# Near Future: je vais manger

https://langs123.com/en/french/futur-imperatif/futur-proche/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> 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

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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

- 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

| Person | Affirmative | Negation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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?)
- All the question forms: Questions; all the negatives: Negation.

## Pronouns with the near future

- 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

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| Word | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| futur proche | futur simple |
| --- | --- |
| 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

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 |