The Near Future in French
Le futur proche
The near future tense is used to talk about actions that are about to happen or are already planned.
- Actions happening very soon
- Plans or intentions
- Events that are already decided
- Predictions based on current evidence
| Subject | Aller (present) |
|---|---|
| je | vais |
| tu | vas |
| il / elle / on | va |
| nous | allons |
| vous | allez |
| ils / elles | vont |
When to Use the Near Future
| Use | French Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate future | Je vais sortir. | I am about to go out. |
| Planned action | Nous allons dîner ensemble. | We are going to have dinner together. |
| Strong intention | Il va changer de travail. | He is going to change jobs. |
| Evidence-based prediction | Il fait noir, il va pleuvoir. | It’s dark, it’s going to rain. |
Object Pronouns with the Near Future
Object pronouns are placed before the infinitive, not before aller.
Core Uses of the Near Future
The near future is mainly used to express:
Negative Near Future
Negation is placed around the conjugated form of aller.
Questions in the Near Future
Questions are formed the same way as in the present tense.
Common Mistakes
- Conjugating the infinitive
- Placing pronouns before aller
- Using simple future for immediate plans
- Forgetting to conjugate aller
- Conjugate aller in the present tense
- Place the infinitive of the main verb after aller
- Do not conjugate the infinitive
How to Form the Near Future
The near future is formed using the present tense of aller + an infinitive.
Near Future vs Simple Future
French uses both the near future and the simple future to talk about future events.
| Near Future | Simple Future |
|---|---|
| Immediate or planned | More distant or formal |
| Very common in speech | More common in writing |
| Je vais partir. | Je partirai. |
What Is the Near Future?
The near future (le futur proche) is used to express events that will happen soon or that have already been decided. It is very common in spoken French.
- Je vais le faire.
- Elle va lui parler.
- Nous allons les acheter.
- Tu vas t’en souvenir.
Example Sentences
Je vais commencer le travail.I am going to start the work.
Nous allons visiter Paris.We are going to visit Paris.
Elle ne va pas accepter.She is not going to accept.
Ils vont arriver bientôt.They are going to arrive soon.
Tu vas t’habituer rapidement.You are going to get used to it quickly.
- Je ne vais pas sortir.
- Elle ne va pas venir.
- Nous n’allons rien faire.
- Tu vas partir maintenant ?
- Est-ce que vous allez travailler demain ?
- Quand allez-vous arriver ?
Formation Examples
- Je vais partir.
- Tu vas étudier ce soir.
- Elle va appeler son ami.
- Nous allons voyager en France.