7.1 Introducing Aller
Aller ("to go") is a handy verb that can take you far—even into the future! For now, here it is doing its everyday job:
Je vais au marché.
I go to the market.
These are the present-tense conjugations of aller:
7.2 Presenting the Futur Proche
Aller comes with a hidden bonus: once you've learned its present tense, you already know a future tense! Conjugated beside another verb in its infinitive, aller expresses the near future, or futur proche.
[aller conjugated] + [infinitive of verb being performed]
Je vais manger.
I am going to eat.
Elle va étudier demain.
She is going to study tomorrow.
Nous allons boire les sodas.
We are going to drink the sodas.
If there's a near future, is there a far future? There is—the other future tense is called the futur simple, and we'll learn about it later. The near future, though, is extremely common as a stand-in for that other future tense. It usually signals an intention or a degree of immediacy, which is especially handy for beginning learners. Think about how in English we can say "I am going to do my homework" or "I will do my homework."
7.3 Formation of the Futur Proche
The Near Future
indicates upcoming actions using the present tense of the verb meaning 'to go' plus the infinitive of the action being performed.
Forming the futur proche with regular verbs takes just two steps:
7.4 Using the Futur Proche
Here are a few more examples of the near future at work in the real world:
Je vais parler à la conférence demain.
I am going to speak at the conference tomorrow.
Nous allons manger au nouveau restaurant ce soir.
We are going to eat at the new restaurant tonight.
Vous allez bientôt vivre dans le nouvel appartement.
You (all) are going to live in the new apartment soon.
Look at that—you learned a new verb and a whole new tense right along with it. Your future is looking bright!
Practice Time!
Master these verb conjugations from Lesson 7