The Future in English: types, uses and examples

Unlike Spanish, in English there are several tenses to refer to the future. The choice of one tense or another does not depend on the translation into Spanish but on the context, the intention and of what the speaker wants to include and convey, whether it is a prediction, a plan, an objective or a promise. For example:

• We are having a party on Saturday./ We have a party on Saturday. (present continuous: plan)
• She she is going to read a new book./ He is going to read a new book. (going to: aim)
• Yo will study for the test./ I will study for the exam. (future simple will: promise)

• See also: Verb tenses in English

What are the future tenses in English?

In English there is no single tense to refer to the future tense. In some contexts, it is possible to use more than one form, although in others, only one tense is possible.

There are six future tenses or future forms in English:

Simple future will

The future simple in English is used to express:

• Spontaneous decisions and promises. Expresses decisions and promises made at the moment of speech. For example:
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  Yo will help you with your homework./ I will help you with your homework.
• Future predictions. Yese is usually used together with expressions of opinion such as I think, I guess, and along with the adverbs possibly, probably, to express predictions. For example:I don't think there willbe another world war. / I don't think there will be another world war.
• Future events. Expresses events in the future that should not be scheduled or express intentions, objectives or plans. For example: The project will cost 10 million dollars. / The project will cost 10 million dollars.
• Conditional type 1. Yesand used in first conditional, in the result clause. For example: If you come home, we will watch to movie./ If you come home, we'll watch a movie.

The structure of the future with will is: Subject + will + Infinitive verb. It doesn't change depending on the pronoun. For example:Yo will study. / I have will study.

• See more at: “Simple future" in English

Future going to

The future going tois used to express:

• Intentions, plans and decisions made previously. Expresses decisions and intentions decided before the moment of speech. For example: They are going to hire new people at work./ They are going to hire new people in the office.
• Obvious predictions. Expresses predictions based on obvious concrete facts of the present, such as physical evidence. For example: Watch out!; we are going to crash!/ Careful!; We're going to crash!

The structure of the future going tois: Subject + verb to be in present + going to + verb in infinitive.

• See more at: Sentences with "will" and "going to"

Present continuous

The future with present continuous is used to express:

• Plans, activities and future events scheduled. Expresses personal plans, social events and agreements between people (such as meetings, parties and shifts), where the day and time have been agreed upon. The event is usually in the near future, although it can also be distant as long as it is scheduled. For example: YoI'm seeing the doctor on May 5th. / I'm going to see the doctor on May 5.

The structure of the future with present continuous is: Subject + verb to be in present + verb in –ing.

Attention: This is the only future use of the present continuous, since the rest refers to the present. To refer to the future, it is used together with expressions of future time. For example:I'm leaving tomorrow. (future) I'm leaving now. (present)

• See more at: “Present continuous” in English

Present simple

The future with present simpleis used to express:

• Fixed schedules, calendars and future schedules. Expresses future events based on a schedule or calendar, such as the time of a flight or the schedule of classes, which are and will always be at the same time. For example: The plane leaves in twenty minutes./ The train leaves in twenty minutes.

The structure of the present simple is formed by adding “s” for the third person singular (leave, leaveyes).

Attention: The rest of the uses of present simpleIt refers to the present time and not the future. For example:They live in New York./ They live in New York.

• See more at: “Present simple" in English

Future continuous

The future continuous in English is used to express:

• Actions in progress in the future. Expresses activities that will be in progress before and after a certain future date. For example: We’ll be celebrating this time tomorrow. / Tomorrow at this time we will be celebrating.
• Future activities and events scheduled. Same as him present continuous, he future continuousIt can be used for plans and events that are scheduled. For example: We'll be seeing Ted tomorrow. / We'll see Ted tomorrow.

The structure of future continuous is: Subject + will be + verb in –ing.

future perfect

He future perfect is used to express:

• Actions completed for the future. It serves to express actions that will have been carried out and completed before a specific time in the future. The actions in future perfect They imply placing ourselves in a future time and looking back, towards a “past”, which from the present has not yet happened. For example: Yo will have left by the time you arrive./ I'll be gone by the time you get there.

The structure of future perfectis: Subject + will + have + past participle.

There is also the future perfect continuous, which is used to emphasize the duration of the action. The structure is: Subject + will + have + been + verb in –ing. For example: By the end of the year, I will have been studying English for three years./ At the end of the year, I will have been studying English for three years.

• See more at: “future perfect" in English

Differences between future tenses in English

Each future tense in English is used in a certain and specific context. By choosing the correct future tense, the speaker is able to communicate additional information or “extra”, such as whether the action is a scheduled plan or an objective, a promise or a prediction. It is the context that determines the use of each future tense.

Future structure	Example	When it's used?
Future simple (will) will + infinitive verb	Yo will call to taxi. I'll call a taxi.	To express spontaneous reactions, predictions and promises. Future events without any other intention or color.
Future going to be in present + going to + infinitive verb	Yo am going to rest on the weekend. I'm going to rest for the weekend.	To express objectives, intentions and decisions made previously. Obvious predictions.
Present continuous verb to be in present + verb in –ing	We are giving a party on Saturday. We'll have a party on Saturday.	To express plans and scheduled events.
Present simple	The train leaves at 11 p.m. The train leaves at 11 p.m. m.	To express fixed schedules, such as flights, trains, classes.
Future continuous will be + verb in –ing	I have will be studying when we get home. He'll be studying when we get home.	To express actions that will be in progress in the future.
future perfect will have + past participle	We will have sat for the test by Friday. We will have taken the exam by Friday.	To express actions that will have been carried out by a certain future date.

Other future forms in English

There are phrases and modal verbs which are used to express the future by modifying the level of certainty and probability of the action:

• may. Expresses a medium or high probability or possibility. It is equivalent to the use of adverbs like perhaps(maybe), probably (probably) or possibly (possibly) plus a future tense. For example: We may visit you in June./ We may visit you in June.
• might. Expresses an unlikely or remote possibility. For example: Yo might finish it by the end of the week, but I really don't know./ Maybe I'll finish it by the end of the week, but I really don't know.
• be about to. Expresses the immediacy of a future action. It means “to be for.” For example: The concert is about begin./ The concert is about to start.
• be likely to. Expresses high probability. It means “it is probable.” For example: The rock star is likely to receive the press this afternoon./ The rock star is likely to receive the press this afternoon.
• be due to. Expresses that an action is scheduled. It means “to be planned for”, “it is expected to happen”. For example: President is due to meet his American counterpart./ The president will meet with his American counterpart.

To take into account: Shallas a synonym for willit is not used as a future form in ordinary English. It is found in literature until the mid-20th century and in biblical and legal texts.

Follow with:

• Passive voice in English
• “Conditionals" in English
• “Past perfect" in English
• Irregular verbs in English

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