Le futur proche (Going to...)
Talk about future plans using aller + infinitive, the most common way to express future in spoken French.
LE FUTUR PROCHE: the most common way to talk about future plans in French
FORMULA: ALLER (conjugated, present tense) + INFINITIVE
EXAMPLES: Je vais manger (I'm going to eat) (I'm going to eat). Tu vas partir quand (when are you going to leave) ? Il va pleuvoir (it is going to rain). Nous allons voyager (we're going to travel). On va s'amuser (we are going to have fun) ! Ils vont travailler (they're going to work).
NEGATIVE: wrap ne...pas around ALLER (not the infinitive!): Je ne vais pas manger. (I'm not going to eat.) · Il ne va pas partir. (He's not going to leave.) · Nous n'allons pas rester. (We're not going to stay.)
WHEN TO USE: immediate or near future plans, intentions, scheduled events, predictions about the near future. Ce soir, je vais regarder un film. (Tonight, I'm going to watch a film.) · Demain, on va aller à la plage. (Tomorrow, we're going to the beach.) · Il va bientôt faire nuit. (It's going to get dark soon.)
WITH TIME EXPRESSIONS: dans cinq minutes (in five minutes) · bientôt (soon) · ce soir (tonight) · demain (tomorrow) · la semaine prochaine (next week)
PRONOMINAL VERBS in futur proche: pronoun goes before the infinitive: Je vais me lever tôt. (I'm going to get up early.) · Tu vas te coucher tard. (You're going to go to bed late.) · Il va s'habiller vite. (He's going to get dressed quickly.)
Common mistake: 'Je vais mange': the second verb must be an INFINITIVE: Je vais manger. (I'm going to eat.)
Common mistake: 'Je ne pas vais manger': ne...pas wraps around ALLER: Je ne vais pas manger. (I'm not going to eat.)
- Je VAIS passer mes vacances en Espagne cet été. — I'm going to spend my holidays in Spain this summer.
- Tu VAS être en retard si tu ne pars pas maintenant. — You're going to be late if you don't leave now.
- Elle VA prendre un café et travailler jusqu'à 20h. — She's going to have a coffee and work until 8 PM.
- Nous n'ALLONS PAS sortir ce soir. On reste à la maison. — We are not going to go out tonight. We're staying home.
THREE TENSES COMPARISON: the complete picture at A1 level
PASSÉ RÉCENT (venir de + infinitive): very recent past: happened moments ago: Je viens de manger (I just ate) (I just ate). Il vient d'arriver (he just arrived) (He just arrived).
PRÉSENT (present tense): happening right now OR habitual action: Je mange. (I'm eating / I eat.) · Il travaille. (He's working / He works.)
FUTUR PROCHE (aller + infinitive): going to happen: planned future: Je vais manger. (I'm going to eat.) · Elle va travailler. (She's going to work.)
TIMELINE: PASSÉ RÉCENT ← PRÉSENT → FUTUR PROCHE. Think of these three as covering 'just did', 'doing now', 'going to do'
COMBINING IN A SENTENCE: Je viens de finir mon travail, je mange maintenant, et ce soir je vais regarder un film. (I just finished work, I'm eating now, and tonight I'm going to watch a film.)
- Je VIENS DE manger → Je mange → Je VAIS manger. — I just ate → I'm eating → I'm going to eat.
- Elle VIENT DE finir son examen → Elle est libre → Elle VA fêter ça ! — She just finished her exam → She's free → She's going to celebrate!