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11.7. Les radicaux irréguliers au futur simple

Irregular Stems in the Future Simple

11.7.1. The Main Idea

Some verbs do not use the normal infinitive as the future stem. They use an irregular stem, then add the same future endings.

être	ser-
avoir	aur-
aller	ir-
faire	fer-

The endings are still the same:

je	-ai
tu	-as
il / elle	-a
nous	-ons
vous	-ez
ils / elles	-ont

11.7.2. Very Common Irregular Stems

être	ser-	to be
avoir	aur-	to have
aller	ir-	to go
faire	fer-	to do / to make
venir	viendr-	to come
revenir	reviendr-	to come back
voir	verr-	to see
savoir	saur-	to know
pouvoir	pourr-	to be able to / can
vouloir	voudr-	to want
devoir	devr-	to have to / must
recevoir	recevr-	to receive

11.7.3. Examples with Je

je serai	I will be
j’aurai	I will have
j’irai	I will go
je ferai	I will do / make
je viendrai	I will come
je reviendrai	I will come back
je verrai	I will see
je saurai	I will know
je pourrai	I will be able to
je voudrai	I will want
je devrai	I will have to
je recevrai	I will receive

11.7.4. Full Example: Être

je serai	I will be
tu seras	you will be
il sera	he will be
elle sera	she will be
nous serons	we will be
vous serez	you will be
ils seront	they will be
elles seront	they will be

11.7.5. Full Example: Avoir

j’aurai	I will have
tu auras	you will have
il aura	he will have
elle aura	she will have
nous aurons	we will have
vous aurez	you will have
ils auront	they will have
elles auront	they will have

11.7.6. Full Example: Aller

j’irai	I will go
tu iras	you will go
il ira	he will go
elle ira	she will go
nous irons	we will go
vous irez	you will go
ils iront	they will go
elles iront	they will go

11.7.7. Full Example: Faire

je ferai	I will do / I will make
tu feras	you will do / make
il fera	he will do / make
elle fera	she will do / make
nous ferons	we will do / make
vous ferez	you will do / make
ils feront	they will do / make
elles feront	they will do / make

11.7.8. Common Sentences

Je serai prêt.	I will be ready. masculine speaker
Je serai prête.	I will be ready. feminine speaker
J’aurai le temps demain.	I will have time tomorrow.
J’irai au café ce soir.	I will go to the café tonight.
Je ferai mes devoirs plus tard.	I will do my homework later.
Je viendrai demain.	I will come tomorrow.
Je verrai ma famille ce week-end.	I will see my family this weekend.
Je pourrai t’aider.	I will be able to help you.
Je devrai étudier.	I will have to study.
Je recevrai une invitation.	I will receive an invitation.

11.7.9. Questions

Tu seras prêt demain ?	Will you be ready tomorrow? masculine
Tu seras prête demain ?	Will you be ready tomorrow? feminine
Tu auras le temps ?	Will you have time?
Tu iras au restaurant ?	Will you go to the restaurant?
Tu feras quoi ce soir ?	What will you do tonight?
Vous viendrez demain ?	Will you come tomorrow? formal or plural
Tu pourras m’aider ?	Will you be able to help me?

11.7.10. Negative Sentences

Place ne… pas around the future verb.

Je serai prêt.	I will be ready.
Je ne serai pas prêt.	I will not be ready. masculine speaker
J’aurai le temps.	I will have time.
Je n’aurai pas le temps.	I will not have time.
J’irai au café.	I will go to the café.
Je n’irai pas au café.	I will not go to the café.
Je pourrai venir.	I will be able to come.
Je ne pourrai pas venir.	I will not be able to come.

11.7.11. Core Patterns

irregular stem + future ending	future simple
ser- + ai	je serai
aur- + ai	j’aurai
ir- + ai	j’irai
fer- + ai	je ferai
viendr- + ai	je viendrai
verr- + ai	je verrai
pourr- + ai	je pourrai
voudr- + ai	je voudrai
devr- + ai	je devrai

11.7.12. Practice

I will be ready. masculine speaker |

I will have time tomorrow. |

I will go to Paris one day. |

I will do my homework later. |

I will come tomorrow. |

I will see my family this weekend. |

I will be able to help you. |

I will not have time. |

Will you come tomorrow? formal |

11.7.13. Answers

I will be ready. masculine speaker	Je serai prêt.
I will have time tomorrow.	J’aurai le temps demain.
I will go to Paris one day.	J’irai à Paris un jour.
I will do my homework later.	Je ferai mes devoirs plus tard.
I will come tomorrow.	Je viendrai demain.
I will see my family this weekend.	Je verrai ma famille ce week-end.
I will be able to help you.	Je pourrai t’aider.
I will not have time.	Je n’aurai pas le temps.
Will you come tomorrow? formal	Vous viendrez demain ?

11.7.14. Short Dialogue

A : Tu auras le temps demain ?	A: Will you have time tomorrow?
B : Oui, j’aurai le temps. Je pourrai t’aider.	B: Yes, I will have time. I will be able to help you.
A : Tu viendras au café ?	A: Will you come to the café?
B : Oui, j’irai au café après les cours.	B: Yes, I will go to the café after class.

11.7.15. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to recognize common irregular future stems such as ser-, aur-, ir-, fer-, viendr-, verr-, pourr-, voudr-, and devr-, and use them with the regular future endings.

11.7.16. Try It Out

Try saying this in French:

Will you have time tomorrow?

I will be able to help you.

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Possible answer:

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