FUTURE  SIMPLE  

There  are  two  different  forms  of  Simple  Future  in  English:  "will"  and  "be  going  to."    
The  two  forms  can  sometimes  be  used  interchangeably;  they  often  express  two  very  different  
meanings,  though  they  may  seem  abstract  at  first.  
Both  "will"  and  "be  going  to"  refer  to  a  specific  time  in  the  future.  
 
 
  X
  Past   Present   Future  

 
 
 
 
 

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 1. FORM  
 WILL    
Will  +  verb  infinitive  

Affirmative  sentences:    
I/we/you/they  will  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it  will  visit  Australia.  
Short  forms  are  often  used:  
I/we/you/they’ll  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it’ll  visit  Australia.  
Negative  sentences:    
I/we/you/they  will  not  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it  will  not  visit  Australia.  
Short  forms  are  often  used:  
I/we/you/they  won’t  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it  won’t  visit  Australia.  
OR  
I/we/you/they’ll  not  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it’ll  not  visit  Australia.  
Questions:    
Will  I/we/you/they  visit  Australia?  
Will  he/she/it  visit  Australia?  

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 BE  GOING  TO  
Am/Is/Are  +  going  to  +  verb  infinitive  
Use  am  with  I,  is  with  he,  she,  it  and  are  with  we,  you,  they.  

Affirmative  sentences:    
I  am  going  to  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it  is  going  to  visit  Australia.  
We/you/they  are  going  to  visit  Australia.  
Short  forms  are  often  used:  
I’m  going  to  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it‘s  going  to  visit  Australia.  
We/you/they’re  going  to  visit  Australia.  
Negative  sentences:    
I  am  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it  is  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
We/you/they  are  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
Short  forms  are  often  used:  
I’m  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
He/she/it‘s  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
We/you/they’re  not  going  to  visit  Australia.  
 

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Questions:  
For  going  to-­‐future  put  the  auxiliary  (am,  are  or  is)  before  the  subject  (Auxiliary  -­‐  Subject  -­‐  
going  to  –  Verb...).  
Am  I  going  to  visit  Australia?  
Is  he/she/it  going  to  visit  Australia?  
Are  we/you/they  going  to  visit  Australia?  
 

 
 

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 2. USE  
-­‐ "Will"  for  a  Voluntary  Action  

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

Examples:    
Will  you  help  me  cook  for  the  party  on  Saturday?  
We  will  translate  the  user  manual  into  Italian  for  this  client.  
He  will  send  the  information  for  you  to  read  in  the  morning.  
Your  sister  will  not  do  your  homework  for  you!  Will  you  do  it  yourself?  
A:  I'm  really  tired.  
B:  I'll  clean  the  dishes,  you  go  sit  down.  
A:  There  is  someone  at  the  door  
B:  I'll  get  it.  

 
 
 

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 -­‐ "Will"  to  Express  a  Promise  
It  is  common  to  use  "Will"  to  express  promises.  
 
Examples:  
I  will  let  you  know  when  I  land  in  Paris.  
When  I  am  older  I  will  look  after  my  parents  if  they  ever  need  anything.  
They  will  make  sure  employees  are  all  treated  fairly.  
He  will  not  be  pleased  to  see  this  mess  when  he  comes  home.  
We  will  not  say  a  word  about  this  to  anyone.  

-­‐ "Be  going  to"  to  Express  a  Plan  

When  something  is  planned  use  "Be  going  to".  It  expresses  the  intention  to  do  something  in  
the  future.  It  does  not  matter  whether  the  plan  is  realistic  or  not.  

Examples:    
They  are  going  to  travel  to  Tunisia  in  the  summer.  
She  is  going  to  invite  all  her  friends  to  celebrate  her  birthday.  
Are  you  going  to  visit  your  grandmother  at  the  weekend?  
We  are  not  going  to  attend  this  event  again!  
He  is  going  to  start  university  in  September.  
I  am  going  to  prepare  dinner.  
 
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 -­‐ "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.    
There  is  no  difference  in  meaning  whether  you  choose  one  over  the  other.  

Examples:  
The  managing  director  will  be  visiting  our  office  next  week.  
The  managing  director  is  going  to  be  visiting  our  office  next  week.  

The  world  cup  in  2014  will  be  a  very  interesting  event.  
The  world  cup  in  2014  is  going  to  be  a  very  interesting  event.  

3. SIGNAL  WORDS    

There  are  no  "clear"  signal  words  for  the  will-­‐future.  Words  such  as  “next  week”  or  "later"  only  
indicate  that  a  future  form  is  used.  Think  of  the  type  of  action  in  the  sentence.  Then  decide  
which  future  form  to  use.  

 
 

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 4. IMPORTANT  
When  using  the  Simple  Future,  it  is  not  always  clear  which  particular  use  the  speaker  has  in  
mind.    
Often,  there  is  more  than  one  way  to  interpret  a  sentence's  meaning!  

Simple  Future  cannot  be  used  in  clauses  beginning  with  time  expressions  such  as:  before,  after,  
when,  while,  as  soon  as,  if,  by  the  time...  In  these  cases  use  Simple  Present.  

Examples:  
It  is  not  correct  to  say:  As  soon  as  they  will  arrive  later  on,  we  will  head  out.  
It  is  correct  to  say:  As  soon  as  they  arrive  tonight,  we  will  head  out.  
 

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