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The futur proche (near future) is the easiest way to talk about the future in French. It is formed with the verb aller (to go) conjugated in the present tense, followed by an infinitive. It is the equivalent of English "going to do" something.
Subject + aller (present tense) + infinitive
| Subject | Aller |
|---|---|
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il / elle / on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils / elles | vont |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais manger. | I am going to eat. |
| Tu vas partir. | You are going to leave. |
| Il va finir ses devoirs. | He is going to finish his homework. |
| Elle va prendre le train. | She is going to take the train. |
| On va regarder un film. | We are going to watch a film. |
| Nous allons voyager en France. | We are going to travel to France. |
| Vous allez comprendre. | You are going to understand. |
| Ils vont acheter une maison. | They are going to buy a house. |
| Elles vont se marier. | They are going to get married. |
Tip: The futur proche is used far more in everyday spoken French than the futur simple. It is the go-to way to express future plans in conversation.
Place ne...pas around aller (not the infinitive):
| Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|
| Je vais manger. | Je ne vais pas manger. |
| Tu vas partir. | Tu ne vas pas partir. |
| Elle va venir. | Elle ne va pas venir. |
| Nous allons sortir. | Nous n'allons pas sortir. |
| Ils vont travailler. | Ils ne vont pas travailler. |
Tip: In spoken French, the "ne" is often dropped: "Je vais pas manger." Include it in writing.
The reflexive pronoun goes before the infinitive:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais me lever tôt. | I am going to get up early. |
| Tu vas te coucher. | You are going to go to bed. |
| Elle va s'habiller. | She is going to get dressed. |
| Nous allons nous promener. | We are going to go for a walk. |
| Ils vont se dépêcher. | They are going to hurry. |
Object pronouns also go before the infinitive:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais le faire. | I am going to do it. |
| Tu vas lui parler. | You are going to talk to him/her. |
| Elle va les acheter. | She is going to buy them. |
| Nous allons en manger. | We are going to eat some. |
| Vous allez y aller. | You are going to go there. |
In some contexts, French uses the present tense for future events (like English "I leave tomorrow"):
| Present (scheduled) | Futur Proche (planned) |
|---|---|
| Le train part à 8h. (The train leaves at 8.) | Je vais prendre le train de 8h. (I'm going to take the 8 o'clock train.) |
| L'école commence lundi. (School starts Monday.) | Je vais commencer l'école lundi. (I'm going to start school Monday.) |
| French | English |
|---|---|
| demain | tomorrow |
| ce soir | tonight / this evening |
| cet après-midi | this afternoon |
| la semaine prochaine | next week |
| le mois prochain | next month |
| l'année prochaine | next year |
| bientôt | soon |
| dans cinq minutes | in five minutes |
| plus tard | later |
| tout à l'heure | in a little while |
| Mistake | Why It Is Wrong | Correct Version |
|---|---|---|
| Je vais mangé. | Must use infinitive, not past participle | Je vais manger. |
| Je vais de manger. | No "de" — aller is followed directly by infinitive | Je vais manger. |
| Je ne vais manger pas. | Ne...pas must wrap around aller | Je ne vais pas manger. |
| Je vais me lever. (correct!) | This is actually correct! | — |
Exercise 1: Form the futur proche.
Answers: 1. vais travailler 2. va partir 3. allons manger 4. vas te coucher 5. vont acheter
Exercise 2: Make these negative.
Answers: 1. Je ne vais pas sortir. 2. Elle ne va pas venir. 3. Nous n'allons pas manger.
Exercise 3: Translate into French.
Answers: 1. Je vais lire un livre. 2. Ils vont voyager en Espagne. 3. Tu vas venir demain? / Est-ce que tu vas venir demain? 4. Elle va s'habiller.
| Concept | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Futur proche (near future) |
| Formation | aller (present) + infinitive |
| Negation | ne + aller + pas + infinitive |
| Reflexive | aller + reflexive pronoun + infinitive |
| Object pronouns | aller + pronoun + infinitive |
| Use | Plans, intentions, predictions, imminent events |