Grammar: Present meaning Future
In French, you don’t always have to use the Future Simple tense to talk about the future. You don’t even have to use the Near Future tense. You can just use the Present Tense, provided that you also specify a time that will occur sometime in the near future, eg “this evening,” “tomorrow,” or even “next week.”
French people will often use this same approach when they speak English, saying things like, “I see you tomorrow.” English speakers would say, “I’ll see you tomorrow,” but French speakers are used to saying, “I see you tomorrow,” and many see no reason why they should not use the same construction in English.
Examples
| Present tense | Literal meaning | Actual meaning |
| Je te vois demain | I see you tomorrow | I will/I’ll see you tomorrow |
| On se parle la semaine prochaine | We speak to each other next week | We will/we’ll speak to each other next week |
| Il vous appelle vendredi | He calls you Friday | He will/he’ll call you on Friday |
| Tu me rappelles ce soir ? | You call me back this evening? | Will you call me back tonight? |
