Futuro simple
So far we've talked about tomorrow with voy a + infinitive. Today, the other tool: futuro simple. It's used for predictions, promises, longer-term plans, and conjectures. Good news: forms come from the FULL INFINITIVE (not the stem), and the endings are identical for all three groups.
Regular forms — all three groups together
Add these endings to the INFINITIVE: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. hablar → hablaré, hablarás, hablará, hablaremos, hablaréis, hablarán. comer → comeré, comerás, comerá, comeremos, comeréis, comerán. vivir → viviré, vivirás, vivirá, viviremos, viviréis, vivirán. Notice: every form has an accent except nosotros.
Irregular stems (12 of them)
Same endings, but the stem changes. tener → tendr-, salir → saldr-, poner → pondr-, venir → vendr-, valer → valdr-. decir → dir-, hacer → har-. saber → sabr-, poder → podr-, querer → querr-, caber → cabr-, haber → habr-. Examples: tendré (I'll have), saldrá (he'll leave), diremos (we'll say), haré (I'll do).
When to use futuro simple
Predictions and promises: Mañana lloverá (it'll rain tomorrow). Te ayudaré (I'll help you). Long-term plans: El próximo año iré a España y estudiaré allí (next year I'll go to Spain and study there). Far-future statements often sound better with futuro than with voy a.
Guesses and probability — bonus use
Very common in conversation: speculating about the present. ¿Qué hora será? = what time do you think it is? Será la una = it must be one o'clock. Tendrá unos treinta años = he must be about 30. English equivalent: 'must be / probably / I bet'.
Futuro vs ir + a + infinitive
In speech, voy a comer and comeré are often interchangeable. But: voy a feels more immediate ('right now / soon'), comeré feels more remote and formal. For serious promises and formal text — futuro. For casual 'let's eat' — ir a.
