Mastering the Future and Conditional Tenses in French
Have you ever dreamed of confidently discussing your future plans in French or expressing what you would do in different situations? Understanding the future (le futur) and conditional (le conditionnel) tenses is crucial for achieving fluency. These tenses allow you to talk about what will happen, what could happen, or what you would like to happen—essential skills for any French learner.
While French grammar can seem complex, the good news is that the future and conditional tenses are highly structured and follow predictable patterns. With a little practice, you’ll be able to express possibilities, hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future intentions with ease.
In this guide, we’ll break down the rules for forming and using these tenses correctly, common irregular verbs, and essential tips to sound more natural when speaking French.
The Future Tense in French: Le Futur Simple
What Is the Future Tense?
The future tense (le futur simple) is used when talking about things that will happen. It is equivalent to the English "will" or "shall" and is often used to describe future plans, predictions, and promises.
How to Form the Future Tense
The great news? The future tense in French is easy to form! You simply take the infinitive of the verb and add the future endings:
SubjectFuture EndingJe-aiTu-asIl/Elle/On-aNous-onsVous-ezIls/Elles-ont
Regular Verbs in the Future Tense
For regular -ER, -IR, and -RE verbs, use the full infinitive (dropping the final -e for -RE verbs) and add the future endings.
Examples:
Parler (to speak): Je parlerai (I will speak)
Finir (to finish): Tu finiras (You will finish)
Attendre (to wait): Il attendra (He will wait)
Common Irregular Verbs in the Future Tense
While many verbs follow the regular pattern, some of the most common verbs have irregular stems in the future tense. However, their endings remain the same.
VerbFuture StemExample (Je)Aller (to go)ir-J'irai (I will go)Avoir (to have)aur-J'aurai (I will have)Être (to be)ser-Je serai (I will be)Faire (to do/make)fer-Je ferai (I will do)Pouvoir (to be able to)pourr-Je pourrai (I will be able to)Savoir (to know)saur-Je saurai (I will know)Voir (to see)verr-Je verrai (I will see)Venir (to come)viendr-Je viendrai (I will come)Devoir (to have to)devr-Je devrai (I will have to)
When to Use the Future Tense
Talking about future events: Demain, je partirai à 8h. (Tomorrow, I will leave at 8 a.m.)
Making promises or commitments: Je t’écrirai bientôt. (I will write to you soon.)
Expressing assumptions or predictions: Il fera beau demain. (It will be sunny tomorrow.)
The Conditional Tense in French: Le Conditionnel Présent
What Is the Conditional Tense?
The conditional tense (le conditionnel présent) is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, and possibilities. In English, it often translates to "would".
How to Form the Conditional Tense
The conditional tense uses the same stems as the future tense but takes the imperfect endings:
SubjectConditional EndingJe-aisTu-aisIl/Elle/On-aitNous-ionsVous-iezIls/Elles-aient
Regular Verbs in the Conditional Tense
For regular verbs, simply use the future stem (the infinitive) and add the conditional endings.
Examples:
Parler (to speak): Je parlerais (I would speak)
Finir (to finish): Tu finirais (You would finish)
Attendre (to wait): Il attendrait (He would wait)
Common Irregular Verbs in the Conditional Tense
The same verbs that have irregular stems in the future tense will have the same stems in the conditional.
VerbConditional StemExample (Je)Aller (to go)ir-J'irais (I would go)Avoir (to have)aur-J'aurais (I would have)Être (to be)ser-Je serais (I would be)Faire (to do/make)fer-Je ferais (I would do)Pouvoir (to be able to)pourr-Je pourrais (I would be able to)
When to Use the Conditional Tense
Polite requests: Je voudrais un café, s’il vous plaît. (I would like a coffee, please.)
Hypothetical situations: Si j'avais plus de temps, je voyagerais. (If I had more time, I would travel.)
Expressing wishes: J’aimerais apprendre le piano. (I would like to learn piano.)
Key Differences Between the Future and Conditional Tenses
Future TenseConditional TenseTalks about what will happenTalks about what would happenUsed for definite plans and predictionsUsed for hypothetical or polite expressionsExample: Je partirai demain. (I will leave tomorrow.)Example: Je partirais si je pouvais. (I would leave if I could.)
Final Thoughts
Mastering the future and conditional tenses in French will significantly enhance your ability to communicate with confidence. The future tense allows you to express certainty about upcoming events, while the conditional tense adds nuance, politeness, and hypothetical thinking to your speech.
To solidify your understanding, try forming sentences using both tenses in real-life scenarios. Whether you're planning a future trip to France or imagining a dream vacation, these tenses will help bring your French conversations to life!