How do you use futur proche in French?

The futur proche (near future) in French is used to express actions that will happen very soon, often in the next few minutes, hours, or days. It's a more immediate and spontaneous way of talking about the future than the simple future tense.

Here's how you form the futur proche:

Structure:

* Subject + aller + infinitive verb

Example:

* Je vais manger (I am going to eat)

* Nous allons partir (We are going to leave)

* Il va dormir (He is going to sleep)

Key points:

* "Aller" (to go) is always conjugated in the present tense.

* The infinitive form of the verb follows "aller".

* Time expressions: You can often use time expressions like "demain" (tomorrow), "dans quelques minutes" (in a few minutes), "ce soir" (tonight), etc. to emphasize the immediacy.

Examples in context:

* J'ai faim. Je vais manger un sandwich. (I'm hungry. I'm going to eat a sandwich.)

* Il pleut. Nous allons rester à la maison. (It's raining. We're going to stay at home.)

* Le train va arriver dans cinq minutes. (The train is going to arrive in five minutes.)

* Ils vont se marier le mois prochain. (They're going to get married next month.)

Note:

The futur proche can sometimes be interchangeable with the simple future tense, but it's more common when talking about immediate plans or actions that will happen shortly.