Future Simple — je parlerai, tu finiras…

What Is the Future Simple?

The future simple expresses what will happen. It is formed differently from the near future (aller + infinitive) — it uses a one-word tense.

Je parlerai français. — I will speak French.
Elle finira ses devoirs. — She will finish her homework.
Nous partirons demain. — We will leave tomorrow.
Use it for decisions, predictions, and formal promises.

Formation — Regular Verbs

For -er and -ir verbs: add endings to the infinitive. For -re verbs: drop the -e first.

Subject	Ending	parler	finir	vendre
je	-ai	parlerai	finirai	vendrai
tu	-as	parleras	finiras	vendras
il/elle	-a	parlera	finira	vendra
nous	-ons	parlerons	finirons	vendrons
vous	-ez	parlerez	finirez	vendrez
ils	-ont	parleront	finiront	vendront

Irregular Future Stems

Many common verbs have irregular stems but use the same endings.

être → ser- : je serai (I will be)
avoir → aur- : j'aurai (I will have)
aller → ir- : j'irai (I will go)
faire → fer- : je ferai (I will do/make)
pouvoir → pourr- : je pourrai (I will be able)
venir → viendr- : je viendrai (I will come)
voir → verr- : je verrai (I will see)

Future Simple vs. Futur Proche

Both refer to the future, but they feel different.

Futur proche (aller + inf.) — near future, planned, certain:
Je vais partir demain. — I'm going to leave tomorrow. (planned)

Future simple — more open, predictions, formal promises:
Je partirai demain. — I will leave tomorrow.
At A2 level, both are often interchangeable in speech.

Quick Summary

Future simple at a glance.

• Regular: infinitive + -ai/-as/-a/-ons/-ez/-ont.
• -re verbs: drop -e before adding endings.
• Key irregulars: ser- / aur- / ir- / fer- / pourr- / viendr- / verr-.
• With si clause: present + future (not future + future):
Si tu travailles, tu réussiras. (If you work, you'll succeed.)

Common Mistakes

Avoid	Use	Why
If you work, you will succeed	Si tu travailles, tu réussiras	si + present, main clause + future (not si + future).
I will go	j'irai	aller is irregular: ir- + ai → j'irai.
she will be	elle sera	être is irregular: ser- + a → sera.
we will do	nous ferons	faire is irregular: fer- + ons → ferons.

Summary

Point	Form	Example
je	-ai	je parlerai · je serai · j'irai
tu	-as	tu finiras · tu auras · tu feras
il / elle	-a	il vendra · elle sera · il pourra
nous	-ons	nous parlerons · nous irons
vous	-ez	vous finirez · vous verrez
ils / elles	-ont	ils parleront · elles auront
irregular stems	ser- / aur- / ir- / fer- / pourr-	sera · aura · ira · fera · pourra
si + present	→ future in main clause	Si tu viens, on mangera ensemble.