Present continuous Future

For future arrangements

• Mary’s studying in the library. (now)
She’s studying at Bethan’s house this evening.
(future)
• Stan’s arriving. (now) He’s just called from the airport
He’s arriving tomorrow morning about 7.30 (future)
• We’re driving to Manchester. (now)
We’re driving to Glasgow next week. (future)
• We’re doing a physics exam. (now)
We’re doing a History exam in two days. (future)
• They’re swimming in the pool. (now)
They’re swimming across the bay tomorrow. (future)
• subject + 'be' = verb-ing
• to talk about future arrangements. A future
arrangement is a plan that you have decided and
organized with another person.

• I'm spending Christmas and New Year with my

Mum and Dad.
We're meeting Susan at 3 o'clock tomorrow
afternoon.
• It is not always necessary to state who the
arrangement is with. For example, Tim says:
So what are we all doing at Christmas?
I'm popping over to Poland for a few days.
I'm looking forward to a nice cosy Christmas.

Alice and Helen understand that Tim is talking

about arrangements, even though he does not
say who the arrangements are with.
Present continuous for things which you are
about to start doing 
• English speakers often use the present
continuous tense to talk about things they are
about to start doing. This is especially
common with verbs of movement, such as go,
come, leave etc.

I'm going to bed now - goodnight.

Will you help me finish the housework? -
Sorry, I can't: I'm leaving for work now.
 Time Expressions
• Time expressions are often (but not always)
used when present continuous is used to talk
about future arrangements.

I'm working over the New Year.

They are flying to New York tomorrow morning.
So what are we all doing at Christmas?
I'm popping over to Poland for a few days.
I'm going to bed now.
 Time Expressions
• this afternoon
• tonight
• tomorrow
• tomorrow morning / afternoon/ evening / night, etc.
• next week / month/ December / year, etc.
• the day after tomorrow
• the week / month / year, etc. after next
• in ___ hours / days / weeks / months, etc.
• ___ hours / days / weeks / months, etc. from now
• in  2020 (or other year)
• on Christmas day / November 24th  (future date)
• We don’t use the present continuous when we
predict something. Instead, we use going
to or will:

• It’s going to rain again soon.

• Not: It’s raining again soon.
GOING TO
 Form
• We use be going to + the base form of the
verb:
• I’m going to take a few exams at the end of
the year.
• It’s going to be difficult to get a job during the
summer as the tourist industry is suffering
from the economic downturn.
 Usage: intentions
• We use be going to to talk about future plans
and intentions. Usually the decision about the
future plans has already been made:
• She’s going to be a professional dancer when
she grows up.
• I’m going to look for a new place to live next
month.
 Usage: Predictions
• We use be going to to predict something that
we think is certain to happen or which we
have evidence for now:
• It’s going to snow again soon. (The speaker
can probably see dark snow clouds.)
• Look out! He’s going to break that glass.
 Usage: Commands
• We use be going to when we give commands
or state that something is obligatory:
[parent to a child]
• You’re going to pick up all of those toys right
now. This room is a mess!
 Spoken English
•
We use gonna /gənə/ instead of going to in
informal contexts, especially in speaking and in
song lyrics. We write gonna to show how to
pronounce it:
• Are you gonna try and get stuff sorted as soon
as you can then? (Are you going to try and get
things organised as soon as you can?)
• One day I’m gonna be a star.
Will
• Will is often used in a
similar way to be going
to. Will is used when we are
talking about something
with absolute certainty. 
Going to
• Be going to is used when
we want to emphasize our
decision or the evidence in
the present.
WILL
 I, we (full form)
+ will or shall work
she, he, it, you, they will

I, she, he, it, you, we, (short form)

they ’ll

(full form)
I, we
− she, he, it, you, they will not or shall not work
will not

I, we (short form)
won’t or shan’t
she, he, it, you, they
won’t

?+
I, we
Will or Shall work?
Will she, he, it, you, they

?−
I, we
Won’t or Shan’t
she, he, it, you, they
Won’t
 Usage: Predictions
• We use will and shall to make predictions and
to state facts about the future:
There will be strong winds tomorrow in the
south of the country.
The year 2025 will be the four-hundredth
anniversary of the founding of the university.
We shall need an extra bedroom when the new
baby arrives.
 Usage: decisions, offers
Will and shall (usually in the short form ’ll) are used to
announce decisions and to make offers:
[a salesperson in a clothes shop is talking to a customer]
A: Which size do you want? Medium or large?
B: I’ll have large. (decision)
Wait. I’ll open the door for you. (offer)
Not: Wait. I open the door for you.
I shall contact you again when I have further
information.
WILL and BE GOING TO for future intentions
• Will (future simple) is used
to express future
intentions that are
decided at the time of
speaking (spontaneous
offers, promises and
decisions):
• Come on, I'll help you with
those bags. (seeing that
someone is struggling
with their shopping bags)
• Be going to is used to
express future intentions
that have already been
decided before the time of
speaking:
• I can't make it on
Saturday. I'm going to
help my parents around
the house. (referring to a
decision that the speaker
has made in the past)
 WILL and BE GOING TO for predictions
• Will (future simple) is • Be going to is used to
used to make make predictions that
predictions that are are based on present
based on personal evidence. The predicted
judgement, opinion or event is either very near
intuition: (and can be seen) or
• I'm sure you'll have a seems sure to happen:
lovely time in • My sister's going to
Italy. (opinion) have a baby. (we can
see that she is pregnant)
 BE GOING TO and present continuous for
future plans
• Be going to refers to • The present continuous
future intentions that tense refers to fixed
have been decided but future events and
have not been fully emphasises that plans
planned: or arrangements have
• We're going to already been made:
get married. (referring • We are getting married
to a past decision) next month. (the
wedding has already
been arranged)
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar
/british-grammar/future-present-continuous-
to-talk-about-the-future-i-m-working-
tomorrow