Module 11 – Les études
Première partie : A Nantes, la grammaire
In this section:
-
Le futur simple (formation)
-
Le futur simple (uses)
Le futur simple (formation)
Formation
The ‘simple’ future (le futur) is so-named because it is a one-word tense. In other words, its formation is simple because there is no auxiliary (helping verb).
The endings for the simple future are:
-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
The future stem for -er and -ir verbs is the infinitive. A stem is the root of the word. For example, for “Je parlerai” (I will speak), the “stem” is “parler”. For “Il finira” (he will finish), the “stem” is “finir”.
For regular -re verbs, the stem is the infinitive minus the final e. For example, “Tu perdras” you will lose, the “stem” is “perd”
In all cases, the future stem ends in -r: this sound characterizes the future and the conditional.
The French simple future tense is generally translated into English with the modal auxiliary ‘will.’
Listen carefully to the future conjugation of regular -er verbs, where the e of the infinitive changes in pronunciation.
| nager ‘to swim’ | |
| je nagerai, I will swim | nous nagerons, we will swim |
| tu nageras, you will swim | vous nagerez, you will swim |
| il/elle/iel/on nagera, he, she, they (it) / one will swim | ils /elles/iels nageront, they will swim |
Some -er verbs with spelling changes in the present form their future regularly, that is, their future stem is the infinitive. These include verbs like préférer (je préférerai), manger (je mangerai) and commencer (je commencerai). Other -er verbs with spelling changes in the present (appeler, employer, acheter) have irregular future stems.
| réfléchir ‘to think’ | |
| je réfléchirai, I will think | nous réfléchirons, we will think |
| tu réfléchiras, you will think | vous réfléchirez, you will think |
| il/elle/iel/on réfléchira, he, she (it) / one will think | ils /elles/iels réfléchiront, they will think |
| rendre ‘to give back’ | |
| je rendrai, I will give back | nous rendrons, we will give back |
| tu rendras, you will give back | vous rendrez, you will give back |
| il/elle/iel/on rendra, he, she, (it) / one will give back | ils / elles/iels rendront, they will give back |
Many verbs which are irregular in the present tense have regular formations in the future. Their future stems are the infinitive or the infinitive minus the final e. Such verbs include sortir (je sortirai), partir (je partirai), dormir (je dormirai), boire (je boirai), dire (je dirai), écrire (j’écrirai), lire (je lirai), mettre (je mettrai), prendre (je prendrai), and suivre (je suivrai).
Essayez !
Uses of the futur simple
The simple future is used to refer to future events, that is, to make predictions. It is more formal than the immediate future, although both tenses may be used in most contexts. For further details, see future: usage.
| Une personne imagine ses vacances en Belgique | A person imagines their vacation in Belgium | |
| Nous prendrons le métro à Bruxelles, bien sûr. On restera dans un hôtel trois étoiles et nous mangerons dans des restaurants chics. Nous flânerons au long des rues célèbres de la ville La nuit nous descendrons la Senne en bateau. |
We will take the metro in Brussels, of course. We will stay in a three-star hotel and we will eat in chic restaurants. We will stroll along the famous streets of the city. At night we will go down the Senne river on a sightseeing boat. |
The two tenses also indicate a difference in the speaker’s perception of the future event. The futur proche indicates that the speaker is relatively certain that the future event will actually happen. In contrast, the futur simple indicates that the speaker is less certain of the future event coming to pass. Let’s imagine a context to make this distinction more clear. Suppose that a very disturbed man has just climbed out onto the ledge of a skyscraper. The man begins to lose his balance. A horrified onlooker sees the man beginning to teeter and screams:
| Il va tomber! | He’s going to fall! | |
| Il tombera! | He will fall! |
In this scenario, first sentence, the one in the near future, sounds more plausible in French and in English. Why? Because when someone loses his balance, he will invariably fall. In this case, the tense indicates both the immediacy of the future event as well as its inevitability in the mind of the speaker. Of course, speakers are usually more certain about the immediate future and less certain about the distant future. Does this mean that certainty and distance to the present always go together? Not exactly. One can be certain about events in the distant future too. For example, look at the following sentences in French and in English and try to imagine the different contexts in which they would be appropriate.
| Je vais avoir un enfant! | I’m gonna have a baby! | |
| J’aurai un enfant! | I will have a baby! |
In the first sentence, the speaker is either pregnant or has just received confirmation from an adoption agency. Whatever the case may be, the speaker knows for certain that she will become a parent and indicates the inevitability of the future event via the futur proche. But note that even though the speaker is certain about the future event, the event is not likely to happen immediately. In the second sentence, the speaker is stating her desire to either get pregnant or to adopt a child of her own. In this sentence the time frame for the future event is left open–maybe she will get pregnant tomorrow, maybe she won’t.
