Futur proche: aller + infinitive

What is futur proche?

Futur proche (near future) is the simplest way to express the future in French. It is used for immediate plans and intentions.

Structure: aller (conjugated) + infinitive

Examples

Business examples

Plans and meetings:

• Je vais envoyer le rapport ce soir. — I am going to send the report this evening.
• Nous allons commencer la réunion dans cinq minutes. — We are going to start the meeting in five minutes.
• Le PDG va annoncer les résultats demain. — The CEO is going to announce the results tomorrow.
• Vous allez recevoir une confirmation par email. — You will receive a confirmation by email.

Warnings:

• Attention, les marchés vont fluctuer. — Caution, the markets are going to fluctuate.
• Le délai va expirer vendredi. — The deadline is going to expire on Friday.

Questions about plans:

• Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire? — What are you going to do?
• Quand allez-vous nous envoyer l'offre? — When are you going to send us the offer?

Futur proche vs. futur simple

Futur proche: immediate plans, already almost scheduled

• Je vais appeler le client maintenant. — I am going to call the client now.

Futur simple: more distant future, predictions

• Dans dix ans, le marché immobilier sera différent. — In ten years, the real estate market will be different.

Negation of futur proche

Ne + aller + pas + infinitive:

• Je ne vais pas annuler la réunion. — I am not going to cancel the meeting.
• Il ne va pas accepter ces conditions. — He is not going to accept these terms.