Chapitre 3 – Les vacances
Module 4.2 Grammaire: le futur proche, les prépositions
Let’s practice our grammar!
Le futur proche
formation
There are two future tenses in French, the simple future and the near future (le futur proche). The futur proche is usually translated into English as going + infinitive (e.g., going to eat, going to drink, going to talk). The futur proche is characteristic of spoken French but may be used in informal writing. It is formed with the verb aller (to go) conjugated in the present tense followed by an infinitive.
| nager ‘to swim’ | |
| je vais nager, I am going to swim | nous allons nager, we are going to swim |
| tu vas nager, you are going to swim | vous allez nager, you are going to swim |
| il, elle / on va nager, he, she (it) / one is going to swim | ils / elles vont nager, they are going to swim |
To negate the futur proche, place ne … pas around the conjugated form of aller: Je ne vais pas nager. (I am not going to swim).
| Corey: Je vais aller à Barton Springs. J’adore l’eau. Je vais nager. Tu viens avec moi, Bette? | Corey: I am going to go to Barton Springs. I love water. I am going to swim. Are you coming with me, Bette? | |
| Bette: Tu es fou! Il fait trop froid! Je ne vais pas nager! | Bette: Are you crazy? It is too cold! I am not going to swim! |
uses
The futur proche is used to refer to most future events in informal conversation. For details on usage see future: usage.
| Corey: Tex! Tammy! Nous allons aller à Barton Springs. | Corey: Tex! Tammy! We are going to go to Barton Springs. | |
| Bette: Mais il y a de gros nuages gris, il va pleuvoir. | Bette: But there are big gray clouds. It’s going to rain. | |
| Corey: Chouette! Je vais nager sous la pluie. | Corey: Great! I am going to swim in the rain. |
aller in the imperfect & infinitive
The construction aller + infinitive is also found with the verb aller in the imperfect (l’imparfait) to indicate what someone was going to do. For example:
| Les copains allaient partir pour Barton Springs, quand ils ont vu un éclair. | The friends were going to leave for Barton Springs, when they saw lightening. | |
| Bette: Corey, tu vas te faire électrocuter! Moi, je vais faire du shopping. Qui va venir avec moi? | Bette: Corey, you are going to get yourself electrocuted! I’m going to do some shopping. Who’s going to come with me? |
Les prépositions
Prepositions are used in expressions which relate where you are, where you are going and where you are coming from. The preposition used in such expressions depends on the geographic location discussed.
| geographic location | to/in | from |
| à | de (d’) | |
| cites (Paris, Londres, Austin) | à Paris | d’Austin |
| islands (Cuba, Tahiti) | à Cuba | de Tahiti |
| feminine (usually ending in -e) | en | de (d’) |
| countries (la France) | en France | de France |
| states (la Californie) | en Californie | de Californie |
| provinces (la Bourgogne) | en Bourgogne | de Bourgogne |
| continents (l’Europe) | en Europe | d’Europe |
| masculine | au | du |
| countries (le Canada, le Japon) | au Canada | du Japon |
| provinces/states (le Texas) | au Texas | du Texas |
| masculine beginning with a vowel | en | de (d’) |
| countries (l’Iran) | en Iran | d’Iran |
| provinces/states (l’Ontario) | en Ontario | d’Ontario |
| aux | des | |
| plural countries and regions (les Etats-Unis) |
aux Etats-Unis | des Etats-Unis |
| Tex est né au Texas, bien sûr. Mais par accident il a grandi en Europe. Comment expliquer cette histoire incroyable? | Tex was born in Texas, of course, but by accident he grew up in Europe. How de we explain this unbelievable story? | |
| Eh bien, quand il était tout petit, on l’a mis dans un avion avec les bagages à l’aéroport Bush International à Houston. | Well, when he was very little, he was put with the luggage in a plane at Bush International Airport in Houston. | |
| Son avion est arrivé à Paris (en France) où il a rencontré des nonnes françaises qui venaient de faire un voyage aux Etats-Unis. Elles arrivaient de Houston, elles aussi. Quelle coïncidence! | His plane arrived in Paris (in France) where he met some French nuns who had just taken a trip to the United States. They, too, were arriving from Houston. What a coincidence! | |
| Elles ont eu pitié de ce pauvre tatou égaré et elles l’ont emmené au couvent à Lyon. Tex a vécu heureux chez les nonnes pendant plusieurs années. | They took pity on this poor lost armadillo and they took him to their convent in Lyon. Tex lived happily with the nuns for several years. | |
| Malheureusement, un jour il a été expulsé de France, et il est retourné dans son pays natal, c’est-à-dire au Texas! | Unfortunately, one day he was deported from France and he returned to his native country, that is, to Texas! |