Future and Conditional

Endings on a shared stem

The stem is the infinitive, minus the final e of -re verbs. It always ends in r. Future endings look like avoir; conditional endings are those of the imparfait.

• Je finirai ce soir.I'll finish tonight.
• Il prendrait le train.He would take the train.

Irregular stems

The endings never change. Only these stems do, and their compounds follow (revenir, devenir, refaire). Exceptions: prévoir and pourvoir keep prévoir- and pourvoir-.

Spelling changes in -er verbs

The stem follows the je-form spelling of the present. Préférer-type verbs keep é in traditional spelling, even though they usually sound like è. The 1990 reform also allows è.

Future or futur proche

In speech, aller + infinitive is usual for plans and things about to happen. The simple future suits promises, predictions, formal writing, and more distant events. Either is correct in most cases. After si meaning 'if', the simple future is impossible. See the si-clauses sheet.

Future after time words

English uses the present in 'when I arrive'. French uses the future when the action really is in the future. Triggers: quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, tant que, pendant que, une fois que.

Use the futur antérieur if the first action will be finished before the second.

• Quand j'aurai le temps, je t'écrirai.When I have time, I'll write to you.
• Dès qu'il arrivera, nous partirons.As soon as he arrives, we'll leave.
• Quand tu auras fini, tu pourras sortir.When you've finished, you can go out.
• Une fois que j'aurai mangé, je t'appellerai.Once I've eaten, I'll call you.

Uses of the futur antérieur

Form: avoir or être in the future + participle. Beyond time clauses, it marks a guess about the past and a reference to a completed future point.

• J'aurai fini avant midi.I'll have finished before noon.
• Il n'est pas là ? Il aura oublié.He's not here? He must have forgotten.
• Dans dix ans, nous aurons tout changé.In ten years we'll have changed everything.

Uses of the conditional

Eight uses. The first five are the ones you'll need most.

Conditional past

Form: avoir or être in the conditional + participle. Use it for regrets, reproaches, missed chances and unconfirmed past news. The trio aurais dû, aurais pu and aurais voulu is the most useful.

Other forms of the future

The future softens a statement in formal register: Je vous demanderai de patienter. Je vous prierai de sortir. The present can state a near future: Je pars demain. Devoir + infinitive gives a planned future: Il doit arriver à midi.

• Je vous demanderai de bien vouloir patienter.I'll ask you to wait, please.
• Nous devons nous voir mardi.We're due to meet on Tuesday.

Telling them apart

The je forms -rai and -rais sound nearly identical for many speakers, so grammar decides in writing. Test: swap for nous. Future: nous parlerons. Conditional: nous parlerions. Or swap for tu: future tu parleras, conditional tu parlerais.