This deep dive covers Formation du futur proche within The near future: aller + infinitive for GCSE French. Revise The near future: aller + infinitive in Time Markers and the Three Time Frames for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. 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.
📋 Formation du futur proche
Structure: aller (present) + infinitive
| Pronom | aller (présent) | + infinitif | Full example |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | vais | manger | Je vais manger de la pizza. |
| tu | vas | partir | Tu vas partir demain? |
| il / elle / on | va | finir | Il va finir ses devoirs. |
| nous | allons | voir | Nous allons voir un film. |
| vous | allez | faire | Vous allez faire quoi ce soir? |
| ils / elles | vont | prendre | Ils vont prendre le train. |
⭐ Near future vs inflectional future
Both express future meaning but with a different nuance:
| Structure | Example | Nuance | AQA level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near future (aller + inf.) | Je vais voyager en France. | planned, imminent, certain | Foundation ✓ |
| Inflectional future | Je voyagerai en France. | more distant, hypothetical | Higher ✓ |
At Foundation, the near future is the safe and recommended choice for any future intention.
Annotated model sentences
L'année prochaine, je vais visiter Paris avec ma famille.
Next year, I am going to visit Paris with my family.
- L'année prochaine = future time marker
- je vais = aller (je form) + visiter = infinitive — two words, clear future
- No preposition between vais and visiter
Nous allons essayer de manger plus sainement parce que nous voulons rester en bonne santé.
We are going to try to eat more healthily because we want to stay in good health.
- essayer de + infinitif (to try to) — complex structure in a near-future sentence
- parce que + nous voulons + infinitif — reason clause adds AO2 range
- No time marker needed when the verb structure makes the future clear
Near future with reflexive verbs
Keep the reflexive pronoun before the infinitive, agreeing with the subject:
| Subject | Near future | English |
|---|---|---|
| je | Je vais me lever à sept heures. | I am going to get up at seven. |
| elle | Elle va se coucher tôt. | She is going to go to bed early. |
| ils | Ils vont se retrouver au café. | They are going to meet at the café. |
Practice questions for The near future: aller + infinitive
What is the correct formula for the near future tense in French?
What does the sentence 'je vais jouer au football' mean in English?