The French Future Tense (Futur Simple): Formation and Use
French futur simple: infinitive + endings, with irregular stems for être, avoir, aller and faire. Plus when to use it instead of futur proche.
The futur simple adds endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) to the infinitive: je parlerai (I will speak). Some verbs use irregular stems - être→serai, avoir→aurai, aller→irai, faire→ferai. In casual speech, futur proche (je vais partir) is more common; futur simple suits formal or genuinely distant future.
Quick answer
The futur simple adds endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont) to the infinitive: je parlerai (I will speak). Some verbs use irregular stems - être→serai, avoir→aurai, aller→irai, faire→ferai. In casual speech, futur proche (je vais partir) is more common; futur simple suits formal or genuinely distant future.
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Forming the futur simple: infinitive + endings
| Pronoun | Parler | Finir | Vendre |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | parlerai | finirai | vendrai |
| tu | parleras | finiras | vendras |
| nous | parlerons | finirons | vendrons |
Note: -re verbs drop the final e before adding endings (vendre → je vendrai).
Irregular stems (memorize these)
| Verb | Future stem | Example |
|---|---|---|
| être | ser- | je serai |
| avoir | aur- | j’aurai |
| aller | ir- | j’irai |
| faire | fer- | je ferai |
| pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrai |
| voir | verr- | je verrai |
For être’s full conjugation across all tenses, see être conjugation.
Futur simple vs futur proche: which to use
Futur proche (je vais partir) is the near/casual/spoken default. Futur simple (je partirai) suits more formal, written, or genuinely distant/uncertain future. See the near future: aller + infinitive for the full futur proche guide.
Futur simple in “if” clauses
Si + présent → futur simple: si tu viens, je serai content (if you come, I’ll be happy).
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Questions about this note
How do you form the futur simple?
Add endings to the infinitive: parler → je parlerai.
What's the future stem of être?
Ser- (je serai).
What's the difference between futur simple and futur proche?
Futur proche is the everyday spoken default for near/planned events; futur simple suits formal writing or more distant/uncertain future.
Do -re verbs keep their final e in futur simple?
No - it's dropped: vendre → je vendrai.
Is futur simple used in "if" clauses?
Yes - si + présent, then futur simple in the result clause: si tu viens, je serai content.