1. Topic Introduction
The near future in French is called le futur proche.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!It is one of the most important tense structures because it is used constantly in daily French to express:
- something that is going to happen soon
- an immediate intention
- a planned action
- something almost certain
| English equivalent: | French equivalent: |
| I am going to study She is going to leave We are going to eat | Je vais étudier. Elle va partir. Nous allons manger. |
Important:
French uses the verb aller + infinitive.
This means:
subject + conjugated aller + infinitive verb
It is easier than future simple because only aller changes.
2. Core Structure of Near Future
The basic formula is:
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| subject + aller + infinitive | going to do something |
Structure Breakdown
| Part | Function |
|---|---|
| subject | who performs the action |
| aller | shows future intention |
| infinitive | main action |
Example
| French Sentence | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Je vais parler. | I am going to speak | zhuh vay par-lay |
Breakdown
| Part | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| subject | je | I |
| future marker | vais | am going |
| infinitive | parler | to speak |
3. Conjugation of Aller in Near Future
Because aller is irregular, it must be memorised perfectly.
| Subject | Aller | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | vay |
| tu | vas | vah |
| il / elle / on | va | vah |
| nous | allons | ah-lon |
| vous | allez | ah-lay |
| ils / elles | vont | von |
Important:
Only aller changes.
The second verb always remains infinitive.
4. Full Conjugation Examples
Using parler:
| Subject | French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| je | Je vais parler. | I am going to speak |
| tu | Tu vas parler. | You are going to speak |
| elle | Elle va parler. | She is going to speak |
| nous | Nous allons parler. | We are going to speak |
| vous | Vous allez parler. | You are going to speak |
| ils | Ils vont parler. | They are going to speak |
5. Rule for the Main Verb
The second verb never changes.
It always stays infinitive.
Example with Different Verbs
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais manger. | I am going to eat |
| Tu vas finir. | You are going to finish |
| Elle va partir. | She is going to leave |
Important:
Even irregular verbs stay infinitive.
Compare
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Je vais mange | Je vais manger |
| Nous allons finis | Nous allons finir |
6. Near Future with First Group Verbs (-ER)
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Je vais travailler. | I am going to work | zhuh vay tra-vai-yay |
| Nous allons regarder. | We are going to watch | noo zah-lon ruh-gar-day |
| Ils vont écouter. | They are going to listen | eel von ay-koo-tay |
7. Near Future with Second Group Verbs (-IR)
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais finir. | I am going to finish |
| Tu vas choisir. | You are going to choose |
| Nous allons réussir. | We are going to succeed |
8. Near Future with Third Group Verbs
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais prendre. | I am going to take |
| Elle va venir. | She is going to come |
| Nous allons écrire. | We are going to write |
Important:
Third group irregularity stays only in infinitive form.
9. Near Future with Essential Verbs
Être
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais être fatigué. | I am going to be tired |
Avoir
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nous allons avoir un examen. | We are going to have an exam |
Faire
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Elle va faire ses devoirs. | She is going to do her homework |
Aller Itself
French allows: Je vais aller…
This means: I am going to go
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais aller à Paris. | I am going to go to Paris |
10. Negative Near Future
Negative structure surrounds aller.
Structure
| Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| subject + ne + aller + pas + infinitive | not going to |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je ne vais pas partir. | I am not going to leave |
| Elle ne va pas manger. | She is not going to eat |
Important:
Only aller is surrounded.
Compare
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Je vais ne pas partir | Je ne vais pas partir |
11. Questions in Near Future
Standard Question
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Tu vas venir ? | Are you going to come? |
With Inversion
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vas-tu venir ? | Are you going to come? |
With Est-ce que
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Est-ce que vous allez travailler ? | Are you going to work? |
12. Time Expressions Often Used with Near Future
Near future often combines with immediate time expressions.
| French Expression | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| demain | tomorrow | duh-mahn |
| ce soir | tonight | suh swahr |
| bientôt | soon | byan-toh |
| tout de suite | right away | too duh sweet |
Examples
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais partir demain. | I am going tomorrow |
| Nous allons commencer ce soir. | We are going to start tonight |
13. Difference Between Present and Near Future
| Present | Near Future |
|---|---|
| Je mange. | Je vais manger. |
| I eat / I am eating | I am going to eat |
Important:
Near future clearly expresses intention.
14. Vocabulary
| French Word | Gender | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| le futur | masculine | future | luh fu-tur |
| l’action | feminine | action | lak-syon |
| le projet | masculine | plan | luh pro-zhay |
| demain | masculine expression | tomorrow | duh-mahn |
| bientôt | masculine expression | soon | byan-toh |
| le devoir | masculine | homework | luh duh-vwahr |
| l’examen | masculine | exam | leg-zah-mahn |
| le voyage | masculine | trip | luh vwa-yazh |
15. Mini Paragraph
Demain, je vais étudier le français. Nous allons avoir un cours à neuf heures. Mon amie va venir chez moi et nous allons travailler ensemble.
Meaning:
Tomorrow, I am going to study French. We are going to have a class at nine o’clock. My friend is going to come to my house and we are going to work together.
16. Memory Practice
| French Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Je vais lire. | I am going to read |
| Tu vas écrire. | You are going to write |
| Elle va partir. | She is going to leave |
| Nous allons manger. | We are going to eat |
| Vous allez finir. | You are going to finish |
| Ils vont venir. | They are going to come |
Summary Notes
| Concept | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| tense name | le futur proche |
| main formula | aller + infinitive |
| verb changing | only aller changes |
| second verb | always infinitive |
| negative | ne…pas around aller |
| question | inversion / intonation / est-ce que |
| immediate future | most common daily use |
| key learning point | near future is built with conjugated aller plus unchanged infinitive |
The most important lesson today is this: once aller is automatic, near future becomes one of the easiest and most useful French tense structures in everyday speech.