French grammar · Beginner (A1)
The near future: aller + infinitive
Talk about plans and what's going to happen with aller + infinitive, the easiest way to express the future in French.
Going to do something
Just like “I'm going to eat” in English, French uses the verb (to go) + an infinitive to talk about the future: . This is called the (near future).
Only changes. The second verb stays in the infinitive, the form ending in -er, -ir or -re. In everyday French this is the most common way to talk about the future, even for plans that are a long way off.
| Person | + infinitive | |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / |
- Je vais appeler ma mère ce soir.I'm going to call my mum tonight.
- Il va pleuvoir.It's going to rain.
- Nous allons acheter une voiture l'année prochaine.We're going to buy a car next year.
Negatives and questions
In the negative, and go around , not around the infinitive: (I'm not going to work tomorrow).
Questions work the usual way: or (Are you going to come?)
- On ne va pas rester longtemps.We're not going to stay long.
- Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire ce week-end ?What are you going to do this weekend?
Useful time words
These words often go with the near future. They can go at the start or the end of the sentence.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| tonight, this evening | |
| tomorrow | |
| this weekend | |
| next week | |
| next year | |
| soon |
- Demain, je vais faire les courses.Tomorrow I'm going to do the shopping.