Lesson 27: Futur simple

Part 1: The big idea — French "will" is one word

English builds the future with two words: I will speak, she will come. French squashes both into a single word with an ending attached:

• I will speak → je parlerai
• she will come → elle viendra
• we will see → nous verrons

There is no separate French word for "will". The future meaning is baked into the verb ending.

The formula:

stem (= infinitive, almost always) + ending (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont)

Those endings, by the way, are exactly the present tense of avoir (ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont) — historically because Vulgar Latin built the future as "cantare habeo" = "I have to sing" → "I will sing". Centuries later, habeo shrank into the ending. You don't need to remember the etymology, but it gives you a free mnemonic: the futur endings = avoir in the present, minus the av-.

---

Part 2: Forming futur simple — the general formula

The key fact: every stem ends in -r. The endings are the same for every verb in the language.

Endings (universal):

person	ending
je	-ai
tu	-as
il/elle/on	-a
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils/elles	-ont

Stem for regular verbs = the whole infinitive (for -RE verbs, drop the final e):

Group	How to get the stem	Example (je)
-ER (parler)	full infinitive	je parlerai
-IR (finir)	full infinitive	je finirai
-RE (vendre)	infinitive minus the final e	je vendrai (not vendre-ai)

Full paradigm — three model verbs

	parler (to speak)	finir (to finish)	vendre (to sell)
je	parlerai	finirai	vendrai
tu	parleras	finiras	vendras
il/elle	parlera	finira	vendra
nous	parlerons	finirons	vendrons
vous	parlerez	finirez	vendrez
ils/elles	parleront	finiront	vendront

Sound trap. In je parlerai the e after the l is usually swallowed in normal speech: roughly "zhuh-parl-RAY", not "zhuh-par-luh-RAY". Don't drag it out.

Spelling trap. Every futur form ends in either -rai, -ras, -ra, -rons, -rez, or -ront. If you ever write a futur form without an -r- before the ending, something is wrong.

---

Part 3: Ten irregular stems — learn as a block

These ten verbs have their own future stem. The endings are the same as for everyone else. These same stems also drive the conditionnel (Lesson 28) — learn once, use twice.

Infinitive	Stem	je-form	Meaning
**avoir (to have)	aur-	j'aurai**	I will have
être (to be)	ser-	je serai	I will be
faire (to do/make)	fer-	je ferai	I will do/make
**aller (to go)	ir-	j'irai**	I will go
venir (to come)	viendr-	je viendrai	I will come
pouvoir (to be able)	pourr-	je pourrai	I will be able
devoir (to have to)	devr-	je devrai	I will have to
savoir (to know)	saur-	je saurai	I will know
voir (to see)	verr-	je verrai	I will see
vouloir (to want)	voudr-	je voudrai	I will want

A mnemonic for the backbone:

"AUR-SER, FER-IR — VIENDR-POURR-DEVR — SAUR-VERR-VOUDR"

Recite it like a chant for a week and your mouth will own the irregulars.

Bonus stems — same logic

Infinitive	Stem	Example
tenir (to hold)	tiendr-	je tiendrai
envoyer (to send)	enverr-	j'enverrai
recevoir (to receive)	recevr-	je recevrai
courir (to run)	courr-	je courrai
mourir (to die)	mourr-	il mourra
falloir (to be necessary)	faudr-	il faudra (it will be necessary)
pleuvoir (to rain)	pleuvr-	il pleuvra (it will rain)

The double-r trap. pourrai, verrai, courrai, mourrai, enverrai — two r's. And it's audible: rolled or trilled a hair longer than a single r. Je verrai ≠ je verrais (latter is conditional, single voice but spelled with the extra s — Lesson 28). One r vs two = different word.

English cognate helper. Verr- (to see) ↔ Latin videre — but compare French voir in revoir "see again", same family as English view, vision. Saur- (will know) ↔ English savvy (via French savoir). Spotting the link helps lock the stem.

---

Part 4: Spelling-change -ER verbs

Some -ER verbs have a stem twist in the present (silent-e shift, doubled consonant, y → i). Rule: whatever changes in the je-form of the present stays changed throughout the entire futur simple.

Type	Présent (je)	Futur (je)	All forms
**acheter (to buy, e → è)	j'achète	j'achèterai**	achèterai, achèteras, achètera…
**appeler (to call, l → ll)	j'appelle	j'appellerai**	appellerai, appelleras…
jeter (to throw, t → tt)	je jette	je jetterai	jetterai, jetteras…
payer (to pay, y → i)	je paie	je paierai	paierai (or payerai — both fine)
**employer (to employ/use, y → i)	j'emploie	j'emploierai**	emploierai, emploieras…

Exception to the exception. Verbs in -é-er (espérer "to hope", préférer "to prefer", répéter "to repeat") keep the é in the future: j'espérerai, je préférerai. Modern norm also accepts j'espèrerai with è. Don't sweat it, both are alive.

---

Part 5: Futur proche vs Futur simple — when to use which

Both translate "will". The difference is register and distance from the event, not strict grammar.

	Futur proche (aller + inf, Lesson 9)	Futur simple (this lesson)
Form	je vais parler	je parlerai
Register	spoken, everyday	neutral, also written
Distance	close, already planned	farther, abstract, longer-range
Certainty	high, decided	prediction, promise, hypothesis
Typical example	Je vais sortir (I'm going out now)	Un jour, je sortirai (One day, I'll go out)

Practical rule of thumb:

• An hour from now, tomorrow, this week, ticket already in your pocket → futur proche
• A year from now, in principle, on the schedule, in the weather forecast, in a promise, in a horoscope → futur simple

Compare:

Je vais l'appeler. — I'm about to call him. (intention here and now) Je l'appellerai. — I'll call him (one day, eventually).

Il va pleuvoir. — It's going to rain. (clouds already overhead) Il pleuvra demain. — It will rain tomorrow. (forecast)

In spoken French, futur proche wins. In writing and any formal context — futur simple. Native speakers code-switch fluently; you should aim to do the same.

---

Part 6: The big English-speaker trap — quand + futur

In English, after the word when referring to a future event, we use the present: "When I see him, I will tell him." Even though both events are in the future, we put the when-clause in the present.

French does not do this. After quand referring to the future, French uses futur simple (or futur antérieur — Lesson 29), not the present.

English: When I see him, I will tell him. French: Quand je le verrai, je le lui dirai. Both verbs in the future.

This is the single most common mistake English speakers make with the futur simple. Your English instinct will scream "present!" — override it.

Conjunctions of time that require futur (when the event is future)

Conjunction	English
quand	when
lorsque	when (more formal)
dès que	as soon as
aussitôt que	as soon as
tant que	as long as
une fois que	once

Side-by-side contrast

French	English
Quand j'aurai 20 ans, je voyagerai.	When I am 20, I'll travel.
Dès qu'il arrivera, on mangera.	As soon as he arrives, we'll eat.
Je t'appellerai quand je serai prêt.	I'll call you when I am ready.
Tant que tu travailleras, tu réussiras.	As long as you work, you'll succeed.
Une fois que tu auras ton diplôme, tu trouveras du travail.	Once you have your diploma, you'll find work.

The classic English-speaker mistake: Quand je suis prêt, je t'appellerai ❌ (using present like English). Correct: Quand je serai prêt… ✅

Remember: in French both verbs go in the future, if both actions are in the future.

Don't confuse with si! Si (if) never takes futur after it: Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai — "If I have time, I'll come." After si → present; in the main clause → future. This is the opposite of quand. So:

• quand + futur, ..., + futur (both future)
• si + present, ..., + futur (present + future)

---

Part 7: Other functions of futur simple

Beyond the basic "future action", futur simple is also used for:

Function	Example	Translation
Promise	Je te le rendrai demain.	I'll give it back tomorrow.
Prediction / forecast	Il fera beau ce week-end.	The weather will be nice this weekend.
Soft command / instruction	Tu feras tes devoirs avant de sortir.	You'll do your homework before going out.
Speculation about the present	Ce sera le facteur.	That'll be the postman. (a guess)
After si (real condition)	Si tu viens, on s'amusera.	If you come, we'll have fun.

The "speculation" use mirrors English exactly: when you say "That'll be the postman" or "He'll be at home now", you're using will to guess about the present. French uses futur simple the same way.

---