GRAMMAR ©

‘STOP’ USING THE FUTURE TENSE

Today’s lesson is all about looking towards the future as we explore the concept
of 'future tenses,' but you'll soon discover why that term isn't entirely accurate.
This lesson is chock-full of examples and includes a quiz to test your
understanding. Ready to challenge the grammar perfectionists and enhance
your future expressions in English?

Is there actually a future tense?

You might be surprised to know that saying “the future tense” is incorrect.

Why?

Because there is no such thing as the future tense in English—mind blown!

If you look in most grammar books, you’ll see a section named something
like “Talking about the future”, not “Future tenses”. In fact, there are only
two tenses in English: the present and the past. These tenses are further
divided into aspects like continuous and perfect.

We tend to call each tense + aspect “a tense”, for example, the present
perfect tense or the past continuous tense. It’s just simpler to think about
them like this, and it’s probably what you’ve been taught at school and all
through your English-learning journey.

Back to the future! A key feature in English tenses is verb inflection. In the
present tense, for instance, we add -s to third-person singular verbs, and in
the past tense, regular verbs often get an -ed suffix.

like → likes → liked

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

However, the future differs from the present and past tenses in a
significant way: we don't have a specific verb inflection to indicate it. So,
there is no future tense—technically.

But I think it’s so much easier to think about the future as a tense in the
same way as you think of the present and past tenses. So, I am taking a
stand: this lesson is about future tenses. And I’m going to explain how you
can use the future tenses in English.

Let’s start with will. This is the word that people associate most strongly
with the future. Will is a modal verb that can be used to talk about the
future. We use it in what we call the future simple, future continuous,
future perfect simple and future perfect continuous. Let’s take a look at
how these future tenses are used.

Future Simple
will + base verb
We use the future simple to-
make predictions.
talk about decisions made at the moment of speaking.
make offers and promises.

It will be a wonderful party, I just know it!

The dog’s getting a bit boisterous. I’ll walk him.
I’ll get you another size to try on.

Future Continuous
will + be + -ing verb

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

We use the future continuous to talk about temporary actions and events
that will be in progress at a time later than now.

This time tomorrow, we’ll be sitting down to dinner at my dream

restaurant.
I’ll be walking to work tomorrow as my car is at the mechanic’s.

Future Perfect Simple

will + have + past participle
We use the future perfect simple to talk about events that will be finished
at a certain time later than now. It’s like we walk into the future and then
turn around and look back.

We will definitely have arrived by 7pm.

They’ll have already eaten before they come round, so we don’t need to
feed them.

Future Perfect Continuous

will + have been + -ing verb
We use the future perfect continuous to emphasise the duration of an
event that will be happening at a time later than now. It’s similar to the
future perfect simple in that we look back from a time in the future.

In six months’ time, we will have been working here for seven years.
By this time next week, I will have been travelling for four months.

A quick note about the future perfect simple and continuous here. With
some verbs, you can use either tense with no change in meaning. One of
those verbs is work.

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

In six months’ time, we will have worked / been working here for seven
years.

They mean exactly the same thing. In the future perfect continuous, there is
more of a feeling of emphasis on just how long you’ve worked there, but
really you can use either.

Other verbs like this include live, play and teach. However, with lots of
verbs, like read, you can’t use them interchangeably.

By tomorrow night, I will have been reading this book for two months.

This means you won’t have finished the book, and you cannot simply
replace will have been reading with will have read. If you did, the sentence
would not be grammatically correct because ‘will have read’ means you will
be finished reading.

Those are your four future tenses. Come at me, Grammar Police.

Talk About The Future In Other Ways

There are, of course, other ways to talk about the future apart from will.
And we’re going to look at them now using my Wheel of Fortune! (Or my
future tenses wheel.)

PRESENT
SIMPLE
GOING TO
TO BE
WILL

CONTINUOUS
PRESENT

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

As you can see, we have will, which I’ve already talked about. We can also
see to be going to.

To Be Going To
be going to + base verb
We use to be going to in two main ways:
to make predictions based on present evidence
John is so drunk! He’s going to have a terrible hangover tomorrow.

to talk about plans and intentions

I’m going to spend the day at home tomorrow, just chilling.

When the verb in the infinitive is go, we often shorten the sentence:
I’m going [to go] shopping later.

Present Continuous
We use the present continuous to talk about plans and arrangements. Yes,
plans again. There is often little difference between the present continuous
and to be going to when we’re talking about plans. However, when we use
the present continuous we have made a firm decision to do something.

What do I mean by a ‘firm decision’? It usually means I know exactly what

I’m doing, where, when and with whom. Often, but not always, we have
arranged to do something. Look at these examples:

I am having lunch with my friend Claire tomorrow. (arrangement)

We’re spending the summer on a yacht in Croatia. (probably booked, but
if not, very definitely happening)

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

You could say—

We’re going to spend the summer on a yacht in Croatia.

This is a plan, but it’s unlikely that you’ve booked it, and it just feels less
certain than when we use the present continuous.

We don’t use the present continuous to make predictions when an event is

outside of our control.
The sky is so dark. It’s raining going to rain in a few minutes.

And we don’t use it to talk about permanent situations in the future.

We are living going to live in the countryside for the rest of our lives.

Present Simple
And finally, I want to talk about the present simple, another tense that,
rather confusingly, we use to talk about the future. We use the present
simple to talk about timetabled or scheduled events.

Our plane leaves at 2:10 tomorrow morning.

The exam finishes at 7, so pick me up then.

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY
GRAMMAR ©

QUIZ!
Choose the correct answer for each question.

1) The conference __________ tomorrow 6) __________ your grandparents this

at 5pm. weekend?

a. begins a. Do you visit

b. is beginning b. Will you have visited
c. will begin c. Are you going to visit

2) "Our flight departs at 9am," is an 7) How many tenses are there in the
example of which tense? English language according to traditional
grammar?
a. Present simple
b. Future simple a. three
c. Present continuous b. two
c. four
3) What is the structure for 'be going to'?
8) What do we often use the future simple
a. be going to + base verb tense for?
b. be going to + past participle
c. be going to + -ing verb a. to make predictions
b. to discuss plans
4) By this time next year, I __________ my c. to emphasise duration
degree.
9) “It will rain tomorrow,” is -
a. will get
b. will have got a. a prediction
c. am going to get b. an offer
c. a plan
5) This time tomorrow, we __________ to
New York. 10) I __________ to the pub later today.

a. will fly a. go
b. will be flying b. will have gone
c. will have been flying c. am going to go

The End!
1) a 2) a 3) a 4) b 5) b 6) c 7) b 8) a 9) a 10) c

YOUTUBE.COM/ENGLISHWITHLUCY