EXPRESSING FUTURITY

Apart from the Future tenses studied before, we can express futurity by using the following tenses:

1. Present Continuous
- a planned action, a fixed arrangement:
We are visiting our neighbours tomorrow.
- a future action with verbs of movement (to go, to arrive, to leave, to come etc.)
My cousin is leaving in the afternoon.
!!! Difference between going to and Present continuous
We use be going to to talk about things that we plan to do in the future, but have not yet arranged to do:
We are going to buy a new car soon. (We don’t know when yet.)

2. Present Simple
- in conditional clauses:
She will catch the train if she takes a taxi.
- in time clauses:
You will like the picture when you see it.
- actions that are part of an officially settled programme/timetable:
Our plane leaves at 10 o’clock.
!!! We use will (not the Present Simple) for decisions we make at the time of speaking, or for offers and
promises:
Wait, I’ll come with you. (Not I come with you.)
I’ll meet you at the cinema. (Not I meet you at the cinema.)

3. Present Perfect
- in a time clause, to express an action that will take place before another future action:
The children will play in the garden after they have finished their homework.

4. Past Tense
- to express a future action, in a time clause, simultaneous with another action expressed by a Future-
in-the-Past:
I was sure they would like this book when they understood it.

5. Past Perfect
- in a time clause, to express an action that will take place before another action expressed by a Future-
in-the-Past:
My friend explained to his parents that he would go on a trip abroad after he had passed his exams.

6. To be to
Expresses:
- Something that is destined to happen:
The famous tennis player began the match in which he was to break his arm.
- An official plan or arrangement:
The president was to arrive at 10 o’clock.
- The will of a person, different from the speaker’s:
This bad news is to be given to him after his exam.
- Duty:
What exercises are we to do?
- Possibility, probability:
Prices are to be much higher soon.
- Instructions:
You are to be there no later than eight o’clock.

*Be due+ to+ infinitive

- is used to talk about events that we expect to take place at a fixed time (e.g. with timetables)
The bus is due to arrive any minute.

7. To be about to
- to express something that will happen in the immediate future:
Our guests are about to leave.
I am about to go to the seaside.

8. Verbs that refer to the future: plan/ hope/ intend + to-infinitive:

The company plans to build a new supermarket.
I hope to study law next year.