French Sentence Structure – Le Futur Simple

You will never travel abroad if you don’t have a passport.Vous ne voyagerez jamais à l’étranger si vous n’avez pas de passeport.

Comparing French and English Sentence Structure

It can be interesting to look at French sentences and their English translations while comparing the two. Once you have identified corresponding words, you will realize how many similarities there are French and English. You’ll also notice some big differences, and those are worth examining more closely.



You = Vous

Vous means you, and it indicates either a plural subject or a singular subject who is being spoken to on a formal level (as opposed to tu).

Lesson:  Subject pronouns


will travel = voyagerez

This is the futur simple tense. Use it when you want to say that the subject will do something. Notice now the negation ne…jamais goes around the verb.

Lesson:  Futur simple


never = ne…jamais

This is a simple form of negation which means never. Notice how ne is placed before the verb in the futur simple, and jamais is placed after it.

Lesson:  Negation in 3 tenses


abroad = à l’étranger


si = if

In this sentence, we have a first conditional si clause, using the futur simple and present tenses. All si clauses follow grammar formulas, and that is how you know which tense to use given the context.

Lesson: 1st conditional si clauses


you do not have = vous n’avez pas

The simplest way to negate a verb is to put the words ne…pas around it.

Lesson: Negation in 3 tenses

Chart: Download avoir conjugation chart – Pronunciation included


a = de

The indefinite articles un and une mean a or an in English. However, here’s a rule to remember: When un or une follow negation, they change to de.

Lesson: Important times when you must use de

Lesson: Definite, indefinite, and partitive articles


passeport = passeport




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