French Futur Simple Rules: Your “Will Power” Guide
6 min read
If you want to talk about your dreams, your next vacation, or what the weather will be like tomorrow, you need the futur simple—the standard **simple future tense in French.
While the passé composé looks backward, the futur simple looks forward. It is one of the most regular patterns in the language: learn the endings once, then reuse them on almost every verb. If you know the infinitive (and which verbs need a special stem), you can conjugate the French future tense with confidence.
- The one-word pattern: stem + ending, and how that differs from futur proche (aller + infinitive).
- The avoir memory trick: French future tense endings mirror j’ai, tu as, il a… plus -ons / -ez / -ont.
- Concrete rules for first-group (-er), second-group (-ir), and -re verbs (drop the final -e before the ending).
- High-frequency irregular stems and real-life uses: timetables, headlines, promises, and si clauses.
The simple formula
The futur simple is one conjugated verb, not two. That is the main difference from the futur proche, where aller is conjugated and the main verb stays in the infinitive (Je vais parler**).
Futur simple formula: **[stem] + [ending].
For most verbs the stem is the full infinitive (parler → parler-). For -re verbs you drop the silent -e (vendre → vendr-). For a short list of stars (être, avoir, aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, voir…), you memorize an irregular stem, then you still add the same six endings.
The endings (the “avoir” secret)
The French future tense endings are easy to anchor if you know the present tense of avoir: ai, as, a, then -ons, -ez, -ont for nous, vous, ils/elles—the same letters you see in nous avons, vous avez, ils ont**.
Rule of thumb: endings never change in the **futur simple. If a form looks “weird,” the issue is almost always the stem, not the ending.
| Subject | Ending | Example: parler (to speak) |
|---|---|---|
| Je | -ai** | Je parler**ai |
| Tu | -as** | Tu parler**as |
| Il / elle / on | -a | Il parlera |
| Nous | -ons** | Nous parler**ons |
| Vous | -ez** | Vous parler**ez |
| Ils / elles | -ont** | Ils parler**ont |
Concrete walkthrough: three verbs
Regular -er: manger → je mangerai, nous mangerons. The infinitive is the stem; nothing to trim.
Regular -ir: choisir → je choisirai. Same idea: full infinitive** + ending.
-re verb: attendre → stem attendr- (drop -e) → j’attendrai, ils attendront. Prendre is similar in spelling (prendr- → je prendrai).
If **-er / -ir / -re still feel abstract, our verb groups article maps the three shapes to everyday verbs.
Practice French conjugation for free in the Croissant Verbs app
Quizzes and spaced repetition for every tense, for free on your phone—plus short grammar guides on our Learn hub.
The only two rules for regular verbs
1. -er and -ir verbs: keep the whole infinitive, add the futur simple** ending.
Mini-examples: **Nous finirons ce soir. (We will finish tonight.) Ils écouteront la radio. (They will listen to the radio.)
2. -re verbs: remove the final -e, then add the ending so you do not get \*vendreai**.
Mini-example: **Tu vendras ta voiture ? (Will you sell your car?)
Irregular stems (the rebels)
“Irregular” here means irregular stem, not irregular endings. You still attach -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont**.
After être / avoir / aller / faire, many learners next meet -oir families (pouvoir, vouloir, voir) and -enir verbs (venir → viendr-). Those patterns are high return-on-investment; the lesson other irregularities walks through -enir, -oir, -re drops, and double -rr in detail.
| Verb | Future stem | Example (je) | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Être | ser- | Je serai | I will be |
| Avoir | aur- | J'aurai | I will have |
| Aller | ir- | J'irai | I will go |
| Faire | fer- | Je ferai | I will do / make |
| Pouvoir | pourr- | Je pourrai | I will be able to |
| Vouloir | voudr- | Je voudrai | I will want |
| Voir | verr- | Je verrai | I will see |
When French uses futur simple (not just “later”)
Learners often assume futur simple = “far away.” Distance in time helps, but register and **sentence type matter just as much.
- Predictions and promises: Demain il pleuvra. (It will rain tomorrow.) Je t’écrirai. (I will write to you.)
- Formal or written French: emails, forms, signage, journalistic style—where futur proche can sound too chatty.
- After si when the result is future: classic pattern Si + present → futur simple (Si tu viens, nous sortirons.).
- Timetables and programs (trains, exams): Le train partira à huit heures.**
Futur simple vs. futur proche
Both express future meaning. Choose futur proche when the action feels immediate, planned, or spoken in everyday conversation. Choose futur simple when you want distance, formality, or a **classic “if → then” future result.
- Futur proche: aller conjugated + infinitive. Je vais appeler maman. (I am going to call Mom—now / very soon.)
- Futur simple: J’appellerai maman demain soir. (I will call Mom tomorrow evening—set as a fact, slightly more “declarative.”)
- Neither is a mistake in many contexts; native speakers often prefer futur proche in speech and futur simple in writing. Our comparison article** lists more nuance.
Negation and questions
In the negative, ne … pas wraps around the conjugated future verb—not around the infinitive.
Examples: Je ne parlerai pas. Nous n’arriverons pas avant midi.
Yes/no question intonation works (Tu viendras ?). For inversion, you lift the subject: Viendras-tu ?—same pattern as other tenses.
Do not mix up futur simple and conditionnel
The conditionnel présent reuses the same stem as the futur simple, but the endings are imparfait endings (-ais, -ais, -ait…), not -ai, -as, -a….
Side-by-side: Je parlerai (I will speak) vs Je parlerais (I would speak). Train your ear and spelling on that -ai vs -ais contrast early—it saves years of small mistakes.
Pro tip: the pronunciation trap
On paper, -ai and **-ez look different; in many accents they can sound similar in fast speech.
Listen for the “r”: in futur simple, the r of the stem (parler-, finir-, ser-…) sits before the vowel ending. That “…r + vowel” silhouette is a reliable listening cue**.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the futur simple in French?
- The futur simple is the simple future tense: one verb form that expresses will or shall in English (“I will go,” “she will see”). You build it with a stem (usually the infinitive, with tweaks for -re verbs and irregular verbs) plus fixed endings (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont).
- How do you conjugate the futur simple in French?
- Take the stem—for most verbs, the full infinitive; for -re verbs, drop the final -e; for verbs like être / avoir / aller / faire, use their irregular stem—then add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont for je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles. The endings match the present tense of avoir (ai, as, a…) plus -ons, -ez, -ont.
- Futur simple vs futur proche: when should I use each?
- Use futur proche (aller + infinitive) for near, spoken, planned actions (Je vais sortir). Use futur simple for more neutral or formal statements, distant plans, si-clause results, and many written contexts (Je sortirai plus tard / Si tu veux, nous sortirons).
- Why do French futur simple endings look like avoir?
- They are a memory trick, not a grammar rule you say out loud: -ai, -as, -a line up with j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, and -ons, -ez, -ont echo **nous avons, vous avez, ils ont. The endings are fixed for every person; only the stem changes.
Ten-minute drill. Write five real sentences you might actually say: one promise, one prediction, one appointment, one si sentence (Si…, …), and one negative (ne … pas). Say them aloud. Then pick three verbs from our most common list and run je / nous / ils in the futur simple only.
- Je serai… / nous serons… / ils seront…**
- J'aurai… / nous aurons… / ils auront…
- **Je parlerai… / nous parlerons… / ils parleront…
Croissant Verbs®:** Predictable practice for an unpredictable future.