Le futur et le conditionnel — Talking about tomorrow, and about what would happen | French Grammar

🖨️ Print-friendly: use Ctrl+P (⌘P) or your browser menu to print this chart cleanly.

« le futur et le conditionnel » — jump to your level:A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2 Native

📈 This topic has a complete lesson at every CEFR level — pick yours above, or read the whole ladder below.

Talking about tomorrow, and about what would happen. This guide explains Le futur et le conditionnel in French with clear rules, real examples and practice for every CEFR level. For instance: « Je vais manger. » — I’m going to eat.

Le futur et le conditionnel

Talking about tomorrow, and about what would happen

1. A1 — Talk about tomorrow today: « je vais » + verb. Easiest future in any language.

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
aller + infinitif	Je vais manger.	I’m going to eat.
	On va partir bientôt.	We’re going to leave soon.
	Tu vas aimer ça !	You’re going to love this!

💡 Astuce : « je vais + verbe » = le futur le plus facile du français.

2. A2 — The real future tense: infinitive + the avoir endings, and the irregular stems.

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
infinitif + -ai·-as·-a + -ons·-ez·-ont	Je parlerai français.	I’ll speak French.
	Nous serons là.	We’ll be there.
	Il fera beau demain.	It’ll be nice tomorrow.

💡 Astuce : Les terminaisons du futur = le verbe AVOIR au présent.

3. B1 — Same stem as the future + imparfait endings = politeness, wishes and « if ».

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
radical du futur + + -ais·-ait	Je voudrais un café.	I’d like a coffee.
	Pourriez-vous m’aider ?	Could you help me?
	Si j’étais riche, je voyagerais.	If I were rich, I’d travel.

💡 Astuce : « je voudrais » = le son de la politesse française.

4. B2 — The three si-patterns, and the golden rule: « si » never takes a conditional.

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
si + imparfait + → conditionnel	Si tu viens, on ira au ciné.	If you come, we’ll go to the cinema.
	Si j’avais le temps, je lirais.	If I had time, I’d read.
	Si tu avais appelé, je serais venu.	If you’d called, I’d have come.

💡 Astuce : « Si » déteste le -rais : si je voulais, pas si je voudrais.

5. C1 — The future of probability, the conditional of rumour, and « au cas où ».

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
futur = probabilité + cond. = rumeur	Ça sonne — ce sera Marie.	That’ll be Marie (probably).
	Le ministre aurait menti.	The minister allegedly lied.
	Au cas où tu aurais faim…	In case you’re hungry…

💡 Astuce : « Ce sera lui » (sans doute) · « il aurait menti » (dit-on).

6. C2 — The future antérieur, and the elegant conditional of narration.

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
aurai + participe + = avant le futur	Quand j’aurai terminé, je sortirai.	Once I’ve finished, I’ll go out.
	Elle partirait, décida-t-elle.	She would leave, she decided.
	Dès qu’il aura compris, il changera.	As soon as he’s understood, he’ll change.

💡 Astuce : « Quand j’aurai fini » — l’action finie AVANT une autre future.

7. Native — Which future the French actually use — spoiler: mostly the easy one.

Structure	Exemple	Traduction
vais + infinitif + > futur simple	Je vais t’expliquer.	I’m gonna explain.
	Ça va le faire, t’inquiète.	It’ll work out, don’t worry.
	On verra bien !	We’ll see!

💡 Astuce : À l’oral, le futur proche règne : « je vais faire ».

Le futur et le conditionnel in French — FAQ

What is Le futur et le conditionnel in French?

Talking about tomorrow, and about what would happen. Follow the rules and patterns in the chart above, and practise with real sentences like « Je vais manger. » (I’m going to eat.).

How do the levels differ?

At A1 you learn the basic frame; by B2 you meet the exceptions; and at native level the spoken form often differs again — for example « Je vais t’expliquer. » (I’m gonna explain.). Each level above has its own full lesson.

What CEFR level is Le futur et le conditionnel?

It is introduced at A1–A2 and refined all the way to native usage. Pick your level from the links at the top of the page, then drill it with the free games.

🎮 Practise this lesson

Turn what you just read into play:

More games in the arcade →

🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end

Le futur et le conditionnel from A1 to native — the rule, a real sentence and the native astuce at every CEFR level. Practise it with the free games →

Learn faster with a native teacher — book a free lesson →