Vous ______ votre opinion pendant le débat ? (donner)

    Are you going to give your opinion during the debate?

    Show answer

    allez donner

  5. Dimanche matin, je ______ des fleurs avec ma grand-mère. (planter)

    Sunday morning, I am going to plant some flowers with my grandmother.

    Show answer

    vais planter

  6. Mon directeur ______ le budget demain. (présenter)

    My manager is going to present the budget tomorrow.

    Show answer

    va présenter

  7. Les clients ______ le contrat la semaine prochaine. (signer)

    The clients are going to sign the contract next week.

    Show answer

    vont signer

  8. Je ______ ce soir. (ne pas travailler)

    I am not going to work tonight. Ne… pas goes around aller.

    Show answer

    ne vais pas travailler

Quiz: 8 questions

1. How is the futur proche formed?
2. Nous ______ écouter de la musique.
3. What does "Il va partir demain" mean?
4. Choose the correct sentence.
5. Where do ne and pas go in the near future?
6. Ils ______ rater le train !
7. How do you say "Are you going to call Marc?" (tu, inversion)
8. Which sentence is in the futur proche?

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