When we reach learning future tense, most of us are already are K.O. from learning the past tense. I feel that the past tense is a big hurdle, and if you are started learning future afterwards, bravo to you!
However, when I start to learn future, it seems like these are all often scattered around and makes it difficult for me to learn. In this post, put the different ways of making future tense in one. On y va!
Just a heads up, I'm not a professional teacher, but rather another learner. The information I share might not be entirely accurate.
As we all know there are several ways of expressing the future in French. In this post I summarised into three ways:
Using a word that indicates future with a present tense sentence
Using future tense : will + verb
Using aller with an infinitive : going to + verb
1. Using the present tense and a word that indicates future
You might have already questioned that how can one speak future with using present tense? Despite your confusion in fact this is really simple.
First of all, I know if you are already here reading about the future tense I am more than sure that you can conjugate the present. So already we are half way there! Secondly, what do I mean about ‘a word that indicates future’?
Let’s look at these sentences for example:
Elle vient ce soir. = She is coming this evening.
Il part demain matin. = He is leaving tomorrow morning.
In this sentence the tense is still present tense, however because of the words that indicates the future (‘ce soir’, ‘demain matin’) therefore the sentence became something that we talk about a future events. If you have a closer look in English, it also has a present tense (is coming, is leaving).
2. Using future tense : Will
When we think about future, I instantly think about a word, will, and in French it has a specific tense for it and is called l’indicatif Futur. The tense is formed with an infinitive + endings of : -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. Let’s see one example, finir:
je finirai
tu finiras
il/elle finira
nous finirons
vous finirez
ils/elles finiront
This future tense is used equivalent as “will + verb”. Through this occasion give yourself a change practice writing what you will do next week, but here is one example of mine:
Je lui offrirai un cadeau pour son anniversaire. (I will give her a gift for her birthday.)
Since we are learning French, of course there will be exceptions. Fortunately, I have already made the lists of words that are not formed with infinitive + endings of : -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont, please find them here 😊
3. Using ‘aller’ with an infinitive verb : Going to + infinitive verb
In English we use “will” to indicate future, meanwhile it also has “going to + infinitive verb” form. Unlike “will” that feels a little vague or uncertain, “going to” has a nuance that implies more certainty and that can really happen in the near future. For instance:
I will do laundry
I am going to do laundry
Which one do you feel more immediate? I think I can you trust that the latter sentence that the person will actually do the laundry. Now, let’s change that to French.
Je ferai la lessive.
Je vais faire la lessive.
Can you see the difference?
This time, I challenge you to write with future tense of the following questions:
I am asking what are you going to do this evening and tomorrow morning. → Use words that indicate future but use present tense.
I am asking you what are you going to do this coming weekend. → Use l’indicatif futur
I am asking you that what are you going to do after you read this article. → Use aller + infinitive