How to Say Your Weekend Plans in French: Using the Near Future for Hiking and Relaxing
Learn to say what you're going to do this weekend in French, using the near future (aller + infinitive) to talk about hiking, staying home, and relaxing.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about your own upcoming weekend activities in French. Unlike making plans with others, this focuses on your personal schedule. You'll use the near future tense (futur proche) to say things like 'I'm going hiking' or 'I'm just relaxing at home.' We'll cover essential vocabulary and sentence patterns so you can confidently describe your weekend.
By the end, you can…
- say what I'm going to do this weekend using the near future.
- talk about hiking and relaxing at home in French.
- ask someone about their weekend plans.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ce week-end, je vais faire de la randonnée.
This weekend, I'm going hiking.
suh wee-kend, zhuh vay fair duh lah rahn-doh-nay
Use 'faire de la randonnée' for hiking. 'Ce week-end' means 'this weekend'.
Je vais juste me détendre à la maison.
I'm just going to relax at home.
zhuh vay zhewest muh day-tahndr ah lah may-zohn
'Se détendre' means 'to relax'. 'À la maison' means 'at home'.
Je vais rester chez moi.
I'm going to stay home.
zhuh vay res-tay shay mwah
'Rester' means 'to stay'. 'Chez moi' means 'at my place/home'.
Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire ce week-end ?
What are you going to do this weekend?
kess kuh tew vah fair suh wee-kend
Informal way to ask someone about their weekend plans.
Je vais faire une randonnée en montagne.
I'm going to go hiking in the mountains.
zhuh vay fair ewn rahn-doh-nay ahn mohn-tahn-yuh
'En montagne' means 'in the mountains'. Use 'à la montagne' for 'at the mountains'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The near future in French is formed with the verb 'aller' (to go) in the present tense + the infinitive of the main verb. For example: 'Je vais faire' (I'm going to do), 'Tu vas rester' (You're going to stay), 'Il va partir' (He's going to leave). This pattern is used for actions that will happen soon. To talk about hiking, use 'faire de la randonnée' or 'faire une randonnée'. To talk about relaxing, use 'se détendre' or 'se reposer'.
When to use it
Use the near future to talk about your own plans for the upcoming weekend. It's common in spoken French. For example, when someone asks 'Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce week-end ?' (What are you doing this weekend?), you can respond with 'Je vais faire de la randonnée' or 'Je vais me détendre'. Note that the near future is more common in conversation than the simple future (e.g., 'je ferai'). Also, remember that 'week-end' is borrowed from English and is masculine: 'un week-end'.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Salut ! Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire ce week-end ?
Hi! What are you going to do this weekend?sah-lew! kess kuh tew vah fair suh wee-kendJe vais faire de la randonnée samedi. Et toi ?
I'm going hiking on Saturday. And you?zhuh vay fair duh lah rahn-doh-nay sahm-dee. ay twahMoi, je vais juste me détendre à la maison.
Me, I'm just going to relax at home.mwah, zhuh vay zhewest muh day-tahndr ah lah may-zohnSuper ! Bon week-end !
Great! Have a good weekend!sew-pair! bohn wee-kendA little context goes a long way
In France, 'week-end' is commonly used, but in Quebec, 'fin de semaine' is more common. Both are understood. When talking about hiking, 'randonnée' is the standard term. In informal settings, you might hear 'balade' for a walk, but 'randonnée' implies a longer, more strenuous hike. Also, French people often ask about weekend plans as a friendly gesture; it's polite to ask back with 'Et toi ?'.
One thing to watch for
Using 'Je vais à la randonnée' to mean 'I'm going hiking'.
Try this instead: 'Je vais à la randonnée' is not correct. Instead, say 'Je vais faire de la randonnée' or 'Je vais faire une randonnée'. The verb 'faire' is used for activities. Similarly, for relaxing, say 'Je vais me détendre', not 'Je vais à la détente'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'I'm going to stay home this weekend' in French?
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Je vais rester chez moi ce week-end.
This uses the near future 'je vais' + infinitive 'rester', and 'chez moi' for 'home'. Alternatively, 'Je vais rester à la maison' is also correct.
2Translate: 'What are you going to do this weekend?' (informal)
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Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire ce week-end ?
This is the informal way to ask. For formal, use 'Qu'est-ce que vous allez faire ce week-end ?'.
3Fill in the blank: Je vais ___ de la randonnée.
Show a sample answer
faire
The correct verb is 'faire' because 'faire de la randonnée' means 'to go hiking'. Other verbs like 'aller' would not fit here.
To talk about your weekend plans in French, use 'aller' + infinitive. For hiking, say 'faire de la randonnée'; for relaxing, 'se détendre' or 'rester chez moi'. Remember to ask 'Et toi ?' to keep the conversation going.
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