THE FUTURE

In English, there are nine different ways to talk about the future. They all have their specific uses and can usually not be interchanged.
TheFuturesimple(willfuture)

Thegoingtofuture

Thepresentcontinuous

Thepresentsimple

Subject+will/shall+verb

Subject+formof"tobe"+goingto+verb

Subject+formof"tobe"+verb+ing

Subject+presenttenseofverb

Thesunwillshinetomorrow.

Sheisgoingtostudyafterschool.

WearehavinglunchtogetheronFriday.

Thetrainleavesatseven.

for giving information

about the future when there is

no intention, plan, arrangement,
emphasis on present certainty
or outside evidence.
We shall need the money on
the 15th.

for spontaneous reactions

and decisions made at the time
of speaking (don't use shall
here):
It's ok, I'll answer the phone.

for predictions (often after

verbs like think, expect, wonder
and hope, and after certain
adverbs like probably and
perhaps):
I don't think Laura will do very
well in her exam.
I shall be home early tonight.
for offers of help:
I'll give you a hand, if you like.

for promises:
Believe me, I'll never do it
again.

for invitations and polite

requests:
Will you come to the theatre

intentions; plans and

decisions made before the time

of speaking (not necessarily
definite arrangements):
I'm going to be an actor when I
grow up.
Oebbie and Bob are going to get
married.
predictions (often of the
near future) based on evidence in
the present; things that are
starting to happen, things we can
see coming now, or when we
want to emphasise that we are
certain now.
She's going to have a baby. (we
can see she's pregnant)
Look at the clouds! It's going to
rain.
You're not going to believe this
(we feel certain of it; "You won't
believe this" is more neutral)
Avoid the form going to + go; use
the present continuous instead.
I'm going to university next year.
(not I'm going to go to university...)

definite arrangements

between people (usually in the

near future, and often
accompanied by an expression of
time):
We're going to the cinema
tomorrow night.
What are you doing on Saturday?
Don't use the present continuous to
talk about permanent future
situations.
Don't use the present continuous to
talk about things that are outside
people's control.
Avoid the present continuous of the
verb to be to talk about the future.
I'm going to be in London next
week.

for timetables,
programmes of events and
people's official schedules:
What time does the train
leave?
The president has a
meeting at 9.30.
in adverbial clauses
introduced by time
conjunctions such as after,
before, when and until:
When you see Paul, tell
him he still owes me some
money.

with me?

for conditional ideas, e.g.

in the main clause of a first
conditional sentence:
If she passes the test, she'll go
up to the next class.

to make predictions about

the present:
"There's someone at the door"
"That will be the postman."

Thefuturecontinuous

Thefutureperfect

Thefutureperfectcontinuous

Theabouttofuture

Be+infinitive

Subject+will/shall+formof"tobe"+
verb+ing

Subject+will+perfectinfinitive

Subject + will + perfect continuous

infinitive

Subject + form of "to be" +

aboutto+infinitive

Subject+formof"tobe"+to
+infinitive

This time next week you will be

sittingonthebeach

Bythistimetomorrow,I willhave
finishedmyexam.

By this time tomorrow, I will have

beendrivingforeighthoursnonstop

Theplaneisabouttotakeoff

Thepresident istohold a
speechtomorrowafternoon

a continuous action
which will be happening at
a future point in time:
I'll be playing football on
Saturday afternoon.

To refer to future
events which are fixed or
decided, or which are
expected to happen in the
normal course of events; it
does not suggest the idea
of personal intention and
has no 'continuous'
meaning.
Professor Stevens will be
giving another lecture
next week.
You'll be hearing from us
very soon.
I shall be seeing you one
of these days, I expect.

to make polite

to talk about an

action which will be ended,

completed or achieved by
a certain time in the future;
often with a time
expression with "by".
He'll have finished his
exams by Friday next
week.
Soon we will have lived
here for eight years.
to make a prediction
about the past.
It's no use phoning. He'll
have left by now.

is used similarly to the

future perfect, but stresses
that the action is continuous
and for how long it's been
going on by a certain point
in the future:
By the end of May, we'll
have been living here for
three years.

To say that a

future event is very

close.
Don't eat these
sweets! We're about
to have lunch.
(=we're going to
have lunch very soon)

used in formal
style to talk about
plans and
arrangements,
especially when
they are official.
We are to get a 5
percent pay rise
next year.
The Prime Minister
is to address his
party at 8 o'clock
A perfect
infinitive can be
used to show that a
planned event in the
past did not happen.
The Prime Minister
was to have
addressed his party
at 8 o'clock, but his
plane was delayed

enquiries about people's

plans.
Will you be coming to the
club tonight? (more polite
than present progressive
or "going to")

due to a storm.

to make a prediction
about the present
Don't phone nowthey'll
be having lunch.

NOTE:

The idea of the 'future in the past'i.e. when we want to talk about something that lay in the future or had not yet happened at some time in the pastwe use the
same structures as we use to talk about the future, but we make the verb forms past. The same applies to future forms in reported speech.

Last time I saw him, he was going to start a new job.

In 1988 I arrived in Zurich, where I would spend the next three years.
She told him that she was going to leave him.