French grammar: futur simple

What this grammar point covers

The 'futur simple' is a French verb tense used to talk about actions that will happen in the future.

When to use it

Use the futur simple in French to talk about things that will happen later, make predictions, promises, or express intentions.

Key forms

• Take the infinitive form of regular verbs (e.g., parler, finir, vendre) and add the endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
• Example: je parlerai, tu finiras, il vendra

Examples

Tips

• Do not confuse the futur simple with the near future ('aller' + infinitive).
• For -re verbs, drop the final 'e' before adding the endings.
• Most irregular verbs have special stems but the same endings.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs have irregular stems (e.g., être → ser-, avoir → aur-, aller → ir-, faire → fer-).