Moulay Ismail University

School of Arts and Humanities,

French Studies
Course: Langue 2 - Semester 2
Teachers: Ms. Ouidad Infi (GRs. 1, 2, 3, 4) ; Ms. Soukaina Oulaich (GRs. 5, 6, 7, 8)

Lesson 1: The Simple Future

Outline:
I. Uses of the future
II. Forms of the future
III. Exercises

I. Uses of the future

We use the simple future tense for actions that will happen in the future. How we use it
depends on how we view the events are going to happen.

There are different ways to express the future in English:

 Will
 Be going to
 Be to
 Be about to
 Simple Present
 Present Continuous

This lesson will mainly focus on how to use ‘will’ and ‘be going to’.

Before learning about how to use both ways to express the future, let’s first know the usages
of each one:

 Will is used:
 To make a prediction (i.e. when we think or believe something about the future). Ex: - The
rain will stop soon. / It will be a nice day tomorrow.

NOTE! Both ‘will’ and ‘be going to’ can be used to make predictions

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 To express willingness to do something in the future. Ex: - I will help you clean your room.
 To make offers, promises or threats. Ex: - I’ll be there for you. Don’t worry!
 To make a sudden decision at the moment of speaking. Ex: - There’s noise outside. I will
just go and check.
 To give commands or orders.
- Will you be quiet, please!
Ex:
- You will wear it whether you like it or not.

 Be going to is used:
 To express intention or decision already made to do or not to do something prior to the
time of speaking.
Ex: - We are going to move to a new neighborhood next month.
- We are going to paint the bedroom tomorrow.
 To express something that is about to happen.
Ex: - Get back! The bomb is going to explode.

 To predict an outcome based on a current situation (present evidence).

Ex: - It’s 8:30! You’re going to miss the train.
- I don’t feel well. I think I’m going to throw up.

II. Forms of the future

 The table shows the use of ‘will’ to form the simple future with the verb to play.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative

Interrogative
I will play I will not play Will I play? Will I not play?
You will play You will not play Will you play? Will you not play?
He will play He will not play Will he play? Will he not play?
She will play She will not play Will she play? Will she not play?
It will play It will not play Will it play? Will it not play?
We will play We will not play Will we play? Will we not play?
They will play They will not play Will they play? Will they not play?

 The affirmative form of the auxiliary ‘will’ is often contracted to ’ll :

o I will play → I’ll play
Ex : o She will drive → She’ll drive
o They will study → They’ll study

Remark! Contraction of ‘will’ is not to be used in two cases:

1. With noun phrases or nouns:
Ex: Salma’ll go to the supermarket. / Salma’s brother’ll go to the supermarket.

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 It’s better to say: She’ll go to the supermarket. / He’ll go to the supermarket.
2. It should not be used in a short answer.
Ex: A: But you’ll have to be quick! Everyone will be after it, won’t they?
B: Yeah, they will.
(NOT: Yeah, they’ll) X WRONG

 The negative form of the auxiliary ‘will’ is often contracted to ‘won’t’:

Ex : Negative form Negative Interrogative form

o I will not play → I won’t play o Will I not play? → Won’t I play?
o She will not drive → She won’t drive o Will she not drive? → Won’t she drive?
o They will not study → They won’t o Will they not study? → Won’t they
study study?

Remember! There’s no change in the meaning of the sentence whether you use contraction or
not. Still, keep them in mind because they are mostly used in the spoken form.

 The table shows the use of ‘be going to’ to form the simple future with the verb to play.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative

Interrogative
I am going to play I am not going to Am I going to play? Am I not going to
play play?
You are going to You are not going to Are you going to Are you not going to
play play play? play?
He is going to play He is not going to Is he going to play? Is he not going to
play play?
She is going to play She is not going to Is she going to play? Is she not going to
play play?
It is going to play It is not going to play Is it going to play? Is it not going to
play?
We are going to play We are not going to Are we going to Are we not going to
play play? play?
They are going to They are not going to Are they going to Are they not going to
play play play? play?

Remember how we learnt to conjugate the verb ‘to be’ to the present tense:

To be To be (Contracted form)
I am I’m
You are You’re
He is He’s
She is She’s
It is It’s
We are We’re
They are They’re

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So, we simply take the verb ‘to be’ in the present tense and add going to according to the
pronoun that we have. [Subject + be + going to + base form]

Ex: She is going to eat – They are going to travel

 In this case, contraction takes place with the verb ‘to be’:
o I am going to buy. → I’m going to buy.
o She is going to eat. → She’s going to eat.
o They are going to travel. → They’re going to travel.

III. Exercises

1. Put the verbs in brackets in the future tense. Use the will-future.

a. His parents _____________ him for being late. (to punish)

b. ___________ you ___________ me? (to help)
c. When ________ I _________ you again? (to see)
d. It _____________ us three hours to get there. (to take)
e. This van ___________________ with 8 people in it. (not / to break down)
f. __________ this concert _________ money for our school club? (to raise)
g. ____________ they _________ the contract tonight? (not/ to sign)
h. When ________ she ________ me a copy of her essay? (to send)
i. My friends ___________________ in a city. (not / to live)
j. I hope I ________________ the train to Marrakesh. (not/ to miss)

2. Put the verbs in brackets in the future tense. Use the ‘be going to-future’.

a. He _______________ his friend. (to phone)

b. We _________________ a new computer game. (to play)
c. My sister _________________ TV. (not/ to watch)
d. You _______________ a picnic next Tuesday. (to have)
e. ________ she __________________ her aunt? (to visit)
f. His brother ______________ a letter to his uncle today. (to write)
g. ________ you _____________ homework after school? (not / to do)
h. Salma and Samir ______________ their friends. (to meet)
i. ______ he ___________ on the red button? (to click)
j. They _______________________ dinner. (not / to prepare)

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 ANSWERS

Exercise 1:

a. His parents will punish him for being late. (to punish)
b. Will you help me? (to help)
c. When will I see you again? (to see)
d. It will take us three hours to get there. (to take)
e. This van will not break down with 8 people in it. (not / to break down)
f. Will this concert raise money for our school club? (to raise)
g. Won’t they sign the contract tonight? (not/ to sign)
h. When will she send me a copy of her essay? (to send)
i. My friends will not / won’t live in a city. (not / to live)
j. I hope I will not miss the train to Marrakesh. (not/ to miss)

Exercise 2:

a. He is going to phone his friend. (to phone)

b. We are going to play a new computer game. (to play)
c. My sister is not going to watch TV. (not/ to watch)
d. You are going to have a picnic next Tuesday. (to have)
e. Is she going to visit her aunt? (to visit)
f. His brother is going to write a letter to his uncle today. (to write)
g. Are you not going to do homework after school? (not / to do)
h. Salma and Samir are going to meet their friends. (to meet)
i. Is he going to click on the red button? (to click)
j. They are not going to prepare dinner. (not / to prepare)

If you need any help or clarification, please contact us:

Contact information:
 Ms. Ouidad Infi : ouiddad_infi@yahoo.com
 Ms. Soukaina Oulaich : osoukaina38@gmail.com