Overview
This lecture explains how to form the simple future tense (le futur simple) in French, including regular rules and key irregular exceptions.
Forming the Futur Simple
- Use the subject pronoun (je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils).
- For -ER and -IR verbs, keep the full infinitive and add the futur simple endings.
- For -RE verbs, remove the final "e" from the infinitive before adding endings.
- Regular endings are: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
Regular Examples
- Je partirai (I will leave).
- Tu mangeras (You will eat).
- Nous comprendrons (We will understand).
Irregular Verb Exceptions
- Avoir (to have): stem is "aur" (j'aurai, tu auras).
- ĂŠtre (to be): stem is "ser" (je serai, tu seras).
- Aller (to go): stem is "ir" (j'irai).
- Oir verbs (e.g., voir): often have unique stems (je verrai).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Futur simple — the simple future tense in French used to describe what will happen.
- Infinitive — the basic, unconjugated form of a verb (e.g., parler, finir, vendre).
- Irregular verbs — verbs that do not follow standard conjugation rules.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Look up and memorize the stems of common irregular verbs in the futur simple.
- Practice conjugating various regular and irregular verbs in the future tense.