Le futur proche vs Le futur simple

French has two common ways to talk about the future: le futur proche vs le futur simple.
Both refer to future actions, and in many everyday situations, either tense is possible.

The difference is not grammatical correctness, but how the speaker views the action:
Is it already planned or about to happen, or is it a neutral statement, prediction, or promise?

You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.

Tense	Structure	Example
Futur proche	aller (present) + infinitive	Je vais partir
Futur simple	verb ending added to the verb	Je partirai

1. Le futur proche – “Going to” future (planned or imminent)

The futur proche is formed with aller (present) + infinitive. It is very common in spoken French, and it is used when the action is:

already planned or decided
about to happen
felt as close or concrete

Form:

aller (present) + infinitive

Examples:

Je vais partir dans cinq minutes.
I’m going to leave in five minutes.
On va manger à 19h.
We’re going to eat at 7 p.m.
Elle va appeler le médecin.
She’s going to call the doctor.
Qu’est-ce que tu vas faire ce week-end?
What are you going to do this weekend?

If the decision already exists in your mind, use the futur proche.

2. Le futur simple – “Will” future (neutral, predicted, or promised)

The futur simple is used when the future action is:

a prediction
a promise
a general or neutral statement
not clearly planned at the moment of speaking

Form:

verb stem + future endings

Examples:

Il pleuvra demain.
It will rain tomorrow.
Je t’aiderai, ne t’inquiète pas.
I will help you, don’t worry.
Un jour, je vivrai en France.
One day, I will live in France.

Le train partira à 8h.
The train will leave at 8 o’clock.

The futur simple states what will happen, without focusing on planning or immediacy.

3. When both tenses are possible

In many everyday situations, both tenses are correct, with only a slight difference in tone.

Examples:

Je vais dîner avec eux ce soir.
I’m going to have dinner with them tonight.
Je dînerai avec eux ce soir.
I will have dinner with them tonight.

Both are natural. The futur proche sounds more immediate and conversational. The futur simple sounds a bit more neutral or formal.

Another example:

On va se voir demain.
We’re going to see each other tomorrow.
On se verra demain.
We will see each other tomorrow.

The meaning is the same. Only the speaker’s perspective changes.

4. When the choice really matters

Some situations strongly prefer one tense over the other.

Predictions and general statements

Il y aura des changements.
There will be changes.

Using aller (le futur proche) here would sound unnatural, because the changes are just a prediction that may or may not happen at some point in the future. The changes aren’t yet clearly decided actions.

Immediate or clearly decided actions

Je vais faire mes devoirs ce soir.
I’m going to do my homework tonight.

Using the futur simple is possible in this case, but it sounds a bit formal in everyday speech. In this example, I have clearly planned to take the action of doing my homework at a specific time.

5. Why this is tricky for English speakers

English uses “will” for:

plans
decisions made now
predictions

French separates these ideas more clearly.

English	Natural French
I will do it tonight. (an immediate decision has been made)	Je vais le faire ce soir.
It will rain tomorrow. (this is just a prediction, and it might change)	Il pleuvra demain.
I will call you later. (this is what I plan to do, but it might not happen because I’ve not really made a definite decision about what time I will call you)	Je t’appellerai plus tard.