Forming the Future Tense in French

The French future tense is used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. It's relatively straightforward to form and can greatly enhance your ability to express yourself in French.

How to Form the Future Tense

To form the future tense in French, follow these steps:

1. Start with the infinitive of the verb
2. For -er and -ir verbs, keep the entire infinitive
3. For -re verbs, remove the final -e
4. Add the appropriate future tense endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont

Regular Verb Examples

-ER verbs:

• Parler (to speak) Je parlerai (I will speak) Tu parleras (You will speak) Il/Elle parlera (He/She will speak)

-IR verbs:

• Finir (to finish) Nous finirons (We will finish) Vous finirez (You will finish) Ils/Elles finiront (They will finish)

-RE verbs:

• Vendre (to sell) Je vendrai (I will sell) Tu vendras (You will sell) Il/Elle vendra (He/She will sell)

Irregular Verbs

Some common verbs have irregular future stems:

• Être (to be) → ser-
• Avoir (to have) → aur-
• Aller (to go) → ir-
• Faire (to do/make) → fer-

Example: Je serai (I will be) Tu auras (You will have) Nous irons (We will go) Vous ferez (You will do)

Usage

The future tense is used to:

1. Talk about future plans or intentions: "Je voyagerai en France l'année prochaine." (I will travel to France next year.)

2. Make predictions: "Il pleuvra demain." (It will rain tomorrow.)

3. Express promises: "Je t'appellerai ce soir." (I will call you tonight.)

By mastering the future tense, you'll be able to discuss plans, make predictions, and express intentions with confidence in French.