English
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Answer:

I'm going to get a promotion. ,

The concert starts at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Did you know?

Some verbs, depending on their meanings, can't be used in progressive tenses to talk about the future — for example, "feel", "see", or "want".

Check out this StudyEnglish page for more non-progressive verbs.

Source:

1 https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/talking-about-future

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Are you getting confused with so many ways of expressing the future in English?

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Don't worry! Knowing the differences between each form will help you become more confident in your language skills.

There are a few ways to express the future in English.

  1. Future simple

  2. Future "be going to"

  3. Future progressive

  4. Present simple and progressive

    Selena Gomez about to open a door in a room with flowery wallpaper. She says, "Okay, here we go."

1. Future Simple

Dakota Johnson saying "I think I'm seeing the future"

We use future simple for:

Predictions and future events

Examples of future tense for predictions:

It will rain tomorrow, so take your umbrella. ☔

Mark will travel with his colleagues. 🧳

We will finish the project by Friday. 📊

Spontaneous decisions

Examples of future tense for spontaneous decisions:

She will help you with your homework. 📚

We will have spaghetti for dinner tonight. 🍝

I will come to you after I finish work.🧋

Promises or offers

Examples of future tense for promises or offers:

I will be at the party, you should come! 🥳

We will support you during university. 🎓

I will never let you down. 🤗

How to form the future simple?

A man wearing headphones asking "How?"

Affirmative

Subject + will/shall+ base form of the verb:

I think you will enjoy this film. 🎦

Negative

Subject + will not (won't)/shall not (shan't) + base form of the verb:

They will not/won't attend the meeting tomorrow. 💼

Questions

Will/Shall + subject + base form of the verb

Will you come to the zoo tomorrow? 🦁

Note: "Shall" is usually used in highly formal statements and isn't used frequently in everyday language. ⭐

Did you know?

The future with "will" forms the first conditional.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we'll go to the beach.

2. Be Going To

Cartoon character saying "I think I'm going to go"

You can also express the future by using be going to:

To talk about plans and intentions

Examples of future tense for plans and intentions:

I'm going to cancel my dinner reservation for tonight. 🍴

She's going to sing at the school performance on Wednesday. 🎶

They're going to buy a new house next month. 🏠

To give commands

Examples of future tense for commands:

You're going to finish your homework before dinner. 📘

You're going to clean your room by the end of today. 🧹

You're going to wash the dishes before watching TV. 🧽

To predict something

Examples of future tense for predictions:

It's going to rain soon. The clouds are so dark. ⛈️

He's going to fail his exam. He didn't study enough. ✏️

Sarah's going to be accepted at the university; she has good grades. 🎓

How to form the future tense with "be going to"?

Mila Kunis looks confused and touches her head.

Affirmative

Subject + be + going to + base form of the verb:

They're going to travel to England next week. 🛣️

Negative

Subject + be + not going to + base form of the verb:

She isn't going to finish the report until midday. 💼

Questions

Be + subject + going to + base form of the verb:

Is Mark going to buy a new car? 🚗

Note: "Will" and "be going to" are used differently when talking about predictions. ➡️

Did you know?

In informal speech, you can use "will" and "going to" without any confusion, but in formal writing "will" describes certain events and predictions, while "going to" describes planned events.

3. Future Progressive

Kamala Harris saying "the future can be better"

It describes actions in progress over a period of time in the future.

It can be used to show that an action will start at some point in the future and end later.

Examples of future tense for progressive actions:

She will be writing her essay this afternoon. 📝

He will be running ten miles at the competition. 🏃‍♂️

I will be studying all weekend for my exam. 🧑‍🎓

How to form future progressive?

unsure girl saying "I don't know how"

Affirmative

Subject + will be + verb-ing

She will be cooking dinner around 8 o'clock. 🍳

Negative

Subject + will not/won't be + verb-ing

I won't be attending the meeting this afternoon. 🤝

Questions

Will + subject + be + verb-ing:

Will you be studying for your exam tonight? 🤓

Did you know?

The verb-ing used to form the future progressive is known as present participle. 

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4. Present Simple and Present Progressive

a man asking "What?"

Present tenses can be used to express the future in English. This could be confusing, as we're taught that present tenses are for actions happening in the present.

How can we express the future using present tenses?

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Present simple for scheduled events and routines

School starts at 9 a.m. 🏫

The train leaves at 8 p.m. tomorrow.🚅

I have an exam next week.📝

Present progressive for plans or arrangements

They're having a party at the office. 🎉

I'm flying to Spain next month. ✈️

We're having lunch with Mark this afternoon. 🥙

Quiz

Choose the correct sentences to express the future in English. Select all that apply:

Did you know?

Some verbs, depending on their meanings, can't be used in progressive tenses to talk about the future — for example, "feel", "see", or "want".

Check out this StudyEnglish page for more non-progressive verbs.

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Did you know?

Some verbs, depending on their meanings, can't be used in progressive tenses to talk about the future — for example, "feel", "see", or "want".

Check out this StudyEnglish page for more non-progressive verbs.

Source:

1 https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/talking-about-future

Take Action

a woman showing Level Up learning

Rumie logo

This logo isn't an ad or affiliate link. It's an organization that shares in our mission, and empowered the authors to share their insights in Byte form.
Rumie vets Bytes for compliance with our Standards. The organization is responsible for the completeness and reliability of the content.
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License:

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