Distinguish an action now from a future plan

By UK GCSE French · independent study · myAudience

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Distinguish an action now from a future plan

A conjugated form of aller followed by an infinitive can describe a future plan. « Je vais lire » means I am going to read. The first verb carries the subject and present ending; the second stays in its infinitive form. Lire means to read.

Compare « Je vais au parc » with « Je vais jouer ». In the first, aller expresses movement to a destination. In the second, aller introduces a future action. Look after vais: a destination and an infinitive serve different purposes.

For nous, use allons followed by the infinitive: « Nous allons parler ». Do not give the second verb another nous ending. « Nous allons parlons » is not this construction. Time words can make the plan clearer: demain means tomorrow.

An invented leisure plan reads « Demain, je vais jouer au football. Mon amie va lire dans le parc. » This is a statement of future intention. It does not guarantee that either event will happen. Vocabulary: demain means tomorrow and jouer means to play; au football is the activity phrase used here.

Worked example: Write “Tomorrow, we are going to speak French”.

Use demain to set the time.

Choose nous allons, then keep parler as an infinitive.

Add français for the language.

Answer: Demain, nous allons parler français.

Check your understanding: Which uses aller followed by an infinitive: « Elle va au parc » or « Elle va lire »?

Answer: Elle va lire.

Why: Lire is an infinitive, so elle va lire uses the periphrastic future construction. Au parc names a destination; elle va au parc uses aller as a movement verb. Context can still place a present-tense movement sentence in the future.