Future Tenses

Future Simple

• is normally known as the predictive future, and describes known facts, or what we supposes true.

I'll be late home this evening.

• is used to make formal announcements of future plans and to present weather forecasts. It is therefore often used in newspapers and on the television and radio:

The new President will move into the White House tomorrow.

Rain will continue throughout the day.

• can also take the form of an assumption.

That'll be Jim at the door. (This means that I suppose it is Jim.)

• is also used to express an immediate, spontaneous decision.

I'll take this one.

• is also used for habits of which the speaker disapproves. (modal meaning)

He will keep opening the window.

• expresses an offer and a request.

I’ll carry that for you.

Will you open the window?

• expresses a promise.

I’ll never let you down.

• expresses refusal. (modal meaning)

They won't give me my ball back!

• Shall and shan't are forms used in first person singular and piural in formal and deliberate speech.

We shall inform you, upon admission, of the rules of the library

• Shall is used in requests about further instructions. (modal meaning)

Shall I close the door?

• Shall is occasionally used to express strong determination about oneself or someone else. (modal meaning)

I shan't let him bully me.

Be going to

• describes intentions or plans and decisions; at the moment of speaking the plans have already been made.

I'm going to wait here until Carol gets back.

• is also used to describe an event whose cause is present or evident.

Look at that tree! It's going to fall.

• In many cases, Future Simple as prediction can be replaced by going to, especially in everyday speech. This is not true for other meanings of will. Normally going to cannot be replaced by will without changing the meaning.

Inflation will increase by 1% over the next twelve months.

As I see it, inflation is going to increase by 1% over the next twelve months.

• Was going to describes events which were supposed to happen, but did not.

I was going to come over and see you, but I left it too late.

Present Progressive

• describes fixed arrangements, especially social and travel arrangements. A time reference is usually included. Note the strong similarity to the going to future.

I am having a party next week and I am going to have a party next week are communicating the same message.

• As it refers to personal arrangements, the subject of the verb should be a person or people and not a thing.

• We do not generally use the present progressive with activities that do not involve the making of an arrangement or plan.

'I'm going to write a letter to my parents tonight.' (the intention is important) NOT 'I'm writing a letter to my parents tonight.' (no arrangement is required).

• We tend to avoid using verbs of motion, e.g. to go and to come in the be going to future and prefer instead to use the present progressive with these verbs.

We're going to the theatre tonight.

• We can only use the present progressive as future with a future time reference or where the future time reference is clear from the context. Where this is not the case, we use the be going to future.

He's having a swim. (= now, if there is no time reference)

He's going to have a swim. (in the future)

• Verbs not normally used in the progressive are not used in the present progressive as future. We can sometimes use in such cases be going to future. This does not happen very often as these verbs do not describe events that we normally predict or intend.

I'm needing some help next week.

I'm going to need some help next week.

Future Progressive

• describes an event which will be happening at a future point.

Come round in the morning. I'll be painting in the kitchen.

• can describe events which are going to happen anyway, rather than events which we choose to make happen.

I won't bother to fix a time to see you, because I'll be calling into the office anyway several times next week.

• also sounds more polite than will in some contexts.

Will you be going to the shops later? If you go, could you get me some milk?

• is used in very formal requests.

Will you be wanting anything else, sir?

• can also be used to refer to fixed arrangements and plans.

The band will be performing live in Paris this summer.

• describes a future event without expressing deliberate intention:

Sue: Oh dear, I haven't given Ben that book back.

Joe: That's all right. I'll be seeing him at the music club tonight so I'll give it to him for you.

Here, the activity of seeing Ben is not an express intention but will happen when Joe goes to the music club.

I'll be revising for my exams this weekend so I think I'll stay in on Saturday night.

The intention expressed here is to stay in on Saturday night. The plan to revise is relevant to this decision.

• can also be used to refer to plans. It is not generally used when we first tell someone about a plan. It is often used to refer to a plan when this plan is relevant to the main future event in the sentence.

We're spending the summer on the coast. (Telling someone about our plans)

A: Have you ever been sailing?

B: No, but we'll be spending the summer on the coast so I might try it then. (Referring to the arrangement to spend summer on the coast in connection with the main idea of the sentence - to try sailing)

Future Perfect (both simple and progressive)

• refers to time which we look back at from a future point.

In two year's time I'll have finished the book.

By the end of the month, I'll have been working for this firm for a year.

• It can also be used to express an assumption on the part of the speaker.

You won't have heard the news, of course. (This means that I assume you have not heard the news.)

• Is/are to be is used to describe formal arrangements.

All students are to assemble in the hall at 9.00.

• Be about to and be on the point/verge of (more formal) both refer to the next moment.

I think the play is about to start now.

Mary is on the point of resigning.

• Be due to refers to scheduled times.

The play is due to start in five minutes.

Ann's flight is due at 6.20.

• Just can be used to describe something on the point of happening.

Hurry up! The train is just leaving/just about to leave.

• Present simple is used to refer to future time in future time clauses.

When we get there, we'll have dinner.

• Present perfect can also be used instead of present simple when the completion of the event is emphasised.

When we've had a rest, we'll go out.

• Present simple is also used to describe fixed events which are not simply the wishes of the speaker.

Tom retires in three years.

• Similarly, calendar references use the present simple.

Christmas is on a Tuesday next year.

• Hope can be followed by either present or future verb forms.

I hope it doesn't rain. I hope it won't rain.

• Most verbs of thinking can be followed by will if there is future reference.

These include: think, believe, expect, doubt.

I expect the train will be late. I doubt whether United will win.