Future Tense Formation
The future tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the endings to the infinitive stem for the 1st and 2nd conjugation and by dropping the final -e before the future ending for the 3rd conjugation.
The endings:
| person | singular | person | plural |
| 1st | -ai | 1st | -ons |
| 2nd [familiar] | -as | 2nd [polite;plural] | -ez |
| 3rd | -a | 3rd | -ont |
| travailler (to work) | accomplir (to accomplish) | répondre (to answer) | |
| je travaillerai | accomplirai | répondrai | |
| tu travailleras | accompliras | répondras | |
| il/elle travaillera | accomplira | répondra | |
| nous travaillerons | accomplirons | répondrons | |
| vous travaillerez | accomplirez | répondrez | |
| ils/elles travailleront | accompliront | répondront |
Notes:
Some verbs with infinitive ending in -yer change y to i in the future:
employer (to use): J'emploierai, tu emploieras, etc. (I will use, you will use, etc.)
Verbs with mute e in the syllable before the infinitive change mute e to è:
emmener (to take/to bring) : J'emmènerai, tu emmèneras, etc. (I will take, you will take, etc.)
Verbs with mute e like appeler and jeter double the consonant in the future:
appeler (to call): j'appellerai, tu appelleras, etc. (I will call, etc.) jeter (to throw):
je jetterai, tu jetteras, etc. (I will throw, etc.)
Some verbs have irregular stems in the future.
Meanings of the Future
The future tense expresses an action that will take place in future time:
Demain nous quitterons ce
pays.
(Tomorrow we will leave this country.)
It is used after quand (when), lorsque (when), aussitôt que (as soon as), and dès que (as soon as) if the action refers to the future, even though the present tense would be used in English:
Donnez-lui ce cadeau de ma part quand vous la
verrez.
(Give her this present on my behalf when you see her.)
It also can be used to convey a moral obligation, an order:
Tu ne tueras point.
(Thou shalt not murder.)
Je vous demanderai de n'en
parler à personne.
(I will ask you not to mention it to anyone.)
See Also: