The Spanish Future Tense
Spanish has two common ways to talk about the future: the everyday ir a + infinitive ("going to") and the simple future (el futuro simple, "will"). Spoken Spanish leans heavily on the first; the second adds formality, predictions, and even guesses. This lesson covers both.
1. The Everyday Future: ir a + Infinitive
Just like English "going to", conjugate ir in the present and add a plus any infinitive. If you only learn one future structure, learn this one — it covers most daily conversation.
| Pronoun | ir (present) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| yo | voy | Voy a estudiar esta noche. — I'm going to study tonight. |
| tú | vas | ¿Vas a venir mañana? — Are you going to come tomorrow? |
| él/ella/usted | va | Va a llover. — It's going to rain. |
| nosotros/as | vamos | Vamos a comer a las dos. — We're going to eat at two. |
| vosotros/as | vais | ¿Vais a salir? — Are you all going out? |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van | Van a viajar en julio. — They're going to travel in July. |
2. The Simple Future ("will")
The simple future is the easiest tense to form in Spanish: attach the endings directly to the whole infinitive — the same endings for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
| Pronoun | Ending | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| tú | -ás | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| él/ella/usted | -á | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| nosotros/as | -emos | hablaremos | comeremos | viviremos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -án | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
Every ending except -emos carries a written accent.
The 12 Irregular Stems
A dozen common verbs swap the infinitive for an irregular stem, but keep the same endings:
| Verb | Stem | Example (yo) |
|---|---|---|
| decir | dir- | diré (I will say) |
| hacer | har- | haré (I will do/make) |
| poder | podr- | podré (I will be able) |
| poner | pondr- | pondré (I will put) |
| querer | querr- | querré (I will want) |
| saber | sabr- | sabré (I will know) |
| salir | saldr- | saldré (I will leave) |
| tener | tendr- | tendré (I will have) |
| venir | vendr- | vendré (I will come) |
| caber | cabr- | cabré (I will fit) |
| valer | valdr- | valdrá (it will be worth) |
| haber | habr- | habrá (there will be) |
3. A Hidden Use: Guessing About the Present
Spanish speakers also use the simple future to speculate about right now — something English does with "must be" or "probably":
- ¿Qué hora será? — I wonder what time it is.
- Estará en el trabajo. — He's probably at work.
- Tendrá unos treinta años. — She must be about thirty.
Which One Should You Use?
- Plans and intentions → ir a + infinitive: Voy a llamarte esta noche.
- Promises and predictions → simple future: Te llamaré esta noche. / Mañana hará calor.
- Schedules and near-certain events → often just the present: El tren sale a las nueve.
Keep Practicing
Review the present tense (you need ir for the "going to" future), compare with the past tenses, or test yourself with our quizzes and flashcards. Browse all grammar lessons for more.