FR28: Tenses: Future and Conditional

📝 Tenses: Future and Conditional

The near future (aller + infinitive), simple future and conditional (je voudrais); expressing plans and wishes

📋 Key Rules

For this grammar point, you must know:

• The formation rules (how to construct it)
• When to use it (which contexts require this structure)
• Common exceptions and irregular forms
• How it differs from similar structures
• How to apply it accurately in your own writing and speaking

❓ Practice Questions

✅ Answers

1. Four sentences using topic vocabulary, with correct adjective agreement, articles and verb conjugation. Include at least two different tenses for Higher tier.
2. A structured paragraph with: introduction (à mon avis...), opinion with reason (je pense que... parce que...), a different viewpoint (cependant...), and a conclusion (en conclusion...). Use connecting words and varied vocabulary.
3. "Je pense que [topic] est important(e) parce que..." — ensure adjective agreement (important vs importante depending on noun gender), correct verb form, and give a specific reason.

🎯 Exam Tips

• Use a range of tenses (present, past, future) to access higher marks
• Include opinions with reasons (je pense que... parce que...)
• Check adjective agreement (gender and number) before finishing
• Use complex structures: negation (ne...pas, ne...jamais), pronouns (le, la, les), conjunctions (cependant, donc, en plus)
• Include cultural references to French-speaking countries
• For writing: plan your response, check verb conjugations, re-read for errors

📝 Exam Technique

⚠️ Common Errors

✍️ Model Answer

📊 AO Deep Dive

📝 Exam Questions by Topic

• AQA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- AQA
• Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
• OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
• Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
• CCEA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- CCEA

🎬 Video Resources

• BBC Bitesize - GCSE French
• French with Vincent (YouTube)
• Learn French with Alexa (YouTube)

Notes Détaillées

Le Futur Simple et le Futur Proche

French has two ways to express the future. Le futur proche (near future) uses aller + infinitive: Je vais manger (I am going to eat). This is the most commonly used future form in spoken French. Le futur simple (simple future) uses specific endings added to the infinitive (for -re verbs, drop the final -e): je mangerai, tu mangeras, il mangera, nous mangerons, vous mangerez, ils mangeront.

Irregular future stems must be memorised: être → ser- (je serai), avoir → aur- (j'aurai), aller → ir- (j'irai), faire → fer- (je ferai), pouvoir → pourr- (je pourrai), venir → viendr- (je viendrai), voir → verr- (je verrai), savoir → saur- (je saurai), devoir → devr- (je devrai), vouloir → voudr- (je voudrai). These are essential for GCSE Higher tier.

The si + present, future structure is a key GCSE pattern: Si tu travailles, tu réussiras (If you work, you will succeed). This is different from the si + imperfect, conditional structure. Remember: si clauses never use the future tense after si — use the present instead.

Le Conditionnel: Emploi et Formation

The conditional (le conditionnel présent) is formed using the future stem + imperfect endings: -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient. Example: je mangerais, tu mangerais, il mangerait, nous mangerions, vous mangeriez, ils mangeraient. The irregular stems are the same as the future: être → je serais, avoir → j'aurais, faire → je ferais.

The conditional has three main uses at GCSE: (1) Polite requests: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît (I would like a coffee, please). (2) Advice and suggestions: On devrait recycler plus (We should recycle more), Tu pourrais prendre le train (You could take the train). (3) Hypothetical situations with si + imperfect: Si j'étais riche, je voyagerais autour du monde (If I were rich, I would travel around the world).

The si + imperfect, conditional structure is essential for Higher tier: Si j'avais le temps, je ferais du bénévolat (If I had the time, I would volunteer). Si on pouvait, on irait au Sénégal (If we could, we would go to Sénégal). Note: the si clause uses the imperfect, the main clause uses the conditional — never the other way round.

Les Temps et la Discussion Culturelle

Using future and conditional tenses enriches discussions about francophone culture. Future for plans: L'année prochaine, je visiterai le Sénégal et je découvrirai la culture wolof (Next year, I will visit Sénégal and I will discover Wolof culture). Conditional for hypothetical cultural experiences: Si je pouvais, j'assisterais au Carnaval de Québec — on dit que c'est magnifique (If I could, I would attend the Québec Carnival — they say it's magnificent).

The conditional is also used for reported speech (le discours indirect): Coluche a dit qu'il créerait les Restos du Cœur (Coluche said he would create the Restos du Cœur). Le président a annoncé qu'il augmenterait le budget pour l'environnement (The president announced he would increase the budget for the environment).

For top marks, use all three tenses in a single response: Quand j'étais petit, je ne mangeais pas de fromage (imperfect). L'année dernière, j'ai goûté le camembert en Normandie (perfect). Maintenant, j'en mange souvent (present). L'année prochaine, je visiterai la Bourgogne (future), et si j'avais le temps, j'apprendrais à faire le fromage (conditional).

Vocabulaire Clé

Questions Supplémentaires

Réponses Supplémentaires

4. Futur simple: je serai, tu seras, il/elle sera, nous serons, vous serez, ils/elles seront. Conditionnel: je serais, tu serais, il/elle serait, nous serions, vous seriez, ils/elles seraient. Le futur simple exprime des actions futures ou des prédictions: « Je serai médecin un jour » (I will be a doctor one day). Le conditionnel exprime des souhaits, des conseils ou des situations hypothétiques: « Je serais heureux de vous aider » (I would be happy to help you), « Si j'étais riche, je serais généreux » (If I were rich, I would be generous). — Future simple: I will be, you will be, he/she will be, we will be, you will be, they will be. Conditional: I would be, you would be, he/she would be, we would be, you would be, they would be. The simple future expresses future actions or predictions. The conditional expresses wishes, advice or hypothetical situations.
5. Si j'avais le temps, je ferais du bénévolat au Sénégal. La structure est: si + imparfait + conditionnel. L'imparfait (j'avais) exprime la condition hypothétique, et le conditionnel (je ferais) exprime la conséquence imaginaire. Attention: on n'utilise jamais le conditionnel après « si ». Pour comparer, avec le futur: « Si j'ai le temps, je ferai du bénévolat » (condition réelle — c'est possible). Avec l'imparfait: « Si j'avais le temps, je ferais du bénévolat » (condition irréelle — c'est hypothétique). — If I had the time, I would volunteer in Sénégal. The structure is: si + imperfect + conditional. The imperfect (j'avais) expresses the hypothetical condition, and the conditional (je ferais) expresses the imaginary consequence. Note: never use the conditional after « si ». For comparison, with the future: « If I have the time, I will volunteer » (real condition — it's possible). With the imperfect: « If I had the time, I would volunteer » (unreal condition — it's hypothetical).