Lesson 4 - Futur proche

Welcome back!

In the last lesson, you practiced the verb aller (to go). Now we’re going to use it for something even more powerful: talking about the near future.

The futur proche is one of the easiest ways to speak French. Why? Because you don’t need to learn a whole new set of endings. You just use aller + verb. That’s it!

It works just like in English when you say I’m going to….

👉 The futur proche is used to talk about things you’re going to do soon. It’s simple, natural, and very common in everyday French.

Now, here’s something important:

  • In real life, French speakers use both futur proche and futur simple for the same situations. You can say je vais partir demain or je partirai demain, both mean “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  • In grammar books, they like to make a distinction:

    • futur proche = something very soon, something planned.

    • futur simple = something later, more distant, or more formal.

But in daily life, people don’t really worry about the difference. You’ll hear both all the time. Trust me, fais-moi confiance !

1. How It Works

The structure is simple:

👉 aller (present tense) + infinitive

  • je vais … → I’m going to …

  • tu vas … → you’re going to …

  • il / elle / on va … → he / she / one is going to …

  • nous allons … → we’re going to … (in spoken French, use on va instead, it’s shorter and more natural)

  • vous allez … → you’re going to …

  • ils / elles vont … → they’re going to …

2. Examples with Everyday Verbs

Here’s a simple trick to remember futur proche: it works like English “gonna.”

  • In English you say: I’m gonna eat.

  • In French you say: Je vais manger.
    👉 Never add “de”, it’s always just je vais + verb, not je vais de manger.

Repeat after me:

  • Je vais manger un croissant. → I’m gonna eat a croissant.

  • Tu vas travailler demain ? → Are you gonna work tomorrow?

  • Il va appeler sa mère. → He’s gonna call his mother.

  • On va aller au cinéma ce soir. → We’re gonna go to the cinema tonight.

  • Vous allez prendre le train ? → Are you gonna take the train?

  • Elles vont faire les courses. → They’re gonna do the shopping.

👉 Notice how natural this feels. If you can say je vais, you can already talk about the future!

3. Mini Dialogue

Let’s see futur proche in action with a short conversation.

— Tu fais quoi ce soir ?
(What are you doing tonight?)

— Je vais regarder un film.
(I’m going to watch a movie.)

— On va aller au restaurant, tu viens ?
(We’re going to the restaurant, are you coming?)

— D’accord, je viens avec vous.
(Okay, I’m going with you.)

4. Exercise

  1. Review aller in the present tense with examples:

    • Je vais en ville. → I’m going downtown.

    • Tu vas au marché. → You’re going to the market.

  2. Write 5 sentences with futur proche, then say them out loud. Start with je, then change to tu, il, on, vous…

Examples:

  • Je vais cuisiner ce soir.

  • Tu vas apprendre le français.

  • On va se reposer demain.

  1. Imagine your plans for tomorrow and say them in futur proche.

5. Practice Tips

  • Take your daily activities and say them in futur proche:

    • Je vais cuisiner, tu vas étudier, on va marcher.

  • Mix with vocabulary from earlier lessons:

    • Je vais au marché, elle va chez le médecin.

  • Practice with friends, or record yourself speaking. The more you say it, the more automatic it becomes.

6. Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ❌ je aller (this is the infinitive) / j'allais (this is the past)→ ✅ je vais

  • ❌ je vais parlez → ✅ je vais parler (always infinitive for the second verb)

  • Both are correct: tu vas faire quoi ? (casual) and qu’est-ce que tu vas faire ? (neutral).

🎯 What You Can Do Now

After this lesson, you can:

  • Use futur proche to talk about your plans.

  • Mix it with vocabulary you already know to create real sentences.

  • Recognize that when French speakers say je vais…, they often mean the future, not just “I go.”

What’s Next

Congratulations! You can now describe the future in French without complicated grammar.

In the next lesson, we’ll learn how to make negative sentences, so you can say not only what you’re going to do, but also what you’re not going to do.

Alors, qu’est-ce que tu vas faire maintenant ? Tu vas pratiquer, j’espère !