Understanding the French Immediate Future
The immediate future (futur proche) is used to express actions that will happen soon or in the near future. It's formed using the present tense of ALLER (to go) + INFINITIVE.
Formation: ALLER (conjugated) + INFINITIVE
This tense is equivalent to the English "going to" construction and is more commonly used in spoken French than the simple future tense. It expresses:
- Immediate plans: Je vais sortir. (I'm going to go out.)
- Near future events: Il va pleuvoir. (It's going to rain.)
- Intentions: Nous allons voyager. (We're going to travel.)
The immediate future is essential for everyday French conversation.
Examples
Je vais manger dans cinq minutes. (I'm going to eat in five minutes.)
Immediate plan - happening very soon
Elle va avoir un bébé. (She's going to have a baby.)
Near future event - planned or expected
Nous allons apprendre le français. (We're going to learn French.)
Intention - decided plan for the future
Formation: ALLER + Infinitive
The immediate future is formed by conjugating ALLER in the present tense and adding an infinitive:
ALLER (to go) - Present Tense
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | vais | I am going |
| tu | vas | you are going (informal) |
| il/elle/on | va | he/she/one is going |
| nous | allons | we are going |
| vous | allez | you are going (formal/plural) |
| ils/elles | vont | they are going |
Complete Examples
ALLER + infinitive in action:
Je vais parler. (I'm going to speak.)
Tu vas finir. (You're going to finish.)
Il va vendre. (He's going to sell.)
Nous allons partir. (We're going to leave.)
Using the Immediate Future
The immediate future is used in several contexts:
Examples
Je vais prendre une douche. (I'm going to take a shower.)
Immediate action - happening very soon
Il va faire beau demain. (It's going to be nice tomorrow.)
Weather prediction - near future
Nous allons déménager l'année prochaine. (We're going to move next year.)
Planned future action - decided intention
Immediate Actions
Actions happening very soon:
Je vais me coucher. (I'm going to go to bed.)
Tu vas manger maintenant? (Are you going to eat now?)
Plans and Intentions
Decided future plans:
Elle va étudier la médecine. (She's going to study medicine.)
Ils vont acheter une maison. (They're going to buy a house.)
Predictions
Likely future events:
Il va être en retard. (He's going to be late.)
Ça va marcher! (It's going to work!)
Negative Form
To make the immediate future negative, place ne...pas around the conjugated form of ALLER:
Examples
Je ne vais pas sortir. (I'm not going to go out.)
Tu ne vas pas comprendre. (You're not going to understand.)
Il ne va pas pleuvoir. (It's not going to rain.)
Nous n'allons pas partir. (We're not going to leave.)
Other Negative Forms
Using other negative expressions:
Je ne vais jamais oublier. (I'm never going to forget.)
Elle ne va rien dire. (She's not going to say anything.)
Interrogative Form
Questions with the immediate future can be formed in three ways:
Examples
Tu vas partir? (Are you going to leave?) - Intonation
Est-ce que tu vas partir? (Are you going to leave?) - Est-ce que
Vas-tu partir? (Are you going to leave?) - Inversion
All three forms mean the same thing
Question Words
Using interrogative words:
Où vas-tu aller? (Where are you going to go?)
Quand allez-vous partir? (When are you going to leave?)
Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire? (What are you going to do?)
Comment va-t-elle venir? (How is she going to come?)
Immediate Future vs Simple Future
French has two future tenses with different uses:
Immediate Future vs Simple Future
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate Future | je vais manger | I'm going to eat (soon/planned) |
| Simple Future | je mangerai | I will eat (distant/formal) |
| Usage | Near future, plans | Distant future, formal |
| Spoken French | Very common | Less common |
| Written French | Common | More formal |
When to Use Immediate Future
Preferred in these situations:
✅ Je vais manger dans 5 minutes. (immediate)
✅ Nous allons partir demain. (planned)
When to Use Simple Future
Preferred for formal or distant future:
✅ Je mangerai quand j'aurai faim. (conditional)
✅ Il pleuvra peut-être. (uncertain)
Time Expressions with Immediate Future
Common time expressions used with the immediate future:
Examples
Je vais partir tout de suite. (I'm going to leave right away.)
Elle va arriver dans une heure. (She's going to arrive in an hour.)
Nous allons manger ce soir. (We're going to eat tonight.)
Il va pleuvoir demain. (It's going to rain tomorrow.)
Immediate Time Expressions
For very near future:
tout de suite (right away)
dans cinq minutes (in five minutes)
maintenant (now)
bientôt (soon)
Near Future Time Expressions
For planned near future:
ce soir (tonight)
demain (tomorrow)
la semaine prochaine (next week)
l'année prochaine (next year)
Reflexive Verbs in Immediate Future
Reflexive verbs maintain their reflexive pronouns in the immediate future:
Examples
Je vais me lever tôt. (I'm going to get up early.)
Tu vas te coucher tard? (Are you going to go to bed late?)
Elle va se marier. (She's going to get married.)
Nous allons nous amuser. (We're going to have fun.)
Pronoun Placement
Reflexive pronouns go before the infinitive:
Je vais me préparer. (I'm going to get ready.)
Ils vont se rencontrer. (They're going to meet.)
Common Expressions with Immediate Future
Useful phrases and expressions:
Examples
Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire? (What are you going to do?)
Je vais voir. (I'm going to see./We'll see.)
Ça va marcher! (It's going to work!)
On va y aller. (We're going to go.)
Encouraging Expressions
Positive future expressions:
Ça va bien se passer! (It's going to go well!)
Tu vas réussir! (You're going to succeed!)
Common Mistakes with Immediate Future
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong ALLER conjugation: Mixing up verb forms
2. Using past participle: Using past participle instead of infinitive
3. Double future: Using both immediate and simple future
4. Missing infinitive: Forgetting the infinitive after aller
Examples
❌ Je va manger → ✅ Je vais manger
Wrong: incorrect aller conjugation
❌ Je vais mangé → ✅ Je vais manger
Wrong: past participle instead of infinitive
❌ Je vais mangerai → ✅ Je vais manger
Wrong: mixing immediate and simple future
❌ Je vais → ✅ Je vais partir
Wrong: missing infinitive after aller