Verb drill

Futur proche: build aller + infinitive, then try the drill

Learn the six forms of aller and build French plans with an infinitive. Practise negatives, object pronouns and reflexive verbs in fourteen gaps.

In short

Build the futur proche with present aller plus an infinitive: je vais travailler, nous allons apprendre. Conjugate aller for the subject; keep the action verb in its infinitive form. For a negative, use je ne vais pas travailler.

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Two students settling down to revise together at a French kitchen table in evening lamplight, blank notebooks and plain closed books.
This evening, nous allons réviser ensemble. Illustration: Atelier

Study first: six forms, one unchanged infinitive

SubjectAllerA plan
jevaisJe vais apprendre.
tuvasTu vas apprendre.
il / elle / onvaElle va apprendre.
nousallonsNous allons apprendre.
vousallezVous allez apprendre.
ils / ellesvontIls vont apprendre.

Use this construction for an intention or a development connected to the present. J’ai décidé : je vais reprendre mes études l’année prochaine gives a current plan for next year. The word proche in the tense name gives you a useful starting point; the construction also reaches beyond the next few minutes.

Ce soir, nous allons réviser ensemble.

This evening, we’re going to revise together.

Allons agrees with nous. Réviser keeps its infinitive ending; add it directly after aller.

Where do ne and pronouns go in the futur proche?

PatternFrenchMeaning
NegativeJe ne vais pas sortir.I’m not going to go out.
Object pronounJe vais lui téléphoner.I’m going to phone him or her.
Reflexive pronounNous allons nous reposer.We’re going to rest.

In the negative, ne and pas surround the conjugated aller. An object or reflexive pronoun belonging to the action verb comes just before its infinitive: lui téléphoner, nous reposer. In the last model, the first nous is the subject; the second is the reflexive pronoun.

Fourteen gaps: forms, then complete plans

1 · Recall aller in the present

  • je
  • tu
  • il / elle / on
  • nous
  • vous
  • ils / elles

2 · Write the requested futur proche form

  1. Demain, je chez moi. (travailler · je)
  2. Tu le français. (apprendre · tu)
  3. Ce soir, Léa . (réviser · elle)
  4. Nous lundi. (commencer · nous)
  5. Vous bientôt ? (partir · vous)
  6. Ils ne ce soir. (venir · ils · complete the negative)
  7. Je vais demain. (téléphoner à Sami · replace à Sami with a pronoun)
  8. Après le travail, nous allons . (se reposer · nous)

Question 1No account needed
Which sentence contains a futur proche?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je vais lire chez moi.. Vais lire combines present aller with an infinitive; the first sentence gives a destination.

Question 2No account needed
Which version keeps the second verb in the infinitive?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Nous allons préparer.. After conjugated allons, the action verb stays in the infinitive: préparer.

Question 3No account needed
Choose the negative plan.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je ne vais pas sortir.. In this negative future pattern, ne and pas surround vais.