The futuro simple is the morphological future — the one-word future tense formed by attaching endings directly to the infinitive: hablaré, comeré, viviré. It is the tense Spanish uses to predict, to promise, to announce, and to wonder about the future. It is also the tense that, in everyday peninsular conversation, often steps aside in favour of ir a + infinitive — the "going to" future.
This page covers the regular formation: the endings, where they attach, the accent marks that you must not drop, the peninsular vosotros form, and the situations where the simple future is the right call in Spain (versus when locals will reach for voy a).
The mechanic: take the whole infinitive, add the ending
The simple future is the only Spanish tense that builds on the whole infinitive, not on a stem. You do not drop -ar, -er, or -ir — you keep the whole word and attach the ending on the end. This is true for every regular verb in the language.
| Subject | Ending | hablar → | comer → | vivir → |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | -é | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| tú | -ás | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| él / ella / usted | -á | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| nosotros / nosotras | -emos | hablaremos | comeremos | viviremos |
| vosotros / vosotras | -éis | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | -án | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
Two facts stand out immediately:
- The same set of endings works for all three conjugation classes. There is no -ar / -er / -ir split here, the way there is in the present or the preterite. One pattern, one set of endings, one straightforward result.
- Five of the six forms carry a written accent. Only the nosotros form (-emos) is unaccented.
Mañana hablaré con el casero sobre la calefacción.
Tomorrow I'll talk to the landlord about the heating.
Comeremos sobre las tres, ¿os va bien?
We'll eat around three, does that work for you?
Why the accents matter
The simple future endings are stressed on the final syllable: hablar-É, hablar-ÁS, hablar-Á, hablar-ÉIS, hablar-ÁN. Spanish stress rules would normally put the stress on the penultimate syllable for a word ending in a vowel, -s, or -n — but every accented future ending ends in exactly one of those. So the written accent is the only signal that the stress lands on the last syllable instead of the second-to-last.
Drop the accent on hablará and you don't just have a misspelling — you have ambiguity:
- hablara (no accent) = that I/he/she might speak (imperfect subjunctive)
- hablará (with accent) = he/she will speak (simple future)
These are completely different tenses, distinguished only by the diacritic. Spanish accent marks are part of the spelling, not decorative additions.
| Form | Without accent | What it would mean |
|---|---|---|
| hablaré | hablare | future subjunctive (archaic / legal) |
| hablarás | hablaras | imperfect subjunctive (-ras) |
| hablará | hablara | imperfect subjunctive (-ra) |
| hablaréis | hablareis | not a Spanish word |
| hablarán | hablaran | imperfect subjunctive (-ran) |
The lesson: every future form needs its accent. It is not optional, not casual, not skippable.
The peninsular vosotros: -éis with an accent
In Spain, the second-person plural future ending is -éis — and the accent on the é is obligatory. Without it, Spanish default stress rules would land on the penultimate syllable (habláreis, not hablaréis, since the word ends in -s). The accent shifts stress onto the final diphthong and signals that the e — not the i — is the stressed vowel of -éis.
- Hablaréis con el profesor mañana. — You guys will speak with the teacher tomorrow.
- ¿A qué hora cenaréis? — What time will you have dinner?
A common error is to write hablareis without the accent. This is wrong on the same grounds as hablare without the accent: it is a misspelling, not a stylistic choice.
¿Vendréis a la fiesta el sábado? Espero que sí.
Will you come to the party on Saturday? I hope so.
Cuando lleguéis al hotel, llamaréis a recepción para pedir las llaves.
When you get to the hotel, you'll call reception to ask for the keys.
(Vendréis is the future of venir, which uses the irregular stem vendr-. The ending -éis is the same as for any other verb.)
What the simple future actually means
The future tense has three core uses in peninsular Spanish.
Use 1: predictions about the future
Statements about what will happen — forecasts, plans, announcements, scheduled events.
Mañana lloverá en toda la península, según los meteorólogos.
Tomorrow it will rain across the entire peninsula, according to the meteorologists.
El próximo curso estudiaré en Granada con una beca Erasmus.
Next year I'll study in Granada with an Erasmus scholarship.
This is the textbook use, and it is the most common one in written Spanish: news, weather, formal announcements, official communications.
Use 2: promises and commitments
When you commit to a future action — to yourself or to someone else — the simple future is the natural form.
Te llamaré en cuanto salga de la reunión, te lo prometo.
I'll call you as soon as I get out of the meeting, I promise.
No volveré a llegar tarde, papá, en serio.
I won't be late again, dad, seriously.
Use 3: speculation and conjecture about the present
This is the surprising one for English speakers. The Spanish simple future is regularly used to speculate about what is probably true right now — not the future at all.
- ¿Qué hora será? — What time can it be? (Not will it be — you are guessing about now.)
- Será francés, por el acento. — He must be French, judging by the accent.
- Estará en una reunión, no contesta. — He's probably in a meeting, he isn't answering.
This conjectural future is one of Spanish's most idiomatic constructions. It maps onto English must be, probably is, I bet it's. You will hear it constantly in peninsular speech.
No sé dónde está Pepa — estará dando una vuelta con el perro.
I don't know where Pepa is — she's probably out walking the dog.
¿Cuántos años tendrá tu hermana? ¿Veinticinco?
How old can your sister be? Twenty-five?
The construction is so productive that it is the default way to express present-tense speculation in Spain. Translating English probably with the adverb probablemente is grammatically possible but stylistically heavy — native speakers reach for the future tense instead.
The peninsular preference for ir a + infinitive
Here is a practical truth about everyday peninsular Spanish: the simple future is less common in casual conversation than its analytic competitor ir a + infinitive (the "going to" future). For near-future events and personal plans, voy a wins.
- Mañana voy a llamar al médico. — Tomorrow I'm going to call the doctor. (everyday)
- Mañana llamaré al médico. — Tomorrow I will call the doctor. (more formal, more definite)
The simple future carries a faint flavour of prediction, certainty, or formality. The ir a construction sounds more like a plan, an intention, a casual heads-up. In written Spanish — news articles, novels, official documents — the simple future dominates. In spoken peninsular Spanish — chats with friends, family conversations, work calls — ir a often takes over.
Esta tarde voy a quedar con Luis, no podré ayudarte con la mudanza.
This afternoon I'm meeting up with Luis, so I won't be able to help you with the move.
Notice the natural mix in that sentence: voy a quedar for the casual plan, podré for the consequence-prediction. Peninsular speakers slide between the two constructions fluently, choosing by register and meaning.
The simple future in subordinate clauses
There is one structural rule worth flagging: certain subordinate clauses don't take the simple future at all, even when the meaning is clearly future. Most importantly, cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, antes de que, and después de que take the present subjunctive for future reference, not the future indicative.
- Correct: Cuando llegues, te enseñaré la casa. — When you arrive, I'll show you the house.
- Incorrect: Cuando llegarás, te enseñaré la casa.
The future indicative is reserved for the main clause; the subordinate clause uses the present subjunctive. This is one of the iron rules of Spanish syntax for English speakers to internalise.
En cuanto termine los exámenes, me iré de vacaciones.
As soon as I finish my exams, I'll go on holiday.
A summary table: regular future for the three model verbs
For quick reference, here are all six forms of all three model verbs side by side.
| Subject | hablar | comer | vivir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablaré | comeré | viviré |
| tú | hablarás | comerás | vivirás |
| él / ella / usted | hablará | comerá | vivirá |
| nosotros / nosotras | hablaremos | comeremos | viviremos |
| vosotros / vosotras | hablaréis | comeréis | viviréis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | hablarán | comerán | vivirán |
Pick one model verb and learn it well — the endings are identical for the other two. Hablar is the usual choice because it covers the largest class.
Common Mistakes
❌ Mañana hablare con el casero.
Incorrect — missing accent on the future yo form
✅ Mañana hablaré con el casero.
Tomorrow I'll talk to the landlord.
The yo form of the simple future ends in -é with an obligatory accent. Hablare without the accent is a different verb form (the archaic future subjunctive), not the future indicative.
❌ Vosotros hablareis con el profesor mañana.
Incorrect — missing accent on the vosotros ending
✅ Vosotros hablaréis con el profesor mañana.
You'll talk to the teacher tomorrow.
The peninsular vosotros future ends in -éis — the accent on the é is part of the spelling. Hablareis without the accent is a misspelling.
❌ Vivire en Madrid el próximo año.
Incorrect — viviré requires the accent
✅ Viviré en Madrid el próximo año.
I'll live in Madrid next year.
Every accented future ending is mandatory in writing. The accent is not stylistic; it is part of the word.
❌ Cuando llegarás a casa, llámame.
Incorrect — cuando + future indicative is ungrammatical
✅ Cuando llegues a casa, llámame.
When you get home, call me.
After cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, antes de que, después de que, mientras, and tan pronto como, future reference triggers the present subjunctive — not the simple future. The future tense lives only in the main clause.
❌ Probablemente Marta está en la oficina ahora.
Stylistically heavy — Spanish prefers the conjectural future
✅ Marta estará en la oficina ahora.
Marta is probably at the office now.
For present-tense speculation, the future tense is the idiomatic peninsular choice. Translating English probably with probablemente + present indicative is technically correct but reads as flat-footed; native speakers reach for estará, será, tendrá instead.
❌ Yo dropéo el -ar y añado las terminaciones.
Incorrect mental model — future endings attach to the WHOLE infinitive
✅ Future endings attach to hablar, comer, vivir — not to habl-, com-, viv-.
Mental model correction.
Unlike present, preterite, imperfect, or subjunctive, the simple future does not drop the infinitive ending. Hablaré = hablar + -é, not habl- + -aré. Keep the whole infinitive intact.
Key Takeaways
- The simple future is built by adding -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án to the whole infinitive.
- The same endings apply to every regular verb regardless of conjugation class.
- Five of six forms carry a written accent. Only nosotros (-emos) is unaccented.
- The peninsular vosotros form is -éis with the accent on é: hablaréis, comeréis, viviréis.
- The tense expresses future actions, promises, and — distinctively — present-tense speculation (¿Qué hora será?).
- In casual peninsular conversation, ir a + infinitive often replaces the simple future for plans and near-future events.
- In subordinate clauses introduced by cuando, en cuanto, hasta que, etc., future reference uses the present subjunctive, not the future indicative.
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