Simple Future

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Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two
forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings.
These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the
differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will
[will + verb]

Examples:
 You will help him later.
 Will you help him later?
 You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To
[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Examples:
 You are going to meet Jane tonight.
 Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
 You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

Complete List of Simple Future Forms

Simple Future Forms

Using "Be Going to"

Positive Negative Question

 I am going to  I am not going to  Am I going to leave?

leave. leave.  Are you going to
 You are going to  You are not going to leave?
leave. leave.  Are we going to
 We are going to  We are not going to leave?
leave. leave.  Are they going to
 They are going to  They are not going to leave?
leave. leave.  Is he going to leave?
 He is going to  He is not going to  Is she going to leave?
leave. leave.  Is it going to leave?
 She is going to  She is not going to
leave. leave.
 It is going to  It is not going to
leave. leave.

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Using "Will"

Positive Negative Question

 I will help.  I will not help.  Will I help?

 You will  You will not  Will you help?
help. help.  Will we help?
 We will help.  We will not  Will they help?
 They will help.  Will he help?
help.  They will not  Will she help?
 He will help. help.  Will it help?
 She will help.  He will not
 It will help. help.
 She will not
help.
 It will not help.

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the
speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's
complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or
volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to
voluntarily do something.

Examples:
 I will send you the information when I get it.
 I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
 Will you help me move this heavy table?
 Will you make dinner?
 I will not do your homework for you.
 I won't do all the housework myself!

 A: I'm really hungry.

B: I'll make some sandwiches.

 A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.

B: I'll get you some coffee.

 A: The phone is ringing.

B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise

"Will" is usually used in promises.

Examples:
 I will call you when I arrive.

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  If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to
inexpensive health insurance.
 I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
 Don't worry, I'll be careful.
 I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do
something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.

Examples:
 He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
 She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
 A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
 I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
 Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
 They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
 Who are you going to invite to the party?
 A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future.
Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the
subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the
following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:
 The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
 The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
 John Smith will be the next President.
 John Smith is going to be the next President.
 The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
 The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

IMPORTANT
In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is
more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time
expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of
Simple Future, Simple Present is used.

Examples:
 When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
 When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct
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ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever,
still, just, etc.

Examples:
 You will never help him.
 Will you ever help him?
 You are never going to meet Jane.
 Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
 John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. ACTIVE
 The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. PASSIVE
 Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. ACTIVE
 A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. PASSIVE

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 FUTURE – GOING TO —> PLANS
http://www.inglestotal.com/going-to/

Syntax:
Subject + to be + going to + infinitive
Use:
We use the future with “GOING TO” to talk about plans

POSITIVE FORM
Subject Verb To be Going to Infinitive
I Am dance
He / She / It Is Going to Study
We / You / They Are Go shopping
– Maria’s going to travel this holiday.
– They’re going to go to a very expensive restaurant.
– I’m going to come home late.

NEGATIVE FORM
Subject Verb To be + not Going to Infinitive
I Am not Clean
He / She / It Is not (isn’t) Going to Cook
We / You / They Are not (aren’t) travel
– I’m not going to go to the party.
– Juan isn’t going to work today.
– They aren’t going to stay at that hotel.

QUESTION FORM
Question Word Verb To Be Subject Going to Infinitive
What Am not I Do
Where Is not (isn’t) He / She / It Going to Go
—————– Are not (aren’t) We / You / They travel
– What are you going to do later?
– What is she going to cook?
– Are they going to attend the meeting?
– Where is Maria going to study?
Short answers are with the to be verb
- Yes, I am – Yes, you are – No, he isn’t – No, they aren’t etc.

Errores típicos
No use do/does (questions) & el don’t y doesn’t (negatives). Not used because we use the verb to
be.
- INCORRECTO: I don’t going to study. CORRECTO: I‘m not going to study.
- INCORRECTO: Where do you going to go? CORRECTO: Where are you going to go?
- INCORRECTO: Juan going to buy beer. CORRECTO: Juan is going to buy beer.
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 Present Forms for the Future
http://englishgrammarsecrets.com/index.html
We use the present continuous to talk about things that we have already arranged to do in the
future.
 I've got my ticket. I'm leaving on Thursday.
 I'm seeing Julie at 5 and then I'm having dinner with Simon.
 He's picking me up at the airport.
 The company is giving everyone a bonus for Christmas.

In many situations when we talk about future plans we can use either the present continuous or
the 'going to' future. However, when we use the present continuous, there is more of a suggestion
that an arrangement has already been made.
 I'm going to see him./I'm seeing him.
 I'm going to do it./I'm doing it.

We use the present simple to talk about events in the future which are 'timetabled'. We can also
use the present continuous to talk about these.
 My plane leaves at 6 in the morning.
 The shop opens at 9.30.
 The sun rises a minute earlier tomorrow.
 My plane is leaving at 8.30.
 The shop is closing at 7.00.
 The sun is rising at 6.32 tomorrow.

Going to
There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most
often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.
We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.
 I'm going to see him later today.
 They're going to launch it next month.
 We're going to have lunch first.
 She's going to see what she can do.
 I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.
 When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
 In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.
 Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
 Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
 These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
 You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

 I'm going out later.
 She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

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 Will
Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes
when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not
talking about the future.
We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.
 The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
 Next year, I'll be 50.
 That plane will be late. It always is.
 There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.
 I'll probably come back later.
 He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
 Maybe it will be OK.
 Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

 I think I'll go to bed now.
 I think she'll do well in the job.
 I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
 I hope you won't make too much noise.
We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our
head.
 Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
 I'll answer that.
 I'll go.
 I won't tell him. I promise.
Could
'Could' is used to talk about theoretical possibility and is similar in meaning to 'might'.
 It could rain later. Take an umbrella.
 He could be there by now.
 Could he be any happier?
 It could be Sarah's.
May
We use 'may' to suggest something is possible
 It may rain later today.
 I may not have time to do it today.
 Pete may come with us
Might
We use 'might' to suggest a small possibility of something. Often we read that 'might' suggests a
smaller possibility that 'may', there is in fact little difference and 'might is more usual than 'may'
in spoken English.
 She might be at home by now but it's not sure at all.
 It might rain this afternoon.
 I might not have time to go to the shops for you.
 I might not go.

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 Degrees of Certainty – Present and Future
CERTAIN ALMOST CERTAIN UNCERTAIN

The modal will expresses a Must expresses that the May,

person's attitude toward the speaker might, and could express
factuality  of a situation, the is near certain. Cannot and uncertain opinion, a guess based
likelihood that a situation is true or could not (neg.) also express on very little
false. The person infers thisfrom near certainty. information. Might is considered
known details. Will expresses that slightly less certain than may by
the speaker is certain. some speakers.
MODAL    
Polar bears are starving.  (dying of Polar bears must be starving. Polar bears may be starving.
hunger) Polar bears might be starving.
Polar bears will starve. Polar bears could be starving.
Polar bears are going to starve
NEGATIVE MODAL   DOUBT
Polar bears won't starve.  Polar bears must not be Polar bears may/ might not be
starving. starving.
Polar bears can't / couldn't be
starving.
CLAUSE    
I am sure that polar bears are It is likely that polar bears are It is possible that polar bears are
starving. starving. starving.
I am certain that polar bears are It is probable that polar Polar bears will possibly starve.
starving. bears are starving.
It is doubtful that polar
bears are starving.  

clue (n.) – information that helps you understand the reasons why something happens
factual (adj.) – something based on fact, something known to be true
factuality (n.) – the degree to which one can accept something as fact, true; based on facts; also
called epistemic (Huddleston 178)
infer (v.) – to form an opinion that something is probably true because of information that you have
inference (n.) – an opinion that is formed on details or knowledge that you have
likelihood (n.) – possibility, probability; whether something true or false
speculation (n.) – a guess about the possible causes or effects of something, without knowing all the facts or details
starve (v.) to die of hunger;  starving (adj.) or (participle); starvation (n.) – suffering or death caused by not
enough food.
You may be right. (low certainty) / You might be right  (lower certainty) The past modal form expresses
"remoteness". (Huddleston3 §9.8.3.b) Grammar Notes