The futur proche dans le passé is a common French verb form used to speak about something that was about to happen at a past moment. It is built with the imperfect of aller plus an infinitive. In English, it often matches “was going to” or “were going to.”

how it is formed

The structure is simple:

• imperfect of aller + infinitive

Examples of aller in the imperfect:

• j’allais (I was going)
• tu allais (You were going)
• il allait (He was going)
• nous allions (We were going)
• vous alliez (You were going) (formal/plural)
• ils allaient (They were going)

Add any infinitive:

• tu allais arriver. “You were going to arrive.”
• nous allions partir. “We were going to leave.”
• ils allaient comprendre. “They were going to understand.”

what it means

This form shows that, in the past, an action was close to happening. It often suggests:

• the action was planned or expected
• the action was about to happen very soon
• the action may or may not have taken place

The focus is on the moment just before the action.

core examples

• Je savais que tu allais arriver. “I knew you were going to arrive.”
• Il allait pleuvoir. “It was going to rain.”
• Nous allions partir quand tu as appelé. “We were going to leave when you called.”
• Elle allait dire quelque chose, puis elle s’est tue. “She was going to say something, then she fell silent.”
• Ils allaient gagner le match. “They were going to win the match.”

when the action did not happen

Often, this form is used when something was about to happen but did not:

• J’allais sortir, mais il a commencé à pleuvoir. “I was going to go out, but it started to rain.”
• Elle allait accepter, mais elle a changé d’avis. “She was going to accept, but she changed her mind.”
• Nous allions acheter la maison, mais le prix a augmenté. “We were going to buy the house, but the price went up.”

In these cases, the second clause shows the interruption.

when the outcome is unknown or irrelevant

Sometimes, the form simply reports what seemed likely at the time, without saying what happened next:

• On pensait qu’il allait réussir. “We thought he was going to succeed.”
• Je croyais qu’elle allait appeler. “I thought she was going to call.”

contrast with the near future

The futur proche uses the present of aller:

• Tu vas arriver. “You are going to arrive.”

The futur proche dans le passé shifts that idea into the past:

• Tu allais arriver. “You were going to arrive.”

The meaning stays the same in kind, but the time frame moves back.

contrast with the futur simple

The futur simple expresses a future seen from the present:

• Tu arriveras. “You will arrive.”

When the viewpoint shifts into the past, French often uses the conditional instead:

• Je savais que tu arriverais. “I knew you would arrive.”

So:

• Je savais que tu allais arriver. “I knew you were going to arrive.”
• Je savais que tu arriverais. “I knew you would arrive.”

The first suggests something close and expected at that past moment. The second uses the present conditional to report a future seen from the past, with a more neutral sense.

The key point is that arriverais is not futur simple, but the present conditional, used here as a future in the past.

common contexts

This form appears often with verbs of thought, speech, and knowledge:

• penser que
• croire que
• savoir que
• dire que

Examples:

• Je pensais qu’il allait venir. “I thought he was going to come.”
• Elle disait que nous allions perdre. “She said we were going to lose.”

It also appears in storytelling to build tension:

• Il allait ouvrir la porte quand… “He was going to open the door when…”

alternative ways to express a similar idea

French can express the same idea in other ways, though each has its own tone:

• être sur le point de + infinitive
• devoir (imperfect) + infinitive
• the conditional in reported speech

Examples:

• J’étais sur le point de partir. “I was about to leave.”
• Il devait arriver à midi. “He was supposed to arrive at noon.”
• Je pensais qu’il arriverait. “I thought he would arrive.”

These forms overlap in meaning but are not always exact matches. être sur le point de stresses immediacy. devoir can imply expectation or obligation. The conditional often appears in indirect speech.

summary

• form: imperfect of aller plus infinitive
• core meaning: something was about to happen in the past
• often used for plans, expectations, or near events
• may imply the action did not happen, but not always
• closely linked to the present near future, but shifted into the past