Understanding the future tense in French with conjugation tables

Learning French can be an exciting journey, and mastering its tenses is crucial to becoming fluent. The future tense in French, known as “le futur simple,” is essential for expressing actions that will happen.

This guide will look into the rules, conjugation patterns, usage, and nuances of the French future tense, ensuring you feel confident using it in your conversations and writing.

Future tense in French and their conjugations

The future tense in French is used to describe actions that will take place at a later time. Like the English future tense, which uses “will” or “shall,” the French future tense conveys certainty about future events. For example:

English: I will eat.

French: Je mangerai.

In French, the future tense is formed by adding specific endings to the verb’s infinitive form.

Regular verb conjugations

Regular verbs in French are categorized into three groups based on their infinitive endings: -er, -ir, and -re. Each group follows a predictable pattern for conjugation in the future tense.

 -ER Verbs

For regular -er verbs, the future tense endings are added directly to the verb’s infinitive form. Here is a table for the conjugation of “parler” (to speak):

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	parlerai	I will speak
Tu	parleras	You will speak
Il/Elle/On	parlera	He/She/One will speak
Nous	parlerons	We will speak
Vous	parlerez	You will speak
Ils/Elles	parleront	They will speak

-IR Verbs

Regular -ir verbs, like “finir” (to finish), follow a similar pattern. The future tense endings are added to the infinitive form:

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	finirai	I will finish
Tu	finiras	You will finish
Il/Elle/On	finira	He/She/One will finish
Nous	finirons	We will finish
Vous	finirez	You will finish
Ils/Elles	finiront	They will finish

-RE Verbs

For regular -re verbs, such as “vendre” (to sell), the final -e of the infinitive is dropped before adding the future tense endings:

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	vendrai	I will sell
Tu	vendras	You will sell
Il/Elle/On	vendra	He/She/One will sell
Nous	vendrons	We will sell
Vous	vendrez	You will sell
Ils/Elles	vendront	They will sell

Mastering common French verbs is necessary to carry out oral and written conversations. Learning French grammar is also necessary to sound like native French speakers. Now that we have decoded regular verb conjugation, let’s move towards irregular verb conjugations.

Irregular verb conjugations

Many frequently used French verbs are irregular in the future tense. These verbs do not follow the standard conjugation patterns and must be memorized. Here are tables for some of the most common irregular verbs:

Être (to be)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	serai	I will be
Tu	seras	You will be
Il/Elle/On	sera	He/She/One will be
Nous	serons	We will be
Vous	serez	You will be
Ils/Elles	seront	They will be

Avoir (to have)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
J’	aurai	I will have
Tu	auras	You will have
Il/Elle/On	aura	He/She/One will have
Nous	aurons	We will have
Vous	aurez	You will have
Ils/Elles	auront	They will have

Aller (to go)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
J’	irai	I will go
Tu	iras	You will go
Il/Elle/On	ira	He/She/One will go
Nous	irons	We will go
Vous	irez	You will go
Ils/Elles	iront	They will go

Faire (to do/make)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	ferai	I will do
Tu	feras	You will do
Il/Elle/On	fera	He/She/One will do
Nous	ferons	We will do
Vous	ferez	You will do
Ils/Elles	feront	They will do

Venir (to come)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	viendrai	I will come
Tu	viendras	You will come
Il/Elle/On	viendra	He/She/One will come
Nous	viendrons	We will come
Vous	viendrez	You will come
Ils/Elles	viendront	They will come

Voir (to see)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	verrai	I will see
Tu	verras	You will see
Il/Elle/On	verra	He/She/One will see
Nous	verrons	We will see
Vous	verrez	You will see
Ils/Elles	verront	They will see

Pouvoir (to be able to)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	pourrai	I will be able to
Tu	pourras	You will be able to
Il/Elle/On	pourra	He/She/One will be able to
Nous	pourrons	We will be able to
Vous	pourrez	You will be able to
Ils/Elles	pourront	They will be able to

Vouloir (to want)

Pronoun	Conjugation	Translation
Je	voudrai	I will want
Tu	voudras	You will want
Il/Elle/On	voudra	He/She/One will want
Nous	voudrons	We will want
Vous	voudrez	You will want
Ils/Elles	voudront	They will want

Understanding the usage of future tense in French

The future tense in French is used in several contexts:

• Expressing future actions

To describe actions that will happen: Demain, je partirai en voyage. (Tomorrow, I will go on a trip.)

• Making predictions

To predict future events:  Il fera beau demain. (It will be sunny tomorrow.)

• Expressing intentions

To express what you intend to do: Nous finirons ce projet la semaine prochaine. (We will finish this project next week.)

• Giving orders or instructions

Often used in formal or written instructions: Vous remplirez ce formulaire. (You will fill out this form.)

• Conditional clauses

When paired with “si” (if) in conditional sentences: Si tu étudies, tu réussiras. (If you study, you will succeed.)

It is necessary to practice these concepts regularly to become good at French. When learning the future tense in French, you must be mindful of some common pitfalls. Keep the following points in mind while conjugating future tense in French.

Some common mistakes to avoid

• Incorrect endings: Ensure you are using the correct future tense endings for each verb group.
• Mixing tenses: Avoid mixing future tense with other tenses in the same sentence unless grammatically required.
• Forgetting irregular forms: Do not apply regular conjugation patterns to irregular verbs.
• Misplacing pronouns: Place pronouns correctly in sentences to maintain clarity and accuracy.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form the future tense in French?

To form the future tense in French, you generally add specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb. For regular verbs, the endings are: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. However, irregular verbs have unique forms that must be memorized.

Are there any irregular verbs in the future tense?

There are many irregular verbs in the future tense. Common irregular verbs include être, avoir, aller, faire, venir, voir, pouvoir, and vouloir, among others. These verbs have unique stems and endings that do not follow the regular pattern.

Is the future tense commonly used in spoken French?

The future tense is commonly used in spoken French, especially in formal speech, to express future actions, intentions, or predictions. In informal speech, the near future (futur proche) is often preferred.

Conclusion

Mastering the future tense in French is an essential step in your language-learning journey. By understanding the rules, practicing regularly, and being aware of common mistakes, you can confidently use the future tense to express your intentions, predictions, and plans.

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