Periphrastic future (ir a + infinitive), inflectional future and conditional

Mastering the Future and Conditional Tenses in Spanish

Welcome to your complete revision guide for talking about the future and hypothetical situations in AQA GCSE Spanish (8692)! Being able to describe what you are going to do, what you will do, and what you would do is one of the most powerful tools in GCSE Spanish. Using these tenses correctly instantly boosts your marks across all four exam papers: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.

Don't worry if verb endings seem tricky at first. We will break everything down step-by-step with simple formulas, memory tricks, and clear examples so you can tackle them with total confidence!

1. The Periphrastic Future (The "Immediate Future")

The periphrastic future is often called the "near" or "immediate" future. It is the Spanish equivalent of saying "I am going to [do something]" in English. We use it to talk about plans, intentions, and events that will happen soon.

The 3-Step Formula

To form the periphrastic future, think of it as a three-car train:

[Present tense of ir] + [a] + [Infinitive verb]

Let's review the present tense of the verb ir (to go):
• yo: voy (I am going)
• tú: vas (you are going)
• él / ella / usted: va (he/she is going / you formal are going)
• nosotros / nosotras: vamos (we are going)
• vosotros / vosotras: vais (you all are going)
• ellos / ellas / ustedes: van (they are going / you all formal are going)

Examples in Action

• Voy a comer una pizza. (I am going to eat a pizza.)
• Vamos a estudiar esta tarde. (We are going to study this afternoon.)
• Van a viajar a España. (They are going to travel to Spain.)

Reflexive Pronoun Placement

When using a reflexive verb (like lavarse or levantarse), you have two safe choices for where to put the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se):
1. Before the conjugated verb: Me voy a lavar.
2. Attached directly to the end of the infinitive: Voy a lavarme.

⚠️ Common Pitfall: The "A" Gap

A very frequent examiner complaint is that students forget the little word a. Saying "voy comer" is incorrect in Spanish. Always remember: ir + a + infinitive!

Key Takeaway: Periphrastic Future

Whenever you want to say you are going to do something, take the correct form of ir, add a, and finish with the unconjugated infinitive.

2. The Inflectional Future (The "Simple Future")

The inflectional future (often called the "simple future") expresses what will happen. It is used for predictions, promises, or events further in the future.

The Magic Rule for Endings

Unlike present-tense verbs where -ar, -er, and -ir verbs have different patterns, the inflectional future uses the exact same endings for all regular verbs! You simply take the whole infinitive and add the ending directly onto the end.

Infinitive + Future Ending

• yo: -é
• tú: -ás
• él / ella / usted: -á
• nosotros / nosotras: -emos
• vosotros / vosotras: -éis
• ellos / ellas / ustedes: -án

Regular Conjugation Example: hablar (to speak)

• hablaré (I will speak)
• hablarás (you will speak)
• hablará (he/she will speak)
• hablaremos (we will speak)
• hablaréis (you all will speak)
• hablarán (they will speak)

⚠️ Accent Alert!

Notice the written accents: -é, -ás, -á, -éis, -án all have an accent mark on the vowel. The only form without an accent is nosotros (-emos). Missing these accents is a common error in writing exams, so double-check them!

The 10 Official Irregular Stems

Some common verbs do not use their full infinitive. Instead, they change to a special irregular stem, but they still take the exact same endings listed above:

• hacer (to do/make) → har- (e.g., yo haré = I will do)
• tener (to have) → tendr- (e.g., tendré = I will have)
• decir (to say/tell) → dir- (e.g., diré = I will say)
• poder (to be able) → podr- (e.g., podré = I will be able to)
• poner (to put) → pondr- (e.g., pondré = I will put)
• salir (to go out/leave) → saldr- (e.g., saldré = I will go out)
• venir (to come) → vendr- (e.g., vendré = I will come)
• querer (to want) → querr- (e.g., querré = I will want)
• saber (to know) → sabr- (e.g., sabré = I will know)
• haber (there to be) → habr- (e.g., habrá = there will be)

⚠️ Common Pitfall: Stem Substitution

Do not add future endings to the regular infinitive of irregular verbs. For example, writing "teneré" is incorrect; the correct form is tendré.

Key Takeaway: Inflectional Future

To say what will happen, keep the whole infinitive (or use the irregular stem) and add: -é, -ás, -á, -emos, -éis, -án.

3. The Conditional Tense

The conditional tense expresses what would happen under certain conditions. It is also used for polite requests and expressing wishes or hypothetical situations.

How to Form the Conditional

Just like the inflectional future, the conditional tense is formed by taking the whole infinitive (or the irregular stem) and adding endings. The endings are identical for all -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.

Infinitive + Conditional Ending

• yo: -ía
• tú: -ías
• él / ella / usted: -ía
• nosotros / nosotras: -íamos
• vosotros / vosotras: -íais
• ellos / ellas / ustedes: -ían

Regular Conjugation Example: vivir (to live)

• viviría (I would live)
• vivirías (you would live)
• viviría (he/she would live)
• viviríamos (we would live)
• viviríais (you all would live)
• vivirían (they would live)

Top Tip: Notice that every single conditional ending has a written accent mark over the letter í!

Irregular Verbs in the Conditional

Great news! The conditional uses the exact same 10 irregular stems as the inflectional future:

• hacer → haría (I would do)
• tener → tendría (I would have)
• decir → diría (I would say)
• poder → podría (I would be able / I could)
• poner → pondría (I would put)
• salir → saldría (I would go out)
• venir → vendría (I would come)
• querer → querría (I would want)
• saber → sabría (I would know)
• haber → habría (there would be)

High-Scoring Conditional Phrases for GCSE

• Me gustaría + infinitive (I would like to...) — Me gustaría visitar Madrid.
• Sería (It would be...) — Sería fantástico.
• Podría (I/he/she could / would be able to...) — Podría ayudar.

Key Takeaway: Conditional Tense

To say what would happen, add -ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían to the infinitive (or irregular stem). Every single form takes an accent on the í!

4. Quick Comparison & Exam Checklist

At-a-Glance Meaning Check

• Periphrastic Future: Voy a visitar = I am going to visit (Plan / Intention)
• Inflectional Future: Visitaré = I will visit (Prediction / Future fact)
• Conditional Tense: Visitaría = I would visit (Hypothetical / Polite wish)

Revision Checklist before your Exam

1. Check your "a": Did you write voy a..., va a..., vamos a...?
2. Check your accents on the Simple Future: Did you put accents on all forms except nosotros (-é, -ás, -á, -éis, -án)?
3. Check your accents on the Conditional: Did you put an accent on the í for every ending (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían)?
4. Check your irregulars: Did you use stems like tendr-, har-, and dir- instead of regular infinitives?
5. Check pronoun positions: Are reflexive pronouns placed in front of the conjugated verb (se va a duchar) or attached to the end (va a ducharse)?