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Lesson 6. Plans: the futur proche (aller + infinitive) and time expressions for the future
I can talk about plans for tomorrow, the weekend, and next year: build aller plus the infinitive, the negative, and the question — and choose the right time expression.
Tomorrow: je vais + infinitive
Tomorrow: je vais + infinitive
To say what will happen soon or what you plan to do, French needs one verb you already know. This is the futur proche (aller + infinitive), like English “going to”.
Start by choosing the time expression — it's what shows the future: demain, ce soir, ce week-end, la semaine prochaine, le mois prochain, l'année prochaine, bientôt, plus tard.
Form: the verb aller you know (je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont) plus an infinitive, and the infinitive never changes: travailler, lire, partir. “Ce soir, je vais lire”.
Negative: ne and pas go around aller only: “Je ne vais pas sortir”. Before a vowel, n': “Vous n'allez pas travailler”. Question: intonation or est-ce que: “Tu vas visiter Lyon ?”.
A reflexive verb after aller keeps its pronoun: je vais me lever, nous allons nous promener.
As in English, aller is both movement and plans: “Je vais à Paris” — I'm going to Paris (movement); “Je vais visiter Paris” — I'm going to visit Paris (a plan). The infinitive after aller makes the difference.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ce soir, je vais mange au restaurant” — after aller comes the infinitive.
• NOT “Nous allons à partir bientôt” — no preposition before the infinitive.
• NOT “Vous allez pas rester” — in writing, you need ne (n').
• NOT “Je vais lever tôt” — a reflexive verb keeps its pronoun.
Time expressions for the future
Choose the time expression first — it's what shows that this is a plan.
| Time expression | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| demain | tomorrow | Demain, Camille va travailler. |
| ce soir | this evening, tonight | Ce soir, Théo va lire. |
| ce week-end | this weekend | Ce week-end, Manon va rester à Nice. |
| la semaine prochaine | next week | La semaine prochaine, nous allons choisir un hôtel. |
| le mois prochain | next month | Le mois prochain, Maxime va vendre sa voiture. |
| l'année prochaine | next year | L'année prochaine, Théo va étudier l'anglais. |
| bientôt | soon | Le cours va finir bientôt. |
| plus tard | later | Nicolas va écrire plus tard. |
aller + infinitive: a plan for the future
Only aller changes; the second verb always stays in the infinitive.
| What | How it's built | Example |
|---|---|---|
| six persons | je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont | — |
| + statement | aller + infinitive | Je vais partir à midi. |
| − negative | ne + aller + pas + infinitive | Je ne vais pas partir à midi. |
| ? question | intonation or est-ce que | Est-ce que tu vas partir à midi ? |
Lesson notes
Tomorrow: je vais + infinitive
To say what will happen soon or what you plan to do, French needs one verb you already know. This is the futur proche (aller + infinitive), like English “going to”.
Start by choosing the time expression — it's what shows the future: demain, ce soir, ce week-end, la semaine prochaine, le mois prochain, l'année prochaine, bientôt, plus tard.
Form: the verb aller you know (je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont) plus an infinitive, and the infinitive never changes: travailler, lire, partir. “Ce soir, je vais lire”.
Negative: ne and pas go around aller only: “Je ne vais pas sortir”. Before a vowel, n': “Vous n'allez pas travailler”. Question: intonation or est-ce que: “Tu vas visiter Lyon ?”.
A reflexive verb after aller keeps its pronoun: je vais me lever, nous allons nous promener.
As in English, aller is both movement and plans: “Je vais à Paris” — I'm going to Paris (movement); “Je vais visiter Paris” — I'm going to visit Paris (a plan). The infinitive after aller makes the difference.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ce soir, je vais mange au restaurant” — after aller comes the infinitive.
• NOT “Nous allons à partir bientôt” — no preposition before the infinitive.
• NOT “Vous allez pas rester” — in writing, you need ne (n').
• NOT “Je vais lever tôt” — a reflexive verb keeps its pronoun.