Future plans (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
Future plans
Key vocabulary for talking about your future
When discussing your career aspirations and life goals in French, you'll need to master essential vocabulary. Building a strong vocabulary foundation is crucial for expressing your ambitions confidently and naturally in French conversations and exams.
Career and work vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l'ambition (f) | ambition |
| l'argent (m) | money |
| chercher | to look for |
| devenir | to become |
| gagner | to earn |
| habiter | to live |
| le poste (m) | job, post |
| le rêve (m) | dream |
| rêver | to dream |
| le salaire (m) | salary |
Life goals and aspirations
| French | English |
|---|---|
| espérer | to hope |
| se marier | to get married |
| le succès (m) | success |
| trouver | to find |
| voyager | to travel |
| désirer | to desire |
| riche | rich |
Workplace terms
| French | English |
|---|---|
| la compagnie (f) | company |
| l'employé (m) | employee, worker |
| le métier (m) | job, profession |
| le patron (m) / la patronne (f) | boss |
Learning vocabulary in themed groups like these helps with memorisation and creates natural associations between related words. Try to use these words in different sentence combinations to reinforce your understanding.
Example sentences using career vocabulary:
- Je voudrais devenir professeur car j'adore aider les jeunes. (I would like to become a teacher because I love helping young people.)
- Mon ambition est de gagner beaucoup d'argent. (My ambition is to earn lots of money.)
- Dans le futur, je vais voyager dans des pays différents. (In the future, I'm going to travel to different countries.)
Future tense of irregular verbs
The future tense is essential when discussing your plans and ambitions. While many students find irregular verbs challenging, understanding the pattern makes them much easier to master.
How irregular future verbs work
Irregular verbs in the future tense only change their stem - the endings remain the same as regular verbs (-ai, -as, -a, -ons, -ez, -ont). This consistency makes them more predictable than they initially appear.
The key to mastering irregular future verbs is learning the stems by heart. Once you know the stem, simply add the regular future endings. This systematic approach will help you use these verbs confidently in conversation and writing.
Key irregular future tense verbs
| Infinitive | Future stem | Example (je form) | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| être | ser- | je serai | I'll be |
| avoir | aur- | j'aurai | I'll have |
| aller | ir- | j'irai | I'll go |
| faire | fer- | je ferai | I'll do/make |
| devenir | deviendr- | je deviendrai | I'll become |
| venir | viendr- | je viendrai | I'll come |
| voir | verr- | je verrai | I'll see |
| pouvoir | pourr- | je pourrai | I'll be able |
| vouloir | voudr- | je voudrai | I'll want |
| savoir | saur- | je saurai | I'll know |
| devoir | devr- | je devrai | I'll have to |
Using irregular future verbs in context:
- J'irai à l'université. (I'll go to university.)
- Je serai riche. (I'll be rich.)
- Je verrai de nouveaux endroits. (I'll see new places.)
Alternative: aller + infinitive
Remember that you can also express future actions using aller + infinitive. This construction is often easier to use and sounds more natural in conversation, making it particularly useful for speaking exams.
Aller + infinitive construction:
- Je vais voyager... (I'm going to travel...)
This alternative is especially helpful when you're unsure about irregular future stems or want to sound more conversational in your French.
Exam tips for speaking about future plans
Success in French speaking exams comes from demonstrating both accuracy and variety in your language use. These strategies will help you showcase your skills effectively.
Using varied tenses effectively
Even when discussing future plans, try to incorporate different tenses to demonstrate your language skills. This variety shows examiners your grammatical range and makes your speech more engaging.
You can:
- Use the present tense to state current feelings: Je crois que c'est important (I think it's important)
- Use the future tense for definite plans: J'irai à l'université (I'll go to university)
- Use the conditional for polite expressions: Je voudrais devenir (I would like to become)
Varying your tenses is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate advanced language skills in speaking exams. Avoid using only one tense throughout your response, even when the topic focuses on future plans.
Worked Example Response:
Question: Quelle est tonne ambition? (What is your ambition?)
Sample answer: Je voudrais devenir professeur car j'adore aider les jeunes et je crois que c'est un emploi important. J'irai à l'université et je travaillerai dur.
This response effectively combines:
- Conditional tense (je voudrais)
- Present tense (j'adore, je crois)
- Future tense (j'irai, je travaillerai)
Translation practice
Practice translating between French and English helps reinforce your understanding of both vocabulary and grammar structures.
Translation Practice Exercises:
French to English:
- Je vais voyager dans des pays différents et je vais trouver un poste de médecin dans un hôpital.
- J'espère devenir une chanteuse célèbre et être riche.
English to French: 3. I want to get married and I would like to have three children. 4. I want to be famous and work in a hospital.
Answers:
- I'm going to travel to different countries and I'm going to find a job as a doctor in a hospital.
- I hope to become a famous singer and be rich.
- Je veux me marier et je voudrais avoir trois enfants.
- Je veux être célèbre et travailler dans un hôpital.
Key Points to Remember:
- Master irregular future stems - they're essential for discussing future plans confidently
- Use aller + infinitive as an alternative to the future tense when speaking
- Vary your tenses in speaking exams to demonstrate advanced language skills
- Learn career vocabulary in themed groups to make memorisation easier
- Practice combining different tenses in your responses to sound more natural and sophisticated