Learn the Futur Simple French Verb Tense for Formal and Distant Actions

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As you learn a language, you want to be able to talk about upcoming events, your life goals, and your plans for the weekend. For all of that, you’ll need the futur (future) tense! 

The future tense in French is mostly used in the same contexts as in English: to talk about when actions will happen or are going to happen. Learn when and how to conjugate verbs to express the distant future using the futur simple French verb tense. 

What is futur simple (simple future tense) in French?

The futur simple is a French verb tense used to show things that will happen at some point. The tense is called “simple” because it uses a verb ending attached to the verb stem to indicate the tense. 

In contrast, the other future tense in French, the futur proche, uses the verb aller as a helping verb to show the tense. 

When should you use the futur simple in French?

There are two French future verb tenses, so when do you use each one? Although the futur simple can be used to indicate anything referring to the future, there are some nuances learners can apply to sound more fluent when learning French. 

• Futur simple is viewed as more formal, so it’s more likely to be used in written communication while the future proche is more likely to be used in speech. 
• Futur simple is more commonly used for events that are further in the future, and futur proche is associated with events happening in the very near future.
• Because futur simple is associated with things in the far future, you may use it for events that are less certain (although if you are truly doubting, you may need to use the subjonctif instead). 
• The futur simple is also used for general statements and aphorisms about the future.

How to conjugate the futur simple French tense for regular verbs

When you start learning about French verb conjugation, you quickly discover that there are many irregular verbs. One of the nice things about the futur simple is that the vast majority of verbs follow one regular conjugation pattern. Even some verbs that are irregular in the present tense follow the regular pattern in the futur simple!

The basic formula for conjugating verbs in futur simple is:

The ending options are:

Do those endings look familiar? They’re derived from the present tense form of avoir (“to have.”) Note that this reflects the history of how the tense developed in French, but it does not impact how verbs in futur simple should be translated in modern French. The translation is “will do,” “will talk,” “will be,” etc. “Have” is not part of the modern translation.

French verbs are typically organized by their infinitive ending, so let’s take a look at each type of verb and see what it looks like in the futur simple. 

Conjugating -IR verbs in futur simple

French verbs with the -IR ending are divided into two categories in the présent (present tense): finir (regular) and sortir (irregular). But in the futur simple, nearly all -IR verbs are created equal! Just take the infinitive, add the futur simple ending, and you’re good to go.

finir – to finish

Sometimes learners have trouble telling the futur simple from the présent, especially for the nous and vous forms. If you’re not sure, check the root. The futur simple root is the whole infinitive verb, whereas the présent typically drops the last two letters of the infinitive before adding the ending. Here are some example sentences:

• Je sortirai vendredi soir. = I will go out on Friday night.
• Est-ce que tu finiras le livre demain ? = Will you finish the book tomorrow?
• Le magasin ouvrira à 9h00. = The store will open at 9 AM.
• Nous partirons à la fin de l’été. = We will leave at the end of the summer.
• Vous choisirez le restaurant. = You will choose the restaurant.
• Elles n’obéiront pas aux règles. = They will not obey the rules.

Conjugating -RE verbs in futur simple

French verbs that end in -RE are also extremely regular and follow the same pattern as -IR verbs. There is only one significant change: Since the “e” at the end of the infinitive is silent, drop it before adding the futur simple ending.

vendre – to sell

Notice that many of the verbs in these example sentences are irregular in the present tense, but in the futur simple, they are all regular.

• J’attendrai ton appel. = I will wait for your call.
• Tu prendras le petit déjeuner. = You will eat breakfast. (literally, “You will take breakfast.”)
• Est-ce qu’elle boira du thé ? = Will she be drinking tea?
• Nous écrirons le livre ensemble. = We will write the book together.
• Vous conduirez cette voiture. = You will drive that car.
• Ils éteindront la lumière. = They will turn off the light.

Conjugating -ER verbs in futur simple

French verbs that end in -ER are largely regular, although there are a few irregular situations we will address. First, look at regular -ER verbs. Like all the other groups, you just need the infinitive and the futur simple ending.

parler – to talk

• Je ne mangerai jamais d’escargots. = I will never eat snails.
• Tu travailleras ce week-end. = You will be working this weekend.
• Il parlera à son copain. = He will talk to his friend.
• Est-ce que nous visiterons le Louvre ? = Will we visit the Louvre?
• Vous étudierez les maths. = You will study math.
• Elles arriveront bientôt. = They will arrive soon.

The primary exception for -ER verbs is the stem change verbs. In the futur simple, verbs like appeler (“to call”), préférer (“to prefer”), and lever (“to raise”) only have one verb stem based on the je form of the verb in the present tense, although they do retain the final “-er” of the infinitive. 

Conjugating -YER verbs in futur simple

Verbs that end in -YER get their ending changed to -IER, then you add the futur simple ending. 

• J’essuierai la table. = I will wipe off the table.
• Tu nettoieras la cuisine. = You will clean the kitchen.
• Est-ce qu’il paiera l’addition ? = Will he pay the check?
• Nous ne nous ennuierons pas. = We will not be bored.
• Vous balaierez le sol. = You will sweep the floor.
• Le jour d’Halloween, elles effraieront les enfants. = On Halloween, they will scare the children.

Just like in the present tense, changing “-ayer” to “-aier” is optional; you can write Il payera or Il paiera, and both are equally correct.

Conjugating accent grave verbs in futur simple

Some of the verbs in this group have no French accent marks in the infinitive like lever (“to raise”). These must be changed to an è with l’accent grave (the grave accent) followed by the rest of the infinitive and the correct futur simple ending. 

Other verbs have l’accent aigu (the acute accent) like célébrer  (“to celebrate”). In these cases, changing to the l’accent grave is optional.

• J’achèterai le cadeau. = I will buy the gift.
• Est-ce que tu mèneras la réunion ? = Will you lead the meeting?
• Elle enlèvera les vieux livres. = She will take out the old books.

Optional cases:

• Nous célèbrerons ton anniversaire. = We will celebrate your birthday.
• Vous espèrerez arriver à l’heure. = You will hope to arrive on time.
• Ils préfèreront y aller par train. = They will prefer to go by train.

How to conjugate the futur simple French verb tense for irregular verbs

There are a few verbs that are irregular in the futur simple, and they do include the most common verbs in French like avoir (“to have”), aller (“to go”), faire (“to do”), and être (“to be”). 

It’s essential to master these irregular forms. For all irregular French verbs, the root will change, but the futur simple endings will always be the same. If you’re learning about other verb tenses, the irregular roots for the futur simple are the same ones used for the conditionnel tense. 

être

être – to be

• Je serai en retard. = I will be late.
• Tu seras content. = You will be happy.
• Il sera à gauche. = He will be on the left.
• Est-ce que nous serons à l’heure ? = Will we be on time?
• Vous serez prêts. = You will be ready.
• Ils seront tout surpris !  = They will be very surprised.

avoir

avoir – to have

• J’aurai trente ans en mai. = I will be 30 in May.
• Tu auras froid sans ton pull. = You will be cold without your sweater.
• Elle aura besoin de tes conseils. = She will need your advice.
• Nous n’aurons pas confiance en lui.  = We will not trust him.
• Est-ce que vous aurez beaucoup de valises ?  = Will you have a lot of luggage?
• Elles auront de la chance. = They will be lucky.

aller

aller – to go

• J’irai à la plage.  = I will go to the beach.
• Est-ce que tu iras à pied ? = Will you go on foot?
• Il n’ira pas au travail. = He will not go to work.
• Nous n’irons pas en vacances. = We will not go on vacation. 
• Vous irez au supermarché. = You will go to the supermarket.
• Ces chaussures iront bien avec cette robe. = These shoes will go well with this dress.

faire

faire – to make, to do

• Je ferai le lit.  = I will make the bed.
• Tu feras de ton mieux. = You will do your best.
• Il fera très chaud. = It will be very hot.
• Nous ferons du vélo.  = We will go cycling.
• Est-ce que vous ferez le gâteau ? = Will you make the cake?
• Ils n’y feront pas attention. = They will not pay attention to it. 

pouvoir

pouvoir – to be able to, can

• Je pourrai y conduire. = I will be able to drive there.
• Est-ce que tu pourras apporter du café ? = Will you be able to bring coffee?
• Elle ne pourra pas finir. = She will not be able to finish.
• Nous pourrons commencer la réunion à 14h00. = We will be able to start the meeting at 2:00 PM.
• Est-ce que vous pourrez manger tout ça ? = Will you be able to eat all that?
• Elles pourront venir. = They will be able to come.

vouloir

vouloir – to want

• Je voudrai faire de la randonnée. = I will want to go hiking.
• Est-ce que tu voudras arriver en avance ? = Will you want to arrive early?
• Il voudra déjeuner. = He will want to eat lunch. 
• Nous ne voudrons pas quitter la soirée.  = We will not want to leave the party.
• Vous voudrez vérifier les infos. = You will want to verify the information.
• Elles voudront connaître mon avis. = They will want to know my opinion.

Key takeaways about the futur simple French verb tense

While Rosetta Stone generally uses a Structured Immersion method that removes rote memorization from the process of learning a new language, some concepts are simple enough that you can memorize them, like futur simple.  

• The futur simple is one of the most regular verb tenses in French. 
• Most verbs can be conjugated by taking the infinitive and adding the appropriate ending: –ai, –as, –a, –ons, –ez, –ont. 
• Futur simple is more formal and more likely to be used in writing than in speech.
• Futur simple is mostly used for things that will happen in the distant future.

Written by Denise Brown