Near Future For Intermediate learners

What Is the Near Future in French?

The near future (futur proche) is a French verb tense used to talk about actions that are going to happen very soon or in the near future. It is equivalent to the English construction "going to + verb".

Look at the examples below:

Example

Je vais étudier ce soir.

I am going to study tonight.

Nous allons partir demain.

We are going to leave tomorrow.

When to Use Futur Proche

The futur proche is used in three main situations:

Near-future Actions

Actions that are going to happen very soon.

Example

Je vais appeler ma sœur tout de suite.

I am going to call my sister right away.

Nous allons commencer la réunion.

We are going to start the meeting.

Plans or Intentions

Actions that are planned or decided before speaking.

Example

Ils vont voyager en Italie cet été.

They are going to travel to Italy this summer.

Je vais étudier ce week-end.

I am going to study this weekend.

Predictions Based on Evidence

Use futur proche when there is visible evidence that something will happen.

Example

Regarde ces nuages ! Il va pleuvoir.

Look at those clouds! It's going to rain.

Attention ! Le vase va tomber.

Be careful! The vase is going to fall.

Warning!

If the prediction is uncertain or general, French usually prefers futur simple:

Example

Il pleuvra demain.

It will rain tomorrow.

How to Form Futur Proche

The futur proche is formed using two parts:

The present tense of the verb "aller" (to go)

The infinitive of the main verb

Structure:

subject + aller (present) + infinitive

Here's the conjugation of "aller" in the present tense:

Subject	Aller (present)
je	vais
tu	vas
il / elle / on	va
nous	allons
vous	allez
ils / elles	vont

Here are the examples with "manger" (to eat):

je vais manger → I am going to eat

tu vas manger → you are going to eat

il / elle / on va manger → he/she/one is going to eat

nous allons manger → we are going to eat

vous allez manger → you are going to eat

ils / elles vont manger → they are going to eat

Negative Sentences in Futur Proche

To make a sentence negative, place ne…pas around aller.

Structure:

subject + ne + aller (present) + pas + infinitive

Example

Je ne vais pas travailler demain.

I am not going to work tomorrow.

Elles ne vont pas venir à la fête.

They are not going to come to the party.

Tip!

In spoken French, the "ne" is often dropped:

Example

Je vais pas travailler demain.

I am not going to work tomorrow.

Asking Questions in Futur Proche

There are three main ways to ask questions:

Using intonation (spoken French)

Example

Tu vas étudier ce soir ?

Are you going to study tonight?

Raise your voice at the end.

Using "est-ce que"

Example

Est-ce que tu vas étudier ce soir ?

Are you going to study tonight?

Using inversion (formal French)

Example

Vas-tu étudier ce soir ?

Are you going to study tonight?

Common Time Expressions with Futur Proche

Futur proche is often used with:

French	English
tout à l'heure	in a little while
demain	tomorrow
ce soir	tonight
bientôt	soon
la semaine prochaine	next week
après	after
plus tard	later

Here are some examples:

Example

Je vais te rappeler tout à l'heure.

I am going to call you in a little while.

Nous allons commencer le projet demain.

We are going to start the project tomorrow.

Futur Proche vs Futur Simple

For speaking French naturally, use futur proche for planned or imminent actions, reserving futur simple for formal writing, literature, or more distant/future events.