Near Future

Le futur proche

aller + infinitif – to be about + infinitive

Je vais prendre un train ce soir. I’m going to take a train tonight.

ALLER in the present tense

The expression ‘ALLER + infinitive verb’ expresses the notion of to be about to + infinitive, to be going to + infinitive.

When ALLER is in the present tense, it’s called the near future because it’s closer in time and/or more likely to happen than ‘le futur simple’ the regular French future tense.

je …. vais …. manger …. I’m going to eat

tu  …. vas …. parler …. you’re going to speak

elle …. va …. acheter …. she’s going to buy

il …. va …. aller …. he’s/it’s going to go

on …. va …. boire …. we’re going to drink

nous …. allons …. voir …. we’re going to see

vous …. allez …. vendre …. you’re going to sell

ils …. vont …. visiter …. they’re going to visit

elles …. vont …. travailler …. they’re going to work

Exercice – Practice

Translate the sentences from one language to the other. From French to English (la version) is easier, from English to French (la thèse) a bit more challenging.
Traduisez les phrases d’une langue à l’autre. Du français en anglais (la version) est plus facile, de l’anglais au français (la thèse) un peu plus difficile.

Français

1. Je vais réparer le carburateur.
2. Tu vas découvrir la ville.
3. Elle va avoir son diplôme.
4. Il va conduire le cabriolet.
5. Ça va faire trop de bruit.
6. On ne va pas aller au concert.
7. Allons-nous faire les comptes ?
8. Vous n’allez pas prendre le thé.
9. Ils vont valoir beaucoup.
10. Elles vont passer un examen.

English

1. I’m going to repair the carburetor.
2. You’re going to discover the town.
3. She’s about to get her degree.
4. He’s about to drive the convertible.
5. It’s going to make too much noise.
6. We aren’t going to go to the concert.
7. Are we going to balance the books?
8. You are not about to have tea.
9. They are going to be worth a lot.
10. They’re about to take an exam.

ALLER in the imparfait

Note that ‘ALLER + infinitive’ can also be conjugated in the imparfait to convey this notion of ‘to be about to’ in the past.

PRÉSENT – Je vais + infinitive verb => I’m about/going to eat

IMPARFAIT – J’allais + infinitive verb => I was about/going to eat

• j’ …. allais …. manger …. I was going to eat
• tu  …. allais …. parler …. you were going to speak
• elle …. allait …. acheter …. she was going to buy
• il …. allait …. aller …. he/it was going to go
• on …. allait …. boire …. we were going to drink
• nous …. allions …. voir …. we were going to see
• vous …. alliez …. vendre …. you were going to sell
• ils …. allaient …. visiter …. they were going to visit
• elles …. allaient …. travailler …. they were going to work

In context 

• I’m going to eat (I’m about to eat), I can’t talk right now.
  • Je vais manger, je ne peux pas parler là.
• We were going to eat (We were about to eat) when you came in.
  • Nous allions manger quand tu es arrivée.
  • On allait manger quand tu es arrivée. [more colloquial]

ALLER with SE verbs

The near future works the same way with pronominal verbs, SE verbs. Just add the conjugated pronoun: me, te, se, nous, vous, se before the infinitive verb.

• je vais me réveiller …. I’m going to wake up
• je vais me promener …. I’m going to take a stroll
• tu vas te fâcher …. you (tu) are going to get angry
• elle va s’asseoir …. she’s going to sit down
• il va se raser …. he’s going to shave
• on va s’habiller …. we (on) are going to get dressed
• nous allons nous doucher …. we’re (nous) going to take a shower
• vous allez vous servir de …. you (vous) are going to use
• ils vont s’ennuyer …. they (ils) are going to be bored
• elles vont s’inquiéter …. they (elles) are going get worried

Exercice – Practice

Translate the sentences from one language to the other. From French to English (la version) is easier, from English to French (la thèse) a bit more challenging.
Traduisez les phrases d’une langue à l’autre. Du français en anglais (la version) est plus facile, de l’anglais au français (la thèse) un peu plus difficile.

Français

1. Je ne vais pas me réveiller tôt demain.
2. Je ne vais pas me promener au parc.
3. Tu ne vas pas te fâcher, n’est-ce pas ?
4. Elle ne va pas s’asseoir là.
5. Il ne va pas se raser pendant trois jours.
6. On ne va pas s’habiller.
7. Nous n’allons pas prendre une douche.
8. Vous n’allez pas vous servir du robot ?
9. Ils ne vont pas s’ennuyer à la conférence.
10. Elles ne vont pas s’inquiéter pour le résultat de l’examen.

English

1. I’m not going to wake up early tomorrow.
2. I’m not going to take a stroll in the park.
3. You (tu) are not going to get angry, are you?
4. She’s not going to sit down here.
5. He’s not going to shave for three days.
6. We (on) are not going to get dressed.
7. We’re (nous) not going to take a shower.
8. Are you (vous) not going to use the mixer?
9. They (ils) aren’t going to be bored at the lecture.
10. They (elles) are not going get worried for the result of the exam.

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