Conjugation table
Être and avoir in the future: serai, aurai and all six forms
Learn the full futur simple of être and avoir, then choose the right verb for age, readiness, availability and having time in five short questions.
- A2
- 2 tenses
- Auxiliary: avoir
- Learn this in the A2 notebook →
In short
Être uses the future stem ser-; avoir uses aur-. Add -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont: je serai, j’aurai. Then choose the verb for the expression: je serai prêt but j’aurai le temps.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
The stems are irregular; the endings are the usual future endings. Keep ser- and aur- together with a short example. The tables below use all six persons, with j’ before aurai. Read the examples first, then try the questions further down.
- Infinitive
- être / avoir
- Past participle
- été / eu
- Present participle
- étant / ayant
- Auxiliary
- avoir
Être · futur simpleFuture identity, location, availability or state
| je | serai |
| tu | seras |
| il / elle / on | sera |
| nous | serons |
| vous | serez |
| ils / elles | seront |
Nous serons disponibles lundi matin.
We will be available on Monday morning.
Avoir · futur simpleFuture possession, age and expressions with avoir
| j’ | aurai |
| tu | auras |
| il / elle / on | aura |
| nous | aurons |
| vous | aurez |
| ils / elles | auront |
Vous aurez le temps de réfléchir.
You will have time to think.
What are the future forms of être and avoir?
| Use | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| Readiness | Léa sera prête à neuf heures. | Léa will be ready at nine. |
| Availability | Sami sera libre vendredi. | Sami will be free on Friday. |
| Age | Léa aura vingt ans en juin. | Léa will be twenty in June. |
| Hunger | J’aurai faim après le travail. | I’ll be hungry after work. |
| Time | Nous aurons le temps de parler. | We’ll have time to talk. |
| Need | Vous aurez besoin d’aide. | You’ll need help. |
The verb form agrees with person and number. A following adjective can also need agreement: Sami sera prêt, Léa sera prête, Léa et Inès seront prêtes. Gender changes the adjective here; the singular verb stays sera for both Sami and Léa.
What is the difference between -ai and -ais?
Je serai disponibleI will be available
Focus: A future statement
Je serai disponible demain après-midi.
I’ll be available tomorrow afternoon.
Je serais disponibleI would be available
Focus: A conditional situation
Je serais disponible si la réunion était annulée.
I’d be available if the meeting were cancelled.
The same spelling contrast appears in j’aurai and j’aurais. For the future, write -ai. When a past participle follows, the auxiliary builds the future perfect: j’aurai fini, elle sera partie. Compare j’aurai du temps, where avoir means having time, with j’aurai fini, where it helps form a compound tense.