Future forms

There are a number of different ways of referring to the future in English. It is important to remember that we are
expressing more than simply the time of the action or event. Obviously, any 'future' tense will always refer to a time
'later than now', but it may also express our attitude to the future event.

All of the following ideas can be expressed using different tenses:

 Simple prediction: There will be snow in many areas tomorrow.

 Arrangements: I'm meeting Jim at the airport.

 Plans and intentions: We're going to spend the summer abroad.

 Time-tabled events: The plane takes off at 3 a.m.

 Prediction based on present evidence: I think it's going to rain!

 Willingness: We'll give you a lift to the cinema.

 An action in progress in the future: This time next week I'll be sun-bathing.

 An action or event that is a matter of routine: You'll be seeing John in the office tomorrow, won't you?

 Obligation: You are to travel directly to London.

 An action or event that will take place immediately or very soon: The train is about to leave.

 Projecting ourselves into the future and looking back at a completed action: A month from now he will have
finished all his exams.

It is clear from these examples that several tenses are used to express the future. The future tense section shows the
form and function of each of these uses of future tenses.

Gramática - future

 Future: other expressions to talk about the future

Be about to
Be due to
Be on the point of
Be to

Be about to

We use be about to + base form of the verb to refer to things that we expect to happen very soon.
We often use it with just, for emphasis:

The ferry is about to leave.

The driver is about to collect them. Shall I phone to stop him?
We’re just about to set off for a walk. Do you want to come?
Warning:
With time expressions, we don’t use be about to, we use the present simple:

Hurry up, please! The coach is about to leave!

Hurry up, please! The coach leaves in five minutes!
Not: The coach is about to leave in five minutes!

Be on the point of

We can also use be on the point of + -ing form to refer to things that we expect to happen very
soon. Be on the point of is similar to be just about to:

I was on the point of leaving my job but then I got promoted so I changed my mind.

Be due to

We use be due to + base form of the verb to talk about things that are scheduled:

The visitors are due to arrive at the factory at 10:30.

Be to

Be to + base form of the verb has a number of meanings. It is rather formal.

Obligations

Be to refers to what someone is obliged or required to do. We also use it to refer to formal
decisions:

[referring to an obligation]

If I am not to tell anyone, then that’s simply not fair.

[making decisions at a business meeting]

So, George is to contact the Stockholm office, and Patricia is to speak to the Elsico
representative. Agreed?

Commands and instructions

We can also use be to when we give someone commands or instructions:

You are to report to the head office by 8.30 am.

She’s not to be late. OK?

 Future: be going to(I am going to work)?

Be going to or will?
Be going to: form
Be going to: uses
Gonna (informal contexts)

Be 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.

Be going to: uses

Be going to is commonly used in informal styles.

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.

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.

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!

Gonna (informal contexts)

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.

Be going to or 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. Be going to is used when we want to emphasise our decision or the
evidence in the present:

[An ‘A’ road is a main road. A ‘B’ road is a smaller road.]

We are now very late so we’re going to take the ‘B’ road. (the speaker refers to the present and
emphasises the decision)

I know the ‘B’ road will be quicker at this time of day. (the speaker states a fact)

Future
There is no future tense in English. We use several different ways to talk about the future. The
most common are:

They’re going to build a new shopping centre here. (be going to)

Leena is working in Singapore next week. (present continuous)

I think they will postpone the match. (modal verb will)

Nadia arrives in about half-an-hour from now. (present simple)

I’ll be running ten kilometres a day for the next two weeks to get ready for the marathon. (future
continuous)

We’re late. Do you think the lecture will have started? (future perfect)

We’re just about to leave for the cinema. (be about to)

The president is to visit Brazil in November. (be to)

The visitors are due to arrive at the factory early in the morning. (be due to)

I was on the point of leaving my job but then I got promoted so I changed my mind.(be on the
point of)

She promised she would return soon. (future in the past)

They said they were having a holiday next April. (future in the past)

Future continuous (I will be working)

Future continuous: form

We use will/shall + be + the -ing form of the verb.

singular and plural

will
+ I, she, he, it, you, we, they be working
’ll

(full form)
I, she, he, it, we, you, they will not
− be working
I, she, he, it, you, we, they (short form)
won’t

? + Will
I, she, he, it, you, we, they be working?
? − Won’t

Less commonly, and in more formal situations, we can also use shall instead of will with Iand we.

See also:
 Future: will and shall

Future continuous: use

We use the future continuous to refer to temporary actions and events that will be in progress at a
particular time in the future:

This time next week, I’ll be taking photographs with my new camera.

I’ll post your letter for you. I’ll be passing a post-box.

Next week they will be flying to Australia from Saudi Arabia.

She will not be working on Tuesday.

Unfortunately we won’t be attending the wedding.

Future in the past

When we talk about the past, we sometimes want to refer to something which was in the future at
the time we were speaking. We use past verb forms to do this:

The last time I met her, she was leaving for a new job in Italy the following day. (past form of She
is leaving)

They rang to say they would be with us by ten o’clock but then their flight was cancelled. (past
form of They will be with us)

[a novelist writes about a house where he wrote his novel]

I saw the house that I was to live in for the next six months. (past form of I am to live in this house)

He said he was going to see the match but it was cancelled. (past form of He is going to see the
match)

Future perfect continuous (I will have been working here ten years)
Future perfect continuous: form

We use will/shall + have + been + the -ing form of the verb.

We use shall only for future time reference with I and we. Shall is more formal and less common
than will.

singular and plural

(full form)
I, we have been
+ will or shall
she, he, it, you, they working
will

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

they ’ll

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

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

? + Will I, she, he, it, you, we, have been

? − Won’t they working?

Note: Shall I, shall we and shan’t I, shan’t we in future perfect continuous questions are rare.

Future perfect continuous: use

Emphasising the length of an event at a time in the future

We use the future perfect continuous form when we are looking back to the past from a point in the
future and we want to emphasise the length or duration of an activity or event:

In September the head teacher will have been teaching at the school for 20 years.

In September, she will have been living in France for a year.

I will have been studying English for three years by the end of this course.

We’re late. I think they’ll have been waiting for us. We’d better go.
Future perfect simple (I will have worked eight hours)
Future perfect simple: form

We use will/shall + have + the -ed form of the verb.

We use shall only for future time reference with I and we. Shall is more formal than will.

singular and plural

(full form)
I, we
+ will or shall have worked
she, he, it, you, they
will

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

they ’ll

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

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

? + Will I, she, he, it, you, we, have

? − Won’t they worked?

Note: Shall I, shall we and shan’t I, shan’t we in future perfect questions are rare.

Future perfect simple: use

Events finished by a certain time in the future

We use the future perfect form when we look back to the past from a point in the future. We usually
use a time phrase, for example by tomorrow, for three years:
Do you think she’ll have seen the doctor by four o’clock?

Next month my parents will have been together for thirty years.

At the end of this month, they will have been in their house for one year.

Next month I will have worked for the company for six years.

I think they’ll have got there by six o’clock.

Won’t she have retired by the end of the year? (more common than Will she not have retired?)

Future: present continuous to talk about the future (I’m working tomorrow)

Future: present simple to talk about the future (I work tomorrow)

Future: typical errors

We don’t use the present continuous when we predict something:

You’re going to fail the exam unless you attend more classes.

Not: You’re failing the exam, unless …

When we make an immediate decision, we use ’ll not will or shall or the simple present tense:

Wait a minute, I’ll lend you my car.

Not: … I shall lend you my car. or … I lend you my car.

Future: will and shall

Will and shall: form

Will and shall are modal verbs. They are used with the base form of the main verb (They will go; I
shall ask her). Shall is only used for future time reference with I and we, and is more formal
than will.

singular and plural

 (full form)
I, we
+ will or shall work
she, he, it, you, they
will

(short form)
I, she, he, it, you, we, they
’ll

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

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

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

?−
I, we
Won’t or Shan’t
she, he, it, you, they
Won’t

’ll: short forms of shall and will

Spoken English:
In speaking, shall and will are usually contracted to ’ll, especially after subject pronouns
(I, we, you, they, she, he, it):

We’ll meet you outside the coffee shop. (more common in speaking than We will meet you outside
the coffee shop)

Will and shall: uses

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.

Decisions and 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.

Going to
Going to: present continuous

We use the present continuous form of the verb go + preposition to + noun phrase to talk about
movement in relation to a place or a person in the present:

Are you going to Maggie’s party tonight?

I’m going to the shops. Do you want anything?

Going to: future

We can use a present form of be + going to + the base form of a main verb to talk about the future.
We use it for plans and intentions, predictions and commands:

I’m going to buy a new car next week. (plan or intention)

You’re not going to do all this in an hour. There’s just too much to do. (prediction: the speaker can
see how much there is to do)

I’m telling you, you’re going to do it. You don’t have a choice. (command)
Was going to

We use a past form of be + going to when we talk about a plan we had that may have changed.

Compare

A:

You’re not staying out in this rain,

B definitely intends to stay out in the rain.
are you?
B:
Well I am going to, yes.

A:
You’re not staying out in this rain,
B intended to stay out but may have
are you?
changed his mind.
B:
Well I was going to, yes.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the future perfect continuous 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
future perfect continuous, present perfect continuous is used.

Examples:

 You won't get a promotion until you will have been working here as long as Tim. Not Correct

 You won't get a promotion until you have been working here as long as Tim. Correct

AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses.
Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses.
Instead of using Future perfect continuous with these verbs, you must use future perfect .

Examples:

 Ned will have been having his driver's license for over two years. Not Correct

 Ned will have had his driver's license for over two years. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever,
still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You will only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.

 Will you only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

 You are only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.

 Are you only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

 The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is
finished. Active

 The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is
finished. Passive

 The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is
finished. Active

 The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the
time it is finished. Passive

NOTE: Passive forms of the future perfect continuous are not common.