Future tense & irregular stems

Infinitive + future endings, and the irregular stems that come up constantly.

infinitive + -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont

je parlerai

I will speak

nous parlerons

we will speak

je vendrai

I will sell (drop the -e)

J’irai en France l’année prochaine.

I will go to France next year.

Nous serons contents.

We will be happy.

Examiner tip

Quand + future: ‘Quand je serai plus âgé, je travaillerai…’ — French uses the future after quand, unlike English.

Common mistake

Forgetting to drop the -e of -re verbs: vendre → vendrai, not vendrerai.

Test yourself

1. ‘I will go’

Use what you have just revised in a real exam-style task.