Tense / Aspect / Mood / Voice
simple future (irregular)
The ‘simple’ future is so-named because it is a one-word tense. In other words, its formation is simple because there is no auxiliary. The stem of the simple future always ends with the letterr, which is the characteristic sound of the future and conditional tenses.
For a list of irregular verbs which form their future in the same way as regular verbs do, see future: regular.
irregular future stems
Some irregular verbs also have irregular future stems. Nevertheless, the future endings are the same for all verbs: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont. The future stem for the verb être is ser- and the future stem for the verb avoir is aur-.
| être ‘to be’ | |
| je serai, I will be | nous serons, we will be |
| tu seras, you will be | vous serez, you will be |
| il, elle / on sera, he, she (it) / one will be | ils / elles seront, they will be |
| avoir ‘to have’ | |
| j’aurai, I will have | nous aurons, we will have |
| tu auras, you will have | vous aurez, you will have |
| il, elle / on aura, he, she (it) / one will have | ils / elles auront, they will have |
Here are the most common verbs that have irregular future stems:
| infinitive | stem | future | translation |
| aller | ir- | j’irai | I will go |
| courir | courr- | je courrai | I will run |
| devoir | devr- | je devrai | I will be obliged to |
| envoyer | enverr- | j’enverrai | I will send |
| faire | fer- | je ferai | I will do |
| falloir | faudr- | il faudra | it will be necessary |
| mourir | mourr- | je mourrai | I will die |
| obtenir | obtiendr- | j’obtiendrai | I will obtain |
| pleuvoir | pleuvr- | il pleuvra | it will rain |
| pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrai | I will be able |
| recevoir | recevr- | je recevrai | I will receive |
| savoir | saur- | je saurai | I will know |
| tenir | tiendr- | je tiendrai | I will hold |
| venir | viendr- | je viendrai | I will come |
| voir | verr- | je verrai | I will see |
| vouloir | voudr- | je voudrai | I will want |
future stems of verbs with spelling changes
Verbs with spelling changes like appeler, employer, and acheter add -r to the present tense je form to create their future stems:
| present tense | stem | future | translation |
| j’appelle | appeller- | j’appellerai | I will call |
| j’emploie | emploier- | j’emploierai | I will use |
| j’achète | achèter- | j’achèterai | I will buy |
Other -er verbs verbs with spelling changes including préférer, manger, and commencer have regular future stems.
uses
The simple future is used to refer to future events, that is, to make predictions. It is more formal than the immediate future, although both tenses may be used in most contexts. For further details, see future: usage.
| Tammy est en train d’écrire un livre de science-fiction: | Tammy is writing a science-fiction book: | |
| En l’an 3000, il ne pleuvra plus sur la planète Terre. Tout le monde aura très peur et des centaines de personnes mourront. Le sol deviendra stérile. Certains iront vivre sur la Lune. Les autres devront habiter sur Mars. Les villes terrestres seront totalement vides. Personne ne voudra croire qu’autrefois la vie sur la Terre était merveilleuse. | In the year 3000, it will not rain any longer on the planet Earth. Everybody will be very afraid and hundreds of people will die. The soil will become sterile. Some people will go to live on the Moon. Others will have to live on Mars. The cities on the Earth will be totally empty. No one will believe that once upon a time life on earth was wonderful. | |
| Alors, Tex, tu aimes mon livre? | So, Tex, do you like my book? | |
| Tex: Ah, ma pauvre Tammy, tu n’es pas douée … C’est nul! | Tex: Ah, my poor Tammy, you are not talented … It’s hopeless! |
