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Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense is a verb tense that is used to refer to the future.  This tense is commonly formed with the use of� will  and� shall  for an activity that takes place in the future. Besides these two auxiliary verbs, there are other ways that can be used to show simple future tense as shown here.

Will / Shall

Will / Shall + base form of the main verb

Will  and� shall are auxiliary verbs used mainly in the future tense . They are followed by the base form of a main verb. Shall has always been used in place of will for the first person singular (I) and plural (we) but will is more commonly used.

Examples:

  • I� will  call you.
  • We� shall  have a discussion in three days’ time.  �
  • I� shall  arrive before noon. / They� will l arrive before noon.
  • I  shall  be away tomorrow. / We� shall  be away tomorrow.

Both� will  and� shall  have their contracted forms in� ‘ll , and the contracted negative forms are� won’t  and� shan’t .

Examples:

  • I ’ll  be free for a week. / I� won’t  be free for a week.
  • We ’ll  talk about it now. / We� shan’t  talk about it now.�   �  

The negative form is not repeated if it appears again with another main verb.

Examples:

  • No : I� won’t talk � to her and� won’t ask � her about it.  
  • Yes : I� won’t talk to her or ask  her about it.�

Won't  and� shan’t  are used to show� unwillingness  or  refusal  to do something.

Examples:

  • I have asked the noisy children to keep quiet, but they� won't  listen.
  • I shan’t make any payment until I receive all the goods.

The followings show the different ways that can be used to express the future in English.

  1. Will
  2. Going to
  3. Be to
  4. Be about to
  5. Simple Present tense
  6. Present continuous tense

  1. Will

Will  is used to refer to the future in the following ways:

  1. say something that is certain to occur in the future.

Examples:

  • A meeting� will  be held next Monday at 2 p.m.
  • I� will  be at the clinic tomorrow.
  1. say something that is not so certain to happen.

Examples:

  • I think he� will  call me later.

  • I heard their store will open next week.

  1. make a prediction.

Examples:

  • The rain� will  stop soon.
  • I bet the away team� will  lose by at least two goals.

  • I� shall  be judged only by God.

  1. state a fact.

Examples:

  • Oil� will  float on water.
  • Widening the road� will  improve traffic flow.
  1. express willingness to do something in the future.

Examples:

  • I� will  help you clear the rat-infested storeroom tomorrow.
  • We� will  spend our holiday decorating the flat.
  1. make a sudden decision at the moment of speaking.

Examples:

  • There's a noise outside. I� will  just go and check.
  • I� will  make some tea.
  1. give a command.

Examples:

  • You� will  report to the Manager at eight o'clock tomorrow.
  • The notice says all visitors  shall  leave the park by 8 p.m.
  1. give an invitation, make an order or a threat .

Examples:

  • They� will  invite Professor Dunce to speak at the scientific conference.
  • I� will  have a double brandy.
  • Give me your wallet or I� will  slit your throat with this.
  1. make a suggestion or promise.

Examples:

  • If you like, we� will  meet here after you finish shopping.
  • I can assure you that it  won’t  happen again.
  • Shall � we all go together in one car?
  1. create a conditional situation where something must happen in order for something else to happen.

Examples:

  • If you come along with me, I� will  buy you an ice cream.
  • It will bite if you touch it.
  1. ask a question.

Examples:

  • Will � you look after my things for a while, please? (Ask a favour of someone)
  • Shall � I give you a lift to the airport? (Ask a first-person question)
  • Will  you phone your mother-in-law about the invitation?
  • Shall � we sneak a couple of bottles of brandy through Customs?
  1. Be going to

Be going to + base form of main verb.

  1. Intention, decision, plans or arrangements already made to do or not to do something for the near future prior to the time of speaking.

Examples:

  • We  are going to  the zoo on Sunday.
  • We� are going to  move to a new neighborhood next month.
  • We� are not going to  look for wild mushrooms this weekend.
  1. Prediction of an outcome based on current situation.

Examples:

  • Look at the overcast sky. It� is going to  rain hard.

When  be going to  and� will  are used to make predictions, they mean the same.

  • He thinks his son's team� will  win the match.
  • He thinks his son's team� is going to  win the match.
  1. Be going to  and� will  are used to describe future situations or actions, and they often convey the same meaning.

Examples:

  • My son� is going to  be ten next month. �
  • My son� will  be ten next month. �
  • We� are going to  leave as soon as he arrives.
  • We� will  leave as soon as he arrives.
  • We� are going to  get something at the corner shop when it stops raining.
  • We� will  get something at the corner shop when it stops raining.
  1. When the speaker is absolutely sure about something, he can use� will  or� be going to .

Examples:

  • I� will  be at the meeting tomorrow.
  • I� am going to  be at the meeting tomorrow.
  • I� will  probably be at the meeting tomorrow.
  • I� am  probably� going to  be at the meeting tomorrow.
  1. Sometimes  be going to  and� will  express different meanings. Be going to  is used to indicate a plan made before the time of speaking while� will  expresses a decision made at the time of speaking.

Examples:

  • Better : It is getting late. We� will  leave now.
    (The speaker decides to leave the moment he realizes it is getting late -� a sudden decision .)
  • Instead of : It is getting late. We are going to leave now.
    (This sounds like you are making a plan to leave now.)
  1. When a decision or plan is made for the distant future,� will  is usually used, while� going to  is usually used when a plan is made for the near future.

Examples:

  • She� will  get married in� two years .
  • We� are going to  get married� next month .
  1. We use� be going to  when there is an intention to do something and� will  for additional information.

Examples:

  • It's their twentieth wedding anniversary. They are going to have a celebratory party.

( NOT : They will have a celebratory party.) They will invite about a dozen close friends. The friends will include two politicians.

  1. Be to

Be to (= is to/are to) + base form of main verb.

  1. Be to refers to an action that is to take place in the future, such as an obligation , arrangement, information, duty, instruction . However, other forms of usage are possible.

Examples:

  • You� are to  hand this packet over to him before noon. ( Obligation )
  • The Prime Minister� is to  meet his successor tomorrow. ( Arrangement )
  • The museum� is to  be closed for renovation. ( Information )
  • The General Manager  is to  present the report to the board on Monday. ( Duty )
  • You� are not to  answer any questions from any one of the reporters. ( Instruction )
  1. Be about to

Be about to + base form of main verb

  1. Be about to  is used for an action or event that will happen very soon.�

Examples:

  • Everyone sits down when the film� is about to  start.
  • I have never stolen anything in my life, and I� am not about to  start now.
  • We walked quickly home when it� was about to  rain.
  • The audience fell silent when the President� was about to  appear.
  • When a plane is moved to the end of a runway, it usually means it� is about to  take off.
  1. When� be about to  is used with� just , it� emphasizes  that something was about to happen in the past when it was interrupted by something else, also in the past.

Examples:

  • I� was just about to  eat my dinner when the phone rang.
  • The workers� were just about to  leave their workplace when the fire started.
  1. Simple present tense
  1. The� simple present tense  is used for the future when we refer to something that has been� scheduled  or� arranged  to happen at a particular time such as a� timetable .

Examples:

  • The first flight to Rome  leaves  at 6 a.m.
  • The train for Birmingham departs  from platform 3.
  • The special sales offer� ends  on August 31.
  • The new airport� opens  on Christmas Eve.
  • The public exhibition of a collection of his paintings� closes  in a week.

*Simple present tense and present continuous tense

Both the simple present and the present continuous tenses can be used to refer to the future.

Examples:

  • They� have  a barbecue for the whole family on Sunday.
    (The simple present tense indicates the barbecue occurs every Sunday.)
  • They� are having  a barbecue for the whole family on Sunday.
    (The present continuous tense indicates a barbecue next Sunday; perhaps, not every Sunday.)
  1. Present continuous tense
  1. The present continuous tense is used for future arrangements.

Examples:

  • I� am having  a poker game with them at seven o'clock.
  • She  is flying  to London tomorrow morning.
  • John  is leaving  the company next week after 15 years' service.
  • We� are visiting  the Niagara Falls in three weeks.
  • My brother  is writing  another religious book next month.
  1. The present continuous tense is used in questions about future plans.

Examples:

  • When� is  your family� leaving  for Antarctica?
  • Are  you� starting  your pottery class this weekend?What are you doing this weekend?

*Present continuous and be going to

Present continuous   tense and be going to can have the same meaning as used here to describe actions that are planned or arranged for the future prior to the time of speaking. Will is not used here.

Examples:

  • I� am going to � watch  my favorite TV program this evening.
  • I� am watching  my favorite TV program this evening.
  • He� is going to attend  a seminar tomorrow.
  • He� is attending  a seminar tomorrow.

*Not be going to with go

It is incorrect to construct a sentence with� be going to  with the verb� go . Use the present continuous tense instead as it is correctly and more commonly used.

Examples:

  • No : They are going to go  fishing this weekend.
  • Yes : They� are going  fishing this weekend.�   �