There are many ways to talk about future actions and events in English, some forms are very similar and can be used interchangeably, meaning it doesn’t really matter which you use. This section will cover the main future forms, and their similarities, including:
- Will/ Won’t (sometimes referred to ‘future simple’)
- (be) going to
- Present Continuous
- Present Simple
We will also briefly review some other ways we speak about the future, including:
- Modal Verbs
- Future Perfect
- Future Continuous
The table below outlines the main future forms above (1-4) and is followed by some notes on each form. In particular, contractions and similarities between the tenses.
See below for a brief overview of other ways (a-d) to talk about the future. Future Perfect and Future Continuous are very uncommon in every day speech but every other form is a crucial part of b1/ b2 level.
1. Will/ Won’t + verb
Will/ Won’t is often referred to as the ‘Future Simple’ tense. However, it is not really a tense, it is a modal verb and follows other rules of modal verbs such as the passive tense, infinitive forms etc.
Won’t is used instead of ‘will not’, we only use will not in very formal settings, announcements etc, or to show emphasis, perhaps when we deny something or disagree with someone. See the examples below:
- I won’t be able to come to the party. (General Future statement)
- We won’t get this finished in time. (Prediction)
- Staff will not be allowed to enter the building until 9 a.m. (Official announcement)
- A: “You will just do it wrong.” B. “I will not!” (Disagreeing)
Will and Won’t are generally the first future form that students learn and as they develop their language skills they need to understand the differences between the tenses and how they are used.
In general, will is used for the decisions, offers and requests which are made during a conversation: “I’ll just get my coat before we go”
We use will in these moments because they are future actions which have not been planned, so we do not use (be) going to, or Present Continuous because these tenses are used for things which have been planned, or at least thought about before speaking.
2. (Be) Going to + verb
As you can see from the chart above, (Be) going to is very similar to will when we use it for predictions, things we think will happen in the future. Some textbooks and grammar explanations highlight that:
Will/ won’t is used for general predictions without much evidence.
I think it’ll rain later. Most people think he’ll win the tournament
(Be) going to is used when we have some evidence.
It’s going to rain soon Most people think he’s going to win the tournament
However, in reality there is very little or no difference between these tenses when making predictions. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose if you are making a prediction. But, BE CAREFUL with the form of (be) – when it is written like this (be) – it means the form changes depending on the subject – just like Present Simple.
3. Present Continuous (be) + verb-ing
The Present Continuous is so common as a future tense! It is sometimes referred to as ‘Diary’ Future, because we use it for plans which have already been made.
For example, we might have said to a friend where and when we will meet them, we may have bought concert, plane or train tickets for something, or it might be work, sport, or routine ….. something which is ‘in our diary’ as a future plan. For example:
A. “Hey Mike, what are you doing after work? I’m meeting John for a beer if you want to join us?”
B. Oh sorry, I can’t, Jenny and I are going to her parents’ house for the weekend, so I’m taking the bus straight after work.
In these examples we have three examples of future plans: a meeting between friends, a weekend travel plan, and a simple transport plan of ‘taking the bus’, after work.
What we can also see is the when we ask people about their upcoming plans, we also tend to use Present Continuous, perhaps because we assume they have some plans.
Finally, we can also not that contractions are very common with the subject and the verb (be), we don’t have to contract, but generally do.
4. Present Simple
The final ‘common’ tense we use for the future is Present Simple, which could be described as ‘Timetable’ Future, because it describes things which start and end depending on a timetable or schedule. Transport, movies, sports and other events are described in Present Simple terms. For example:
The meeting starts at 3:30, don’t be late.
My plane lands at 7:30 so I will call you around 8 p.m.
The match doesn’t kick off until 6, so we have lots of time.
We better hurry, the movie starts in 15 minutes!
An important point to remember for this tense is that we are generally using third person singular (it) because we are talking about things such as meetings, flights, movies and sports events. So, we must remember to add the ‘s’ or use ‘doesn’t’ for negatives and ‘does’ for questions. This is the most common error when using Present Simple.
A final point to consider, and something which students have asked me before is …… why can’t we use Present Continuous, if it something which is definitely happening in the future? That is a great question, and indeed we can use Present Continuous and it wouldn’t sound strange, for example:
The meeting is starting at 3:30
My plane is landing at 7:30
The match isn’t kicking off until 6.
In my opinion, these sentences are not incorrect and following the rule of definite future plans, they don’t sound strange and would not be thought of as ‘errors’ to native speakers.
HOWEVER! ……. As with many things in English, we ‘just do’ use the Present Simple for timetabled events and things which follow schedules, sorry!|
Downloadable Exercises
Other ways we talk about Future events – Modal verbs, Future Perfect and Future Continuous
Modal Verbs – see the Modal Verbs sections for more information.
Instead of using one of the four particular tenses discussed, we can also use modal verb to talk about ability, possibility, probability and speculation of future events. To do this, we can use different modal verbs which also have those functions in the present or past, including:
A. Can/ can’t – Ability
We use can to talk about ability. So, if we cannot do something in the future, we use can to describe this. We also use it for requests, which may also refer to the future. For example:
I’m sorry, I can’t come to your wedding, I have a holiday booked.
I can help you with the gardening tomorrow if you like.
Can you bring this to the office tomorrow?
B. Might/ Could/ May – Possibility/ Speculation
We often talk about possible future situations, things which we are not 100% sure about and to do this we use might, could and may. There is not real difference between which verb you use, but may is considered a little more formal.
For example:
It might rain later so let’s bring an umbrella.
I could be home from work early today.
The meeting may not happen tomorrow as planned.
NOTE – WE ALSO USE SHOULD, BUT ONLY FOR THINGS WHICH ARE BASED ON A GENERAL ROUTINE, THINGS WHICH USUALLY HAPPEN SO WE EXPECT THEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN. OR WHEN WE ARE USING LOGIC OR EVIDENCE FOR OUR PREDICTION.
For example:
John should be home in an hour.
The train arrives at 5p.m, so we should be there soon.
We should have enough money left over to buy new furniture.
C. Have to/ must – obligations
Finally, when we have an obligation in the future (something we must do), then we use have to and must to describe this. I recommend not using must at all, it is only for very formal situations and writing, we do not use it in everyday speech, it would sound strange/ incorrect.
For Example:
I have to attend a training course this weekend.
John has to bring his mother to the hospital for treatment tomorrow.
Everybody has to stay and work an extra hour on Thursday.
Remember – the most common mistake with modal verbs is using to before the main verb, we only do this with have to/ had to …….
We should to arrive in 20 minutes. We might to bring an umbrella.
Modal verbs are also discussed individually, see the Modal Verbs section for more information.
- Future Perfect and Future Continuous are also used to discuss the future, these tenses are discussed in the b1/b2 section.