Futur Proche: aller + infinitive
Getting Started
Futur proche is the most practical future tense in French: “I’m going to do”, “We’re about to go”, “He’s going to eat”. In TEF/TCF speaking, it’s very safe for describing tomorrow, the weekend, plans, and goals.
Note: The phonetic approximations below are guides. Listen to native speakers saying vais, allons, vont with real audio to catch the vowel and nasal sounds.
1. Formula
Subject + aller (present) + infinitive
| Subject | Aller | Pronunciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | vais | “vay” | Je vais parler. (I am going to speak.) |
| tu | vas | “vah” | Tu vas manger. (You are going to eat.) |
| il / elle / on | va | “vah” | Elle va travailler. (She is going to work.) |
| nous | allons | “ah-lon” | Nous allons partir. (We are going to leave.) |
| vous | allez | “ah-lay” | Vous allez écouter. (You are going to listen.) |
| ils / elles | vont | “von” | Ils vont arriver. (They are going to arrive.) |
Note: The second verb stays in infinitive. Je vais mange is wrong; Je vais manger is correct.
2. Daily Examples
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je vais étudier ce soir. | I am going to study tonight. |
| Tu vas prendre le bus? | Are you going to take the bus? |
| Elle va appeler le médecin. | She is going to call the doctor. |
| Nous allons visiter le Québec. | We are going to visit Quebec. |
| Vous allez envoyer le formulaire. | You are going to send the form. |
| Ils vont déménager demain. | They are going to move tomorrow. |
3. Negative Futur Proche
Negation wraps around aller, not the infinitive.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Je vais partir. | Je ne vais pas partir. |
| Elle va travailler. | Elle ne va pas travailler. |
| Nous allons manger. | Nous n’allons pas manger. |
Note: Je vais ne pas partir is wrong at beginner level. The correct pattern is: Je ne vais pas partir.
4. Questions
For speaking, rising intonation or Est-ce que are safe approaches.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Tu vas venir demain? | Are you going to come tomorrow? |
| Est-ce que vous allez étudier ce soir? | Are you going to study tonight? |
| Quand est-ce qu’elle va appeler? | When is she going to call? |
5. TEF/TCF Mini-Answer
Ce week-end, je vais étudier le français. Je vais écouter une émission courte, puis je vais pratiquer la prononciation. Dimanche, je vais réviser le vocabulaire.
(This weekend, I am going to study French. I am going to listen to a short program, then I am going to practice pronunciation. Sunday, I am going to review vocabulary.)
What’s Next
Practice future plans with Numbers, Dates and Time, French Travel and Transportation Vocabulary, and Passé Composé Basics.