Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commencer

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The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to begin” or “to start.” It is pronounced “koh-mahn-say.”

The word commencer comes from the Old French word “comencer,” which is derived from the Latin word “cominitiare,” meaning “to initiate.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Futur Proche tense, which is used to talk about actions that will happen in the near future.

Examples of commencer in the Futur Proche tense:

  1. Je vais commencer mes études en septembre. (I am going to start my studies in September.)
  2. Nous allons commencer notre voyage demain. (We are going to begin our trip tomorrow.)
  3. Ils vont commencer à travailler ensemble la semaine prochaine. (They are going to start working together next week.)

English translations:

  1. I am going to start my studies in September.
  2. We are going to begin our trip tomorrow.
  3. They are going to start working together next week.

Table of the Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of commencer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je vais commencer Je vais commencer à travailler. I am going to start working.
tu vas commencer Tu vas commencer un régime. You are going to start a diet.
il va commencer Il va commencer à étudier. He is going to start studying.
elle va commencer Elle va commencer un nouveau travail. She is going to start a new job.
on va commencer On va commencer le projet demain. We/One are going to start the project tomorrow.
nous allons commencer Nous allons commencer les préparatifs. We are going to start preparations.
vous allez commencer Vous allez commencer à manger. You are going to start eating.
ils vont commencer Ils vont commencer à se préparer. They are going to start getting ready.
elles vont commencer Elles vont commencer à lire. They are going to start reading.

Other Conjugations for Commencer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer    (this article)

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Commencer – About the French Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense

The French futur proche, also known as the near future tense, is a verb tense used to express actions or events that will happen in the near future. It’s a relatively simple tense to form and is commonly used in everyday conversation in the French language.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the futur proche, you typically use the present tense conjugation of the verb “aller” (to go) and follow it with the infinitive of the main verb:

1. Conjugate “aller” in the present tense according to the subject pronoun:

   – Je vais (I am going)
   – Tu vas (You are going)
   – Il/elle/on va (He/she/one is going)
   – Nous allons (We are going)
   – Vous allez (You are going)
   – Ils/elles vont (They are going)

2. Add the infinitive of the main verb immediately after “aller.” For example:

   – Je vais manger (I am going to eat)
   – Tu vas étudier (You are going to study)
   – Il va partir (He is going to leave)
   – Nous allons danser (We are going to dance)
   – Vous allez voyager (You are going to travel)
   – Ils vont travailler (They are going to work)

Common Everyday Usage

The futur proche is used to talk about actions or events that are expected to happen in the near future. It is often used in casual, everyday conversations to discuss plans, intentions, or predictions. For instance:
– Je vais faire les courses demain. (I am going to do the grocery shopping tomorrow.)
– Ils vont regarder un film ce soir. (They are going to watch a movie tonight.)
– Tu vas rencontrer Sophie à la gare. (You are going to meet Sophie at the train station.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

The futur proche is used to talk about the near future and should not be confused with the futur simple (simple future), which is used to discuss events that will happen further in the future. Here are some interactions with other tenses:

Present Tense

The futur proche is often used to express actions happening in the near future alongside actions in the present tense. For example: “Je travaille demain” (I am working tomorrow).

Past Tense

When narrating events in the past, the futur proche can be used to describe what was about to happen at a specific point in time. For example: “Il est arrivé à l’aéroport, mais son avion allait partir” (He arrived at the airport, but his plane was about to leave).

Conditional Tense

The futur proche can also be combined with the conditional to express future actions that are contingent on certain conditions. For example: “Si j’ai le temps, j’irai au cinéma ce soir” (If I have time, I will go to the cinema tonight).

Summary

The French futur proche is a versatile tense used to describe actions or events that will occur in the near future. It’s commonly used in everyday conversation to discuss plans, intentions, and predictions, and it interacts with other tenses to provide context for different time frames.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb commencer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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