How To Express The Future In English

Do you ever wonder what you’ll do at a school for the English language and what your learning process will be like? Will everything go smoothly?

Well, you will definitely tackle future tenses, among other things. And, no, it may not be easy. You’ll need to invest time and effort to comprehend all the rules if you want to make yourself understood. Just imagine what confusion you’d cause if you talked about your plans using the wrong future form.

But nothing is impossible! With consistent practice and your teacher’s assistance, you’ll get a handle on future tenses too. In this blog post, we will introduce you to future forms and their different uses. Read on!

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‍HOW DO YOU EXPRESS THE FUTURE IN ENGLISH?

There are various ways to express the future in English. Which construction you’ll use, depends on the message you want to convey.

Let's look at the following examples:

1. The Present Simple Tense is used for fixed arrangements and schedules: My train leaves at 7 am tomorrow.
2. The Present Continuous is used for personal plans: I am seeing my friends tomorrow evening.
3. Be going to has two most important uses:

• It is used to talk about plans or intentions: I am going to ride my bike to work today.
• It is also used to make predictions based on obvious evidence: Be careful! The book from the top shelf is going to fall on your head.

In addition to these three forms, four future tenses in English are also used to communicate numerous future meanings. Let’s see what they are.

WHAT ARE THE 4 TYPES OF FUTURE TENSE?

THE FUTURE SIMPLE TENSE

The Future Simple Tense is formed with will/won’t + bare infinitive (infinitive without to):

I will call you later./ I won’t tell mom anything, don’t worry.

The list of its uses is pretty long, so let’s look at some of them:

1. Instant decisions – Someone is at the door. I’ll open it.
2. Beliefs about the future – I think everything will be alright.
3. Offers – This bag looks too heavy. I’ll help you carry it.
4. Promises – I won’t tell anyone your secret.
5. Requests – Will you tell mom that I miss her?
6. Threats – If you come here again, I’ll call the police.
7. Future facts – Next month, I will turn 31.

THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

We make this tense with will/won’t + be + present participle:

This time next week, I will be sunbathing at the beach. I can’t wait!

The Future Continuous Tense is usually used for:

1. Events/activities that will be in progress at a certain moment in the future: At 5 pm tomorrow, I will be holding an important presentation.
2. Polite inquiries: Will you be joining us for lunch?

THE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

We form the Future Perfect Tense with will/won’t + have + past participle to talk about an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. We can usually use it with the following time expressions: by the time, in two years’ time, next week, etc.

Next May, my parents will have been married for 30 years.

THE FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

The formula for this tense is will/won’t + have been + present participle. It shows that something will continue up until a particular event/moment in the future, highlighting how long the activity will have lasted.

By the time you come to visit me tomorrow evening, I will have been typing for 3 hours.

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Future tenses and their uses may seem overwhelming, indeed! But you don’t have to face these challenges by yourself! Come to the College of English Language and you’ll get all the support you need!

We have years of successful teaching experience under our belt and boast state-of-the-art classrooms in San Diego and Santa Monica. Can you imagine learning English in the USA and then going for a walk to see the Hollywood Sign? It sounds amazing, doesn't it? So, don't wait any longer! Come and improve your English skills with us!