Futur proche in French: aller + infinitive for the near future

The futur proche says what someone is going to do. Build it with the present tense of aller + an infinitive: je vais partir (“I’m going to leave”), elle va appeler (“she is going to call”). Only aller is conjugated; the action verb stays in the infinitive.

How to form the futur proche

Use a present-tense form of aller, then add the infinitive.

Je vais prendre le train.
I’m going to take the train.

Nous allons apprendre cette règle.
We’re going to learn this rule.

Do not conjugate the second verb. It stays as partir, manger, finir, réserver, and so on.

When to use it

Use futur proche for plans, intentions and events that feel connected to the present.

On va manger dans dix minutes.
We’re going to eat in ten minutes.

Elle va visiter Paris cet été.
She is going to visit Paris this summer.

It is especially common in spoken French. The futur simple also exists, but at A2 the futur proche covers a large share of everyday future talk.

Negatives and questions

In the negative, put ne... pas around the conjugated aller.

Je ne vais pas sortir ce soir.
I’m not going to go out tonight.

For questions, you can use intonation, est-ce que, or inversion with aller.

Tu vas venir ? Est-ce que tu vas venir ?
Are you going to come?

Common mistakes

Conjugating both verbs

Only aller changes.

Je vais pars. -> Je vais partir.
I’m going to leave.

Forgetting aller

Futur proche needs a form of aller.

Je partir demain. -> Je vais partir demain.
I’m going to leave tomorrow.

Putting pas after the infinitive

Negation wraps the conjugated verb.

Je vais sortir pas. -> Je ne vais pas sortir.
I’m not going to go out.

Futur proche mirrors venir de: venir de looks back to what just happened, while aller + infinitive looks forward to what is going to happen. Fluera practices both in short time phrases, so the helper verb carries the time direction naturally. Try it when you practice French.

Practice