Le Futur Proche in French Grammar
The futur proche, also known as the futur composé, is used to talk about actions in the near future. It corresponds to the English structure going to + infinitive, and emphasises that there is already an intention behind the action.
Futur simple vs. futur proche
Futur Simple vs Futur Proche
The futur simple is used for distant future, formal contexts, and after quand/lorsque.
Futur Proche — Aller + Infinitive
The futur proche is the go-to future tense in spoken French for near-future events.
How to conjugate the futur proche in French
EXAMPLES
Je vais manger. Tu vas partir.
How to make negative sentences in the futur proche
Examples in Context
Je vais partir en vacances demain.
I'm going to leave on vacation tomorrow.
Nous allons manger dans dix minutes.
We're going to eat in ten minutes.
Elle va avoir un bébé.
She's going to have a baby.
Tu vas voir, tout ira bien.
You're going to see, everything will be fine.
On va arriver en retard !
We're going to arrive late!
Je vais te raconter une histoire.
I'm going to tell you a story.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Je vais aller au cinéma.
Je vais au cinéma. / Je vais aller au cinéma.
Vais aller is grammatically correct but sounds awkward. French speakers avoid it: use simple présent (Je vais au cinéma) or futur simple (J'irai au cinéma). However, 'je vais aller' is acceptable and commonly used.
Je vais partir. (used for distant future)
Je vais partir. / Je partirai.
Futur proche is for IMMEDIATE or CERTAIN future. For distant/uncertain future, use futur simple: Je partirai (I will leave). Using futur proche for distant events sounds awkward.
Aller + infinitif is only for futur proche.
Aller + infinitif = futur proche. But also used in passé récent: Je viens de + infinitif.
Don't confuse futur proche (aller + inf) with passé récent (venir de + inf). Je vais manger = I'm going to eat. Je viens de manger = I just ate.
Memory Trick
🚀 Aller = The Launch Button
Futur proche = ALLER (conjugated) + INFINITIVE. Think of aller as your 'launch button' — press it (conjugate aller) and the infinitive rocket launches into the immediate future. Je VAIS manger (I'm GOING to eat). Tu VAS comprendre (You're GOING to understand). It's the easiest French future tense — if you know aller and the infinitive, you can express any future action!
TEF/TCF Exam Tip
Futur proche is tested at A2 in TEF/TCF as the first future tense. At A2, examiners check basic aller + infinitive formation. At B1, futur proche vs futur simple distinction: use futur proche for immediate plans (Je vais partir) and futur simple for distant/predictive future (Je partirai l'année prochaine). In the oral exam, futur proche sounds more natural for describing your immediate plans.
In Conversation
Making plans for tonight:
Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire ce soir ?
Je vais regarder un film. Et toi ?
Je vais retrouver des amis au restaurant. On va essayer le nouveau italien.
Bonne idée ! Je vais vous rejoindre après le film.
Le Futur Proche — Free Exercise
FREE EXERCISESTest yourself with 15 interactive questions on tenses/futur-proche. Get instant scoring with detailed explanations for every answer. Track your progress on PrepMyFrench.
AI Speaking Simulator — Talk About Plans
AI-GRADEDPractice expressing future plans using the futur proche with PrepMyFrench's AI examiner. Get pronunciation feedback scored to TEF/TCF standards.