The Spanish future tense: will vs going to
Spanish has two ways to express the future. Learn when to use the simple future tense vs the ir a + infinitive construction.
Just like English has "will" and "going to," Spanish has two main ways to express the future: the simple future tense (futuro simple) and the immediate future using ir a + infinitive. Knowing when to use each makes your Spanish sound far more natural.
The immediate future: ir a + infinitive
This is the most common way to talk about the future in everyday speech — just as "I'm going to..." dominates over "I will..." in casual English. Conjugate ir in the present tense, add a, then the infinitive of the verb.
Voy a comer paella esta noche. (I'm going to eat paella tonight.)
¿Qué vas a hacer el fin de semana? (What are you going to do this weekend?)
Van a llegar tarde. (They're going to arrive late.)
Use this for plans, intentions, and near-future events — anything you've already decided or arranged.
The simple future tense
The simple future is formed by adding endings directly to the infinitive (not the stem): -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án. Conveniently, all three verb types (-AR, -ER, -IR) use the same endings.
Hablaré con ella mañana. (I will speak with her tomorrow.)
Viviremos en España algún día. (We will live in Spain someday.)
Use the simple future for more formal or written contexts, predictions, promises, and hypothetical future statements.
Irregular future stems
A small set of common verbs use an irregular stem in the simple future, but the endings stay the same:
tener → tendr-: tendré, tendrás...
poder → podr-: podré, podrás...
hacer → har-: haré, harás...
querer → querr-: querré, querrás...
venir → vendr-: vendré, vendrás...
salir → saldr-: saldré, saldrás...
The future of probability
One uniquely Spanish use of the future tense is to express probability or supposition about the present — something English handles with "must" or "probably." ¿Dónde está Juan? Estará en casa. (Where is Juan? He must be at home / He's probably at home.) This is extremely common in native speech.
Which should you use?
In everyday conversation, default to ir a + infinitive for planned future events. Use the simple future for predictions, formal writing, promises, and when expressing probability. As with most grammar distinctions, native speakers use them somewhat interchangeably — but knowing the nuance will help you understand and be understood.