A2.18 - Visit the countryside

The simple future: irregular cases

Le futur simple : cas irréguliers

Le futur simple des verbes irréguliers présente des formes particulières. Exemple : 'être' devient 'serai', 'avoir' devient 'aurai'.

(The simple future of irregular verbs has special forms. Example: “être” becomes “serai”, “avoir” becomes “aurai”.)

What you are learning: the simple future of 3 key irregular verbs

In French, the futur simple is used for plans, predictions, and promises.

  • être → ser- (I will be…)
  • avoir → aur- (I will have…)
  • faire → fer- (I will do / make…)

These verbs are common in real-life talk, so learning them as “ready-made” future forms is worth it.

Build the futur simple: stem + endings (same endings for all verbs)

For the futur simple, French uses:

stem + -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont

Person Ending Example with ser- (être)
je-aije serai
tu-astu seras
il / elle / on-ail sera
nous-onsnous serons
vous-ezvous serez
ils / elles-ontils seront

The only “problem”: the stems are irregular (memorize them)

Don’t try to “calculate” the future from the present tense (that causes typical mistakes).

Infinitive Future stem Correct example Common wrong form
être ser- Je serai prêt. Je êtreai / Je suisrai
avoir aur- Tu auras le temps. Tu avras / Tu avereas
faire fer- Nous ferons une visite. Nous fairons / Nous faisonsrons

Pronunciation shortcuts (so you recognize them in conversation)

  • je serai sounds like “zhuh suh-RAY” (final -ai ≈ “ay”).
  • tu seras ends with a clear -a sound.
  • ils/elles seront: the -ont ending is silent (you hear “suh-ROHN”).
  • nous serons, vous serez: the s is pronounced (se-RON / se-RAY).

Futur simple vs “near future” (a common A2 confusion)

French has two very common ways to talk about the future:

  • Futur proche = aller (present) + infinitive → for something planned/soon
  • Futur simple = one verb form → often a bit more formal, neutral, or “future in general”
Meaning Near future Simple future
I will be there tomorrow. Je vais être là demain. Je serai là demain.
We will do it later. Nous allons faire ça plus tard. Nous ferons ça plus tard.

In many situations both are acceptable; in this unit you practise the futur simple forms.

Self-check: can you produce the right form in 3 seconds?

  1. Pick the verb: être / avoir / faire
  2. Say the future stem: ser- / aur- / fer-
  3. Add the ending for the person
  • “We will be” → nous + ser- + -ons → nous serons
  • “You (formal/plural) will have” → vous + aur- + -ez → vous aurez
  • “They will do/make” → ils/elles + fer- + -ont → ils feront

What to pay attention to (high-impact details)

  • Spelling traps: je ferai (not fairai), vous aurez (not avrez).
  • Don’t copy the present tense: je faisrai is wrong because it mixes je fais with future endings.
  • Use the right subject: nous serons (we) vs ils seront (they).
  1. Verb stem + endings: -ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont.
(to be)(to have)(to do / to make)
ÊtreAvoirFaire
Je serai (I will be)J'aurai (I will have)Je ferai (I will do / I will make)
Tu seras (you will be)Tu auras (you will have)Tu feras (you will do / you will make)
 Il / Elle sera (he / she will be)Il / Elle aura (he / she will have)Il / Elle fera (he / she will do / will make)
Nous serons (we will be)Nous aurons (we will have)Nous ferons (we will do / we will make)
Vous serez (you will be)Vous aurez (you will have)Vous ferez (you will do / you will make)
Ils / Elles seront (they will be) Ils / Elles auront (they will have)Ils / Elles feront (they will do / they will make)

 

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

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1. Demain, je ____ dans un petit village pour visiter la ferme.

Tomorrow, I ____ in a small village to visit the farm.

2. Après la visite, tu ____ du temps pour acheter des produits locaux au marché.

After the visit, you ____ time to buy local products at the market.

3. Samedi, nous ____ une promenade dans la forêt près des champs.

On Saturday, we ____ a walk in the forest near the fields.

4. Si vous venez à la ferme, vous ____ près des vaches et des moutons.

If you come to the farm, you ____ near the cows and the sheep.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence in the simple future tense using the correct form of the indicated verb (être, avoir or faire).

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  1. Hint Hint (être) Demain, je suis en déplacement à Lyon pour une réunion.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Demain, je serai en déplacement à Lyon pour une réunion.
    (Tomorrow, I will be on a business trip to Lyon for a meeting.)
  2. Hint Hint (avoir) Après la formation, tu as plus de confiance pour parler au téléphone.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Après la formation, tu auras plus de confiance pour parler au téléphone.
    (After the training, you will have more confidence to speak on the phone.)
  3. Hint Hint (faire) Ce soir, elle fait un e-mail au client pour confirmer le rendez-vous.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Ce soir, elle fera un e-mail au client pour confirmer le rendez-vous.
    (This evening, she will write an email to the client to confirm the appointment.)
  4. Hint Hint (être) Le mois prochain, nous sommes prêts pour l’examen A2.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Le mois prochain, nous serons prêts pour l’examen A2.
    (Next month, we will be ready for the A2 exam.)

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 07/05/2026 15:24