The future tense in French is used to describe actions or events that will happen. It is equivalent to the English "will" or "shall."
Formation of the Future Tense
Regular Verbs
In French, the future tense is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive of the verb. The endings are the same for all regular verbs, whether they are -er, -ir, or -re verbs.
Endings for Regular Verbs
| Subject Pronoun | Ending |
|---|
| Je | -ai |
| Tu | -as |
| Il/Elle/On | -a |
| Nous | -ons |
| Vous | -ez |
| Ils/Elles | -ont |
Conjugation Examples
Parler (to speak)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | parlerai |
| Tu | parleras |
| Il/Elle/On | parlera |
| Nous | parlerons |
| Vous | parlerez |
| Ils/Elles | parleront |
Finir (to finish)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | finirai |
| Tu | finiras |
| Il/Elle/On | finira |
| Nous | finirons |
| Vous | finirez |
| Ils/Elles | finiront |
Vendre (to sell)
For -re verbs, drop the final -e before adding the future ending.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | vendrai |
| Tu | vendras |
| Il/Elle/On | vendra |
| Nous | vendrons |
| Vous | vendrez |
| Ils/Elles | vendront |
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs in the future tense do not follow the regular pattern, but they do use the same endings. The stems of these verbs are irregular.
Common Irregular Verbs
Être (to be)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | serai |
| Tu | seras |
| Il/Elle/On | sera |
| Nous | serons |
| Vous | serez |
| Ils/Elles | seront |
Avoir (to have)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | aurai |
| Tu | auras |
| Il/Elle/On | aura |
| Nous | aurons |
| Vous | aurez |
| Ils/Elles | auront |
Aller (to go)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | irai |
| Tu | iras |
| Il/Elle/On | ira |
| Nous | irons |
| Vous | irez |
| Ils/Elles | iront |
Faire (to do/make)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | ferai |
| Tu | feras |
| Il/Elle/On | fera |
| Nous | ferons |
| Vous | ferez |
| Ils/Elles | feront |
Pouvoir (to be able to)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | pourrai |
| Tu | pourras |
| Il/Elle/On | pourra |
| Nous | pourrons |
| Vous | pourrez |
| Ils/Elles | pourront |
Vouloir (to want)
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation |
|---|
| Je | voudrai |
| Tu | voudras |
| Il/Elle/On | voudra |
| Nous | voudrons |
| Vous | voudrez |
| Ils/Elles | voudront |
More Examples of Irregular Verb Stems
| Infinitive | Future Stem | English Translation |
|---|
| être | ser- | to be |
| avoir | aur- | to have |
| aller | ir- | to go |
| faire | fer- | to do/make |
| savoir | saur- | to know |
| pouvoir | pourr- | to be able to |
| vouloir | voudr- | to want |
| venir | viendr- | to come |
| voir | verr- | to see |
| devoir | devr- | to have to/must |
Usage of the Future Tense
The future tense is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. It can refer to events that are planned, predicted, or expected to occur.
Examples
- Je parlerai avec lui demain.
- I will speak with him tomorrow.
- Nous irons en France l'année prochaine.
- We will go to France next year.
- Elle sera médecin un jour.
- She will be a doctor one day.
- Ils feront leurs devoirs plus tard.
- They will do their homework later.
- Tu auras une voiture nouvelle.
Conclusion
The future tense in French is essential for discussing plans, predictions, and promises. By understanding the regular conjugation pattern and memorizing the stems of irregular verbs, you can accurately convey what will happen in the future.
