Simple Future in French

Overview

The simple future, or futur simple, is the formal future tense in French. Unlike the near future (futur proche) that you learned at A2, the futur simple is a single conjugated verb form -- no auxiliary needed. It is used for predictions, promises, formal plans, and actions set further in the future.

At the B1 level, learning the futur simple significantly expands your ability to discuss future events with precision and appropriate register. While spoken French often favors the futur proche, the futur simple is essential in writing, formal speech, news broadcasts, and whenever you want to sound more polished.

The formation is refreshingly regular: take the infinitive form of the verb and add endings that look a lot like the present tense of avoir. The main challenge lies in memorizing the irregular stems, but many of them follow recognizable patterns.

How It Works

Regular formation

Infinitive + endings

Subject	Ending	parler	finir	vendre
je	-ai	parlerai	finirai	vendrai
tu	-as	parleras	finiras	vendras
il/elle/on	-a	parlera	finira	vendra
nous	-ons	parlerons	finirons	vendrons
vous	-ez	parlerez	finirez	vendrez
ils/elles	-ont	parleront	finiront	vendront

Note: for -re verbs, drop the final -e before adding the endings.

Irregular stems

Verb	Irregular Stem	Example (je)
etre	ser-	je serai
avoir	aur-	j'aurai
aller	ir-	j'irai
faire	fer-	je ferai
venir	viendr-	je viendrai
voir	verr-	je verrai
pouvoir	pourr-	je pourrai
vouloir	voudr-	je voudrai
savoir	saur-	je saurai
devoir	devr-	je devrai
envoyer	enverr-	j'enverrai
courir	courr-	je courrai
mourir	mourr-	je mourrai

The endings are always the same, even with irregular stems.

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
Je parlerai francais.	I will speak French.	Regular -er verb
Tu seras content.	You will be happy.	Irregular: etre
Nous irons a Paris.	We will go to Paris.	Irregular: aller
Ils feront le travail.	They will do the work.	Irregular: faire
Il pleuvra demain.	It will rain tomorrow.	Weather forecast
Vous aurez le temps.	You will have time.	Irregular: avoir
Je te telephonerai ce soir.	I'll call you tonight.	Promise
Quand tu viendras, on mangera ensemble.	When you come, we'll eat together.	Future after quand
Elle ne pourra pas venir.	She won't be able to come.	Negative + irregular
Si tu etudies, tu reussiras.	If you study, you will succeed.	Si + present, futur simple
Nous verrons bien.	We'll see.	Common expression
Un jour, je voyagerai partout.	One day, I'll travel everywhere.	Aspiration

Common Mistakes

Using futur simple after si (if)

• Wrong: Si je serai libre, je viendrai.
• Right: Si je suis libre, je viendrai.
• Why: After si (if), French uses the present tense, never the future. The future goes in the result clause only.

Forgetting to drop the -e in -re verbs

• Wrong: Je vendreai.
• Right: Je vendrai.
• Why: For -re verbs, you must remove the final -e from the infinitive before adding the future endings.

Confusing irregular stems

• Wrong: Je allerai. or Je fairai.
• Right: J'irai. / Je ferai.
• Why: Many common verbs have irregular future stems that must be memorized. The endings remain regular, but the stem changes.

Using futur simple after quand in English-thinking mode

• Wrong (English logic): Using present tense after "when" as in English
• Right: Quand il arrivera, nous mangerons. (When he arrives, we'll eat.)
• Why: Unlike English, French uses the future tense after quand, lorsque, des que, and aussitot que when the action is in the future.

Usage Notes

The futur simple and futur proche are not always interchangeable. Here are the key distinctions:

• Futur proche suggests something planned, imminent, or certain: Je vais manger (I'm about to eat / I'm going to eat)
• Futur simple suggests something more distant, formal, or less certain: Un jour, je voyagerai (Someday I'll travel)
• In formal writing (journalism, literature, business), the futur simple is strongly preferred
• In casual conversation, the futur proche dominates, and using the futur simple can sound bookish
• After quand, lorsque, des que, you must use the futur simple, never the futur proche

Practice Tips

1. Memorize the irregular stems in groups: the double-r stems (verr-, pourr-, courr-, mourr-, enverr-), the shortened stems (ser-, fer-, aur-), and the -dr- stems (viendr-, voudri-, tiendri-). Grouping makes memorization much easier.
2. Practice by making predictions: write ten sentences about what the world will be like in ten years, using the futur simple. This forces you to use a variety of verbs.
3. Read a French news article and circle all futur simple forms. News writing uses this tense heavily, giving you excellent real-world exposure.

Related Concepts

• Near Future -- the informal alternative using aller + infinitive
• Present Conditional -- uses the same irregular stems with different endings
• Future Perfect -- the compound future for actions completed before a future point