Catherine:	En ce début d'été, es-tu d'accord pour parler vacances et séjours de charme, Luc ?
Luc:	Bien sûr, Catherine, mais c'est risqué... On ne va plus vouloir travailler après un tel sujet ! De quoi vas-tu nous parler ?
Catherine:	Je pensais à une association française qui, malgré des débuts modestes, va finir par regrouper plus de 500 hôtels et restaurants de luxe présents sur les cinq continents.
Luc:	Euh... Est-ce Relais et Châteaux ?

In French, there are two ways to express the future: le futur proche or the near future and le futur de l’indicatif or the future simple. In this lesson, we will learn how to express the future using le futur proche.

As its name suggests, le futur proche describes an action that will happen in the near future. It is mainly used in speaking and in informal writing. It is the French equivalent of the “going to” form. To form le futur proche we need two elements: the verb “aller” in the present simple and the infinitive of a verb.

The verb “aller” in the present simple:

Je vais Tu vas Il va Elle va On va Nous allons Vous allez Ils vont Elles vont

Remember: It is important to learn the conjugation of the verb “aller” in the present simple in order to master the use of le futur proche.

The verb that follows the verb “aller” is ALWAYS in the infinitive form.

Je vais prendre une douche.
I am going to take a shower.

Ma nièce va avoir un bébé.
My niece is having a baby.

Thierry et sa femme vont acheter une maison.
Thierry and his wife are going to buy a house.

The interrogative form: The interrogative form is the same as in the present de l’indicatif.

Est-ce que vous allez nettoyer votre chambre aujourd’hui?
Are you going to clean your room today?

Quand est-ce qu’on va partir? Je commence à m’impatienter.
When are we leaving? I’m getting impatient.

Où est-ce qu’ils vont fêter leur mariage?
Where are they going to celebrate their wedding?

The negative form: We put the “ne” right between the subject and the verb “aller”. Then we put the “pas” between “aller” and the verb in the infinitive.

Ils ne vont pas vendre leur maison, mais ils vont bientôt la louer.
They are not going to sell their house, but they will rent it soon.

The position of certain adverbs in sentences with the futur proche: We usually put the adverbs between the verb “aller” and the infinitive of the verb used when the statement is positive. When the statement is negative, we generally put the adverb between the verb “aller” and “pas”.

Nous allons bientôt partir en vacances.
We are going on vacation soon.

Tu ne vas certainement pas partir seule. Je vais t’accompagner.
You are not going by yourself. I’m coming with you.

Remember: Sometimes depending on the situation, le futur proche can be translated to either the future simple or the verb +ing form. Je vais rarement utiliser mon ordinateur.
I will rarely use my computer.

Tu vas venir avec moi ce soir?
Are you coming with me tonight?

Vous n’allez quand même pas abandonner!
I hope you are not giving up!