The Future Simple. Part I: Verbs of the First Group

The future simple or in French “Le futur de l’indicatif” expresses the future. It is the equivalent of the future simple will + infinitive. The form of the future simple depends on the verb itself. In this lesson, we will examine the future simple of the verbs of the first group.

Remember: The verbs of the first group end in “er”. They are regular verbs that follow the same conjugation.

Exception: “aller” is an irregular verb that belongs to the third group.

Form:

The future simple of the verbs of the first group is formed by adding the suffix “ai”, “as”, “a”, “ons”, “ez”, “ont” to their infinitives depending on the subject.

Conjugation of the verb “parler”:

Je	parlerai
Tu	parleras
Il /elle/ on	parlera
Nous	parlerons
Vous	parlerez
Ils/elles	parleront

For example:

Il est fort probable que les deux candidats à la présidence parleront ce soir de la mondialisation.
It is very likely that the two presidential candidates will talk tonight about globalization.

Je suis sûre que tu gagneras ton pari.
I’m sure you will win your bet.

Je préparerai de bons petits plats pour ta famille.
I will prepare delicious dishes for your family.

The interrogative form:

Remember: There are three ways of asking questions in French:

1-Adding “est ce que” to the sentence.
2-Subject verb inversion
3-Intonation

The “est ce que” form: The “est ce que “ form in the future simple is formed by adding the “est ce que” to the sentence.

For example:

Est-ce qu’il racompagnera les enfants à la maison?
Will he walk the kids home?

Quand est-ce que vous planterez vos tomates?
When will you plant your tomatoes?

The inversion:

The inversion is formed by simply inverting the subject and the verb. It is usually used in formal writing.

For example:

Présentera-t-il son programme ce soir?
Will he present his program this evening?

Répèterez-vous ce que je vais vous dire maintenant?
Will you repeat what I will tell you now?

The intonation:

You can ask questions in French by simply adding an intonation at the end of the sentence. You can do this in informal speech only.

For example:

Vous trouverez un endroit où stationner là-bas?
Will you find a parking spot there?

Quand tu seras loin, tu penseras à nous?
When you’re away, will you think about us?

Tu passeras me prendre demain?
Will you come and pick me up tomorrow?

The negative form:

To form a negative statement, you need to put “ne” between the subject and the verb and follow the verb with “pas”:

For example:

Il ne conduira pas ta voiture.
He will not drive your car.

Je te promets que je ne parlerai pas pendant le cours.
I promise you I won’t talk during the lesson.