FORMS AND TENSES OF THE MODERN FUTURE

A. FUTURE SIMPLE

Form:
Affirmative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the Short Infinitive of the verb
I (we) shall/will pay I’ll (we’ll) pay
You (he, she, it, they) will pay You’ll (he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, they’ll) pay

Negative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will are followed by the negation not and the Short Infinitive of the verb.
I (we) shall/will not pay I (we) shan’t/won’t pay
You (he, she, it, they) will not pay You (he, she, it, they) won’t pay

Interrogative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the subject and the Short Infinitive of the verb.
Shall/will I (we) pay? Shall/will I (we) not pay?
Shan’t/won’t I (we) pay?
Will you (he, she, it, they) pay? Will you (he, she, it, they) not pay?
Won’t you (he, she, it, they) pay?

SHALL can show:

a) determination or resolution:
I shall help you with this problem no matter the consequences.
You shall not say a word until you are allowed to.
b) promise:
If you finish your homework you shall get a cake as a reward.
c) refusal:
If you don’t hand in the paper by tomorrow you shall not be allowed to sit for the
final exam.
As you haven’t taken care of the borrowed book you shan’t get another one.
d) threat:
If don’t you do it you shall be punished for that.

WILL can show:

a) willingness or determination:
I will give you the money that you need.
b) promise:
I won’t make this mistake again.
c) possibility or assumption:
Somebody is ringing the bell; it will Tom.
d) estimation of capacity:
This bag will not hold more than 5 kilos.
 e) something unavoidable or that recurs very often:
Boys will be boys.
Seldom she will look out of the window for hours waiting for him to come back
home.
f) volition:
If you will come with us, we shall be very grateful to you.
g) refusal:
I won’t do it!

Uses:
1) it expresses a neutral future event, a prediction about the future.
I shall go to a party next week.
We’ll see a good film tonight.

2) a future action in the main clause of conditional sentences (type I).

If she finishes her work earlier, she will go out.
If the rain stops, I’ll go for a walk.

B. FUTURE CONTINUOUS
Form:
Affirmative Form:
the auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the Short Infinitive of the verb to be and the verb with
the ending –ing.
I (we) shall/will be reading I’ll (we’ll) be reading
you (he, she, it, they) will be reading
you’ll (he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, they’ll) be reading

Negative Form:
the auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the negation not, the Short Infinitive of the verb to be
and the verb with the ending –ing.
I (we) shall/will not be reading
you (he, she, it, they) will not be reading

I (we) shan’t/won’t be reading

you (he, she, it, they) won’t be reading

Interrogative Form:
the auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the subject, the Short Infinitive of the verb to be and the
verb with the ending –ing.
Shall/will I (we) be playing…?
Shan’t/won’t I (we) be playing…?

Will you (he, she, it, they) be saying…?

Won’t you (they, he, she, it) be saying…?

Uses:
 1) it expresses a future activity going on at a certain moment in the future; markers: at 10
o’clock tomorrow, this time tomorrow, this time next week (month, year)
I’ll be travelling to London this time next Friday.
At 10 o’clock tomorrow you’ll be sitting for the final exam.

2) an activity/state which will extend over a whole future period.

The gardener will be working in the garden all day long.

3) future events that are planned.

Lucy and Mark will be spending their honeymoon in Hawaii.

C. FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE

Form:
Affirmative Form:
the auxiliary verbs shall/will and the Short Infinitive of the verb to have followed by the Past
Participle of the main verb.
I (we) shall/will have talked I’ll (we’ll) have talked
you (he, she, it, they) will have talked
you’ll (he’ll, she’ll, it’ll, they’ll) have talked

Negative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will is followed by the negation not then by the Short Infinitive of the
verb to have and the Past Participle of the main verb.
I (we) shall/will not have talked
I (we) shan’t/won’t have talked

you (he, she, it, they) will not have talked

you (he, she, it, they) won’t have talked

Interrogative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will is followed by the subject then by the Short Infinitive of the verb to
have and by the Past Participle of the main verb.
Shall/will I (we) have talked…? Shall/will I (we) not have talked…?
Shan’t/won’t I (we) have talked…?
Will you (he, she, it, they) have talked…?
Will you (he, she, it, they) not have talked…?
Won’t you (he, she, it, they) have talked…?

Uses:
1) it expresses an action which will be finished before a certain moment or another action in
the future; markers: by that time, by Sunday (next week, next month), by the end of the
spring.
I shall have written my paper by next week.
2) the duration up to a certain time in the future.
Next month I shall have worked in this plant for three years.
3) possibility or assumption.
 If he has arrived he will have called us.

D. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form:
Affirmative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the Perfect Infinitive of the auxiliary verb to be and the
verb with the ending –ing.
I (we) shall/will have been waiting
you (he, she, it, they) will have been waiting

Negative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the negation not then by the Perfect Infinitive of the
auxiliary verb to be and the verb with the ending –ing.
I (we) shall/will not have been waiting
I (we) shan’t/won’t have been waiting

you (he, she, it, they) will not have been waiting
you (he, she, it, they) won’t have been waiting

Interrogative Form:
The auxiliary verbs shall/will followed by the subject then by the Perfect Infinitive of the auxiliary
verb to be and the verb with the ending –ing.
Shall/will I (we) have been playing...?
Shall/will I (we) not have been playing...?
Shan’t/won’t I (we) have been playing...?

Will you (he, she, it, they) have been playing...?

Will you (he, she, it, they) not have been playing...?
Won’t you (he, she, it, they) have been playing...?

Uses:
- it expresses the duration of an action up to a certain moment in the future.
At 10 o’clock he will have been sleeping for 12 hours.