The near future is the present of aller plus an infinitive: it names a plan or what is about to happen. Only aller changes; the infinitive stays as it is: Je vais manger ici. Tu vas venir ?
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | subject + aller + infinitive | Je vais manger ici. | I'm going to eat here. | |
| Form | aller: vais / vas / va / allons / allez / vont | Nous allons partir. | We're going to leave. | |
| Use | a plan, an intention | Demain, je vais travailler. | Tomorrow I'm going to work. | |
| Use | what is about to happen | Le film va commencer. | The film is about to start. | |
| Use | a prediction from what you see | Regarde le ciel : il va pleuvoir. | Look at the sky: it's going to rain. | |
| Negation | ne + aller + pas | Je ne vais pas sortir. | I'm not going to go out. | |
| Question | the voice rises, or est-ce que before the sentence | Tu vas venir ? | Are you going to come? | |
| Pronouns | the pronoun goes before the infinitive | Je vais le faire. | I'm going to do it. | |
| Trap | after aller, the infinitive stands alone, with no à | Il va partir. | He's going to leave. |
Overview
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- The near future is formed with aller in the present and an infinitive. Je vais chanter. / Ils vont danser.I'm going to sing. / They're going to dance.
- In speech, it is the most common way to talk about the future. Demain, on va visiter Lyon.Tomorrow we're going to visit Lyon.
- Only aller changes with the subject; the infinitive never changes. Tu vas partir. / Vous allez partir.You're going to leave. / You're going to leave.
- The forms of aller: Present Tense: Irregular Verbs.
- The future in one word: Simple Future: je parlerai.
Form: the affirmative
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| Person | Affirmative | Negation | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | vais partir | ne vais pas partir | |
| tu | vas partir | ne vas pas partir | |
| il / elle / on | va partir | ne va pas partir | |
| nous | allons partir | n’allons pas partir | |
| vous | allez partir | n’allez pas partir | |
| ils / elles | vont partir | ne vont pas partir |
- On va + infinitive often replaces nous allons + infinitive. On va manger dehors.We're going to eat out.
- The subject can be a noun: the verb aller agrees with it. Léa va partir. / Mes parents vont arriver.Léa is going to leave. / My parents are going to arrive.
Form: negation and questions
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| subject + ne + aller + pas + infinitive | Je ne vais pas dormir. / Nous n’allons pas rester. | I'm not going to sleep. / We're not going to stay. | |
| subject + aller + infinitive + ↗ | Tu vas venir ? / Vous allez partir ? | Are you going to come? / Are you going to leave? | |
| est-ce que + subject + aller + infinitive | Est-ce que tu vas venir ? / Est-ce qu’il va pleuvoir ? | Are you going to come? / Is it going to rain? | |
| aller + hyphen + subject + infinitive | Vas-tu venir ? / Va-t-il pleuvoir ? | Are you going to come? / Is it going to rain? |
- The other negatives also surround aller: ne … jamais, ne … plus. Elle ne va jamais accepter. / Je ne vais plus fumer.She is never going to accept. / I'm not going to smoke any more.
- Canada: In Québec speech, the particle ‑tu follows aller in a question. Tu vas-tu venir ?Are you going to come?
Pronouns with the near future
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- An object pronoun goes before the infinitive, never before aller. Je vais le faire. / Elle va m’appeler.I'm going to do it. / She's going to call me.
- A pronominal verb keeps its pronoun before the infinitive, agreeing with the subject. Je vais me lever tôt. / Nous allons nous reposer.I'm going to get up early. / We're going to rest.
- In a negative sentence, the pronoun stays before the infinitive: ne … pas surrounds aller. Je ne vais pas le dire.I'm not going to say it.
- Y and en also go before the infinitive. Je vais y aller demain. / Il va en prendre deux.I'm going to go there tomorrow. / He's going to take two of them.
- All the object pronouns: Object Pronouns; y and en: The Pronouns y and en.
Use
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| A plan | Ce soir, je vais regarder un film. | Tonight I'm going to watch a film. | |
| An intention | Je vais apprendre le français. | I'm going to learn French. | |
| What happens in a moment | Attention, le train va partir ! | Careful, the train is about to leave! | |
| Asking about a plan | Qu’est-ce que tu vas faire samedi ? | What are you going to do on Saturday? | |
| A suggestion with on | On va manger ensemble ? | Shall we eat together? | |
| A prediction from what you see | Regarde le ciel : il va pleuvoir. | Look at the sky: it's going to rain. |
Time words
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| Word | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| demain | Demain, je vais travailler. | Tomorrow I'm going to work. | |
| ce soir | Ce soir, on va dîner chez Paul. | Tonight we're going to have dinner at Paul's. | |
| bientôt | Le magasin va ouvrir bientôt. | The shop is going to open soon. | |
| la semaine prochaine | La semaine prochaine, nous allons voyager. | Next week we're going to travel. | |
| tout à l’heure | Je vais appeler Léa tout à l’heure. | I'm going to call Léa later. | |
| dans | Le cours va finir dans dix minutes. | The class is going to end in ten minutes. |
- The prepositions of time, dans among them: Prepositions of Time.
Compare: futur proche and futur simple
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| futur proche | futur simple | Level |
|---|---|---|
| plans, intentions, what is near; everyday speech | forecasts, promises, the more distant future; written texts | |
| Je vais partir demain.I'm going to leave tomorrow. | Je partirai demain.I will leave tomorrow. |
- The forms and uses of the futur simple: Simple Future: je parlerai.
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je vais mange. | Je vais manger. | after aller, the verb stays in the infinitive | |
| Il vais partir. | Il va partir. | il → va | |
| Je suis allant manger. | Je vais manger. | no “am going”: aller stays in the plain present, je vais manger | |
| Je vais ne pas manger. | Je ne vais pas manger. | ne … pas surrounds aller, not the infinitive | |
| Je vais appeler te. | Je vais t’appeler. | the pronoun goes before the infinitive: je vais t’appeler, not “call you” | |
| Je vais lever à sept heures. | Je vais me lever à sept heures. | se lever keeps its pronoun before the infinitive |