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Course / Leçon 21 of 40

Futur simple

After this lesson you can talk about plans, schedules and promises with the futur simple, tell it apart from the futur proche, and hear the difference between je parlerai and je parlerais.

52 core words · 14 bonus cognates · 15 phrases

Pronunciation

Future or conditional? /e/ vs /ɛ/ at the end

The futur simple and the conditionnel (lesson 24) share the same stem. In the je form the only difference is one letter in spelling and one vowel in sound:

Futur Sound Conditionnel Sound
je parlerai /ʒə paʁ.lə.ʁe/ je parlerais /ʒə paʁ.lə.ʁɛ/
j'irai /ʒi.ʁe/ j'irais /ʒi.ʁɛ/
je serai /ʒə sə.ʁe/ je serais /ʒə sə.ʁɛ/
je pourrai /ʒə pu.ʁe/ je pourrais /ʒə pu.ʁɛ/

The two vowels

  • /e/ (futur, -ai): closed, tense, smiling. Like German ee in See or eh in Reh, but short and without the English glide (not English day /deɪ/).
  • /ɛ/ (conditionnel, -ais): open, relaxed. Like German ä in Bär or e in Bett, English e in bed.

Tip: Say German Tee then Bär. Your jaw drops a little on the second one. That small drop is the whole difference between je ferai (I will do) and je ferais (I would do).

Honest note

In everyday Paris speech many people merge the two sounds, so context does the work. When you speak, aim for a clear /e/ in the future: it sounds educated and avoids ambiguity. Only je is affected: tu parleras /ʁa/ vs tu parlerais /ʁɛ/, nous parlerons /ʁɔ̃/ vs nous parlerions /ʁjɔ̃/ are easy to tell apart.

The swallowed e

In -er verbs the e before the ending is often dropped: je parlerai sounds like /paʁl.ʁe/, on regardera like /ʁə.gaʁ.dʁa/. But nous serons keeps a clear schwa: /sə.ʁɔ̃/. Also note the double rr in pourrai, verrai, enverrai, mourrai: it is pronounced as one /ʁ/, but it marks the future.

Grammar

Futur simple: infinitive + endings of avoir

German says Ich werde kommen, English I will come: both need a helper. French glues the future directly onto the verb: je viendrai. Think of it as infinitive + present of avoir: parler + ai = parlerai.

Regular formation

parler finir prendre (drop -e)
je parlerai finirai prendrai
tu parleras finiras prendras
il/elle/on parlera finira prendra
nous parlerons finirons prendrons
vous parlerez finirez prendrez
ils/elles parleront finiront prendront

The stem always ends in -r. That r is your signal: if you see -rai, -ras, -ra, -rons, -rez, -ront, it is future.

  • Je vous enverrai le document demain. I'll send you the document tomorrow.
  • Nous finirons le projet en mars. We will finish the project in March.
  • Le vol partira à 8 heures. The flight will leave at 8.

Irregular stems (learn these ten)

The endings never change, only the stem:

Infinitive Stem Example
être ser- Je serai en retard. I'll be late.
avoir aur- Tu auras la réponse lundi. You'll have the answer Monday.
aller ir- On ira à la plage. We'll go to the beach.
faire fer- Il fera beau demain. The weather will be nice tomorrow.
pouvoir pourr- Vous pourrez m'appeler. You'll be able to call me.
vouloir voudr- Ils voudront des détails. They'll want details.
devoir devr- Nous devrons partir tôt. We'll have to leave early.
venir viendr- Elle viendra avec nous. She'll come with us.
voir verr- On verra. We'll see.
savoir saur- Je saurai demain. I'll know tomorrow.

Also useful: falloir → il faudra (it will be necessary), envoyer → enverr-, tenir → tiendr-, mourir → mourr-. Small spelling shifts in -er verbs: appeler → j'appellerai, acheter → j'achèterai, promener → je promènerai.

Futur proche vs futur simple

You already know aller + infinitive (je vais partir), just like English going to.

  • Futur proche: near, certain, spoken, already decided. Je vais appeler le client. I'm going to call the client (now-ish).
  • Futur simple: further away, plans, promises, predictions, formal writing. Le directeur présentera les résultats en juin. The director will present the results in June.

In news and business French the futur simple dominates: Le gouvernement annoncera..., Les prix augmenteront.... In conversation, je vais + infinitive is more common. Promises nearly always use futur simple: Je t'appellerai, promis.

Quand + future (a German/English trap)

German and English use the present after wenn/when: Wenn ich ankomme... / When I arrive.... French uses the future if the action is in the future:

  • Quand j'arriverai à Paris, je t'appellerai. When I arrive in Paris, I'll call you.
  • Dès que nous aurons les chiffres, nous vous écrirons. As soon as we have the figures, we'll write to you.

But after si (if), use the present, exactly as in English: Si tu viens, on ira au cinéma. If you come, we'll go to the cinema.

Cognate pattern

-logie / -graphie = -logy / -graphy (and -isme / -iste review)

Greek science words come into French with -logie and -graphie, exactly where English has -logy / -graphy and German -logie / -grafie (-graphie). They are all feminine: la biologie. The person is -logue (le/la psychologue) or -graphe (le/la photographe), the adjective is -logique / -graphique.

French English German
la biologie biology die Biologie
la technologie technology die Technologie
la psychologie psychology die Psychologie
l'écologie ecology die Ökologie
la sociologie sociology die Soziologie
l'idéologie ideology die Ideologie
la méthodologie methodology die Methodologie
la chronologie chronology die Chronologie
la photographie photography die Fotografie
la géographie geography die Geografie
la biographie biography die Biografie
la bibliographie bibliography die Bibliografie
la démographie demography die Demografie
l'orthographe spelling die Rechtschreibung
le réalisme realism der Realismus
le / la journaliste journalist der Journalist

-isme / -iste review

-isme = -ism / -ismus (masculine): le tourisme, le capitalisme, l'optimisme. -iste = -ist / -ist(in), same form for both genders: un / une spécialiste, un / une optimiste.

Traps: l'orthographe (not orthographie) means spelling. La photographie is the art; a single picture is une photo. La technologie is the technology field; English technique is la technique. And logique is both logic (noun) and logical (adjective).