GCSE French Revision: The Near Future Tense

Overview

• The futur proche (near future) tense is used to describe actions that are going to happen with certainty.

Forming the Near Future Tense

• Use the present tense of aller (to go) followed by an infinitive verb.

Structure Examples

• je vais + infinitive (e.g., regarder) = I'm going to watch
• tu vas + infinitive (e.g., manger) = You're going to eat
• il/elle/on va + infinitive (e.g., faire) = He/she/one is going to do
• nous allons + infinitive (e.g., avoir) = We're going to have
• vous allez + infinitive (e.g., vivre) = You're going to live
• ils/elles vont + infinitive (e.g., aller) = They're going to go

Forming the Negative

• To indicate something is not going to happen, wrap "ne" and "pas" around the conjugated verb aller.
• To indicate something is never going to happen, use "ne/n' ... jamais".

Negative Structure Examples

• Nous n'allons pas perdre nos portables. = We aren't going to lose our mobile phones.
• Ils ne vont jamais oublier de fermer la porte à clé. = They are never going to forget to lock the door.

Practice Questions

• Translate the following to near future tense:
  1. I'm going to watch.
  2. They're going to have.
  3. She's going to drink.
  4. Are you going to finish? (tu)

Additional Resources

• Further Study:
  • French nouns and articles
  • French prepositions
  • French adjectives
  • French adverbs
  • French pronouns
  • The French present tense
  • The French perfect and pluperfect tenses
  • The French imperfect tense
  • The French conditional
  • Other French verb forms
  • Asking questions in French
  • Negatives in French
• Related Links:
  • Personalise your Bitesize!
  • Jobs that use Languages
  • BBC News: France Profile
  • BBC French World Service
  • BBC Food: French Cuisine
  • Quizlet
  • Pearson Education
  • Educational App Store Subscription
  • French in a Click
  • Revision Buddies Subscription