This deep dive covers Le futur simple — formation within The simple future and the conditional for GCSE French. Revise The simple future and the conditional in Time Markers and the Three Time Frames for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 4 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Le futur simple — formation
Rule: infinitive + future endings. For -re verbs, drop the final e before adding endings.
| Pronom | Ending | parler (regular) | finir (regular) | vendre → vendr- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ai | je parlerai | je finirai | je vendrai |
| tu | -as | tu parleras | tu finiras | tu vendras |
| il/elle/on | -a | il parlera | il finira | il vendra |
| nous | -ons | nous parlerons | nous finirons | nous vendrons |
| vous | -ez | vous parlerez | vous finirez | vous vendrez |
| ils/elles | -ont | ils parleront | ils finiront | ils vendront |
Irregular future stems
| Infinitive | Irregular stem | Je form |
|---|---|---|
| aller | ir- | j'irai |
| avoir | aur- | j'aurai |
| être | ser- | je serai |
| faire | fer- | je ferai |
| pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrai |
| vouloir | voudr- | je voudrai |
| venir | viendr- | je viendrai |
| voir | verr- | je verrai |
Model future sentences
| Sentence | English |
|---|---|
| L'année prochaine, j'irai en France. | Next year, I will go to France. |
| Après mes examens, je serai libre. | After my exams, I will be free. |
| On fera le tour de l'Europe. | We will travel around Europe. |
| Ils verront leurs amis ce weekend. | They will see their friends this weekend. |
Le conditionnel — formation
Rule: same irregular stems as the future + conditional endings (imperfect endings).
| Pronom | Ending | parler | aller → ir- | avoir → aur- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | -ais | je parlerais | j'irais | j'aurais |
| tu | -ais | tu parlerais | tu irais | tu aurais |
| il/elle/on | -ait | il parlerait | il irait | il aurait |
| nous | -ions | nous parlerions | nous irions | nous aurions |
| vous | -iez | vous parleriez | vous iriez | vous auriez |
| ils/elles | -aient | ils parleraient | ils iraient | ils auraient |
⭐ Si + imperfect + conditional — the highest-value structure
This pattern expresses hypothetical situations and is a hallmark of Higher band-5 writing:
| Si clause (imperfect) | Main clause (conditional) | English |
|---|---|---|
| Si j'avais de l'argent, | j'achèterais une voiture électrique. | If I had money, I would buy an electric car. |
| Si j'étais riche, | je voyagerais dans le monde entier. | If I were rich, I would travel the whole world. |
| Si nous avions le temps, | nous irions en France. | If we had time, we would go to France. |
Rule: the si clause ALWAYS uses the imperfect; the result clause ALWAYS uses the conditional. Never mix them up.
Annotated model sentences
À l'avenir, je ferai des études de médecine parce que je veux aider les autres.
In the future, I will study medicine because I want to help others.
- je ferai — future of faire using irregular stem fer-
- parce que je veux — reason clause linking future and present
Si j'avais plus de temps libre, je lirais davantage et je ferais du bénévolat dans ma communauté.
If I had more free time, I would read more and I would do voluntary work in my community.
- Si j'avais — si clause with imperfect of avoir
- je lirais / je ferais — two conditional verbs in the result clause
- Two conditionals in one sentence = maximum AO2 grammatical range signal
Practice questions for The simple future and the conditional
Which set of endings correctly completes the simple future tense for je, tu, il/elle, nous, vous, ils/elles?
How is the conditional tense formed in French?