Chapter 26: Le Futur Simple

Section 1: What is the Simple Future?

So far in French, we used the "Near Future" formula — combining a form of aller [ah-lay] (to go) with another verb (e.g., Je vais parler — I am going to speak).

Now, we introduce the Future Simple (Simple Future). It corresponds to the English word "will" (e.g., I will speak). It is used for making promises, telling fortunes/horoscopes, or declaring formal plans.

Let's review the infinitives of three basic verbs and their pronunciations:

• Parler [par-lay] : To speak.
• Finir [fee-neer] : To finish.
• Vendre [vahn-druh] : To sell.

Section 2: The Magic Future Endings (Avoir Engine)

Every rocket needs fuel. In the Future Simple, our fuel comes from the present tense of the verb avoir [ah-vwahr] (to have).

Let's look at the complete conjugation of parler [par-lay] (to speak) in the Simple Future:

Section 3: Conjugating -IR and -RE Verbs

The "Future Rocket" rule applies perfectly to all regular French verbs. Let's see how:

1. Verbs ending in -IR (like Finir — to finish)

Leave the infinitive exactly as it is (it already ends in **R**!). Just append the Avoir endings:

• Je finirai [zhuh fee-nee-ray] : I will finish.
• Nous finirons [noo fee-nee-rohn] : We will finish.

2. Verbs ending in -RE (like Vendre — to sell)

Because the infinitive ends in a silent **e** (e.g. vendre), we must drop the final e before adding our endings. This keeps the letter R as our launch pad.

• Je vendrai [zhuh vahn-dray] : I will sell.
• Ils vendront [eel vahn-drohn] : They will sell.

Section 4: The 6 Rebel Stems (Irregular Verbs)

Some common French verbs are rebels. They change their root (stem) in the future. However, they all still end in the letter R, and they use the exact same endings we just learned! Let's lock them in:

Section 5: Dialogue: L'Horoscope

Let's see these future verbs in action. Julia reads her astrological horoscope forecast to Leo. Read along and pay attention to the simple future verbs: