Grammar  review  –  future  tense  

 
 

 
 

o How  many  future  tenses  do  we  have  in  English  and  when  are  they  used?  
o Which  one  of  these  sentences  is  correct1:  
 
“Tomorrow,  I  will  fly  to  Brazil.”  
“Tomorrow,  I  am  flying  to  Brazil.”  
“Tomorrow,  I  am  going  to  fly  to  Brazil.”  
 
 
 

Will  future  

We  use  ‘will’  for  the  following  situations.  

o Promises  
“I’ll  send  you  the  documents  today.”    
“I’ll  check  with  our  supplier  and  get  back  to  you.”  
 
o Offers  of  help  
 “I’ll  phone  Mike  for  you  and  ask  about  the  project.”  
 
o Spontaneous  decisions  
 “OK,  so  I’ll  be  in  charge  of  phase  two  and  Frank  will  be  in  charge  of  the  last  part.”  
 
 
Tip:  It’s  also  used  in  restaurants  when  you  order:  “I’ll  have  the  hamburger  and  chips,  
please”.  (Even  if  the  decision  on  what  you  are  going  to  eat  is  made  in  the  car  on  the  
way  to  the  restaurant  –  we  still  ‘act’  as  if  it  was  spontaneous!)  
         
                                                                                                               
1  The  second  answer  is  correct  because  it  is  most  likely  a  fixed  plan  in  the  future.  See  Present  

continuous  for  future  tenses.    

 
  
 
 
Tip:  Spontaneous  decisions  often  begin  with  the  phrase  “I  think…”  so  chances  are,  if  
you  use  this,  you  should  be  using  “will”.  
 
 
o Predictions  without  evidence  
“I  think  this  year  will  be  a  good  year.”  (just  a  feeling)    
“I  think  in  ten  years’  time  everyone  in  Germany  will  have  a  mobile  phone.”  
 
 
 
Tip:  Predictions  using  will  often  express  personal  beliefs  and/or  opinions.  For  
example:  “I’m  sure  you  will  understand  the  assignment”.  
 
 
 
o Official  announcements  
“The  agreement  will  terminate  upon  the  closing  of  XYZ”.  
 
 
 
Tip:  Used  a  lot  in  contracts  (see  above)  or  official  announcements  from  management.  
“There  will  be  a  company-­‐wide  meeting  for  all  employees  next  Wednesday.”    
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
  
Present continuous (-ing) form + timeframe

We  use  present  continuous  for  fixed  plans  in  the  future  –  i.e.  plans  where  we  are  95-­‐100%  certain  
that  they  will  take  place.  As  certain  as  anyone  can  be  of  the  future!  

In   the   example   sentences   mentioned   at   the   start,   it   is   unlikely   that   you   suddenly   decide   to   fly   to  
Brazil  the  next  day  therefore  it  will  not  be  a  spontaneous  decision  and  therefore  we  cannot  use  will.  
It  will  have  been  planned  in  advance.  Therefore  we  need  present  continuous  to  indicate  that  it  is  a  
fixed  plan    

(subject  +  verb  ‘to  be’  +  infinitive  +  ing)  

A  few  Business  English  examples:  

“I’m  having  lunch  with  the  supplier  on  Tuesday.”    
“On  Monday  I’m  meeting  the  corporate  team.”  
“Next  week  we’re  moving  on  to  the  next  stage  of  the  project.”  
 
 
 
Tip:  When  asking  questions  about  somebody’s  future  plans,  native  speakers  always  
use  the  present  continuous.    
e.g.  “What  are  you  doing  at  the  weekend?”  is  a  very  common  phrase.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tip:  If  we  are  not  sure  about  our  plans,  we  would  use  the  will  future.  I.e.  if  we  start  
our  sentence  with  “probably,  maybe…”  or  another  indicator  of  doubt.    
e.g.  “I’ll  probably  watch  a  movie  with  friends  this  weekend.”  
 

 
  
Simple present for future usage

Just  like  the  German  language,  the  English  language  also  uses  the  simple  present  for  the  future.  The  
simple   present   is   used   for   events   in   the   future   that   have   been  scheduled   (like   in   a   diary   or   a  
timetable).    
 
A  few  Business  English  examples:  
“The  meeting  starts  at  5pm.”      
“The  train  leaves  at  9am.”    
“The  next  presentation  begins  at  2pm.”  
 
Compare   with   the   present   continuous:   “I’m   starting   my   job   next   week”   (fixed   plan   relating   to   me)  
and  “My  job  starts  next  week”  (A  scheduled  event).  
 
 
 
Tip:  Most  of  the  time  the  simple  present  is  used  for  future  usage  when  we  talk  about:    
Meetings,   conference   calls,   presentations,   any   sort   of   public   transport   (trains,   planes,  
etc.),  films,  sporting  events,  etc.  
 
 

 
  
Going to

Going  to  +  infinitive  is  used  to  signal  an  intention.  The  plan  may  not  be  100%  fixed  but  it  is  probably  
at  least  80%  fixed.  

For  example:  “Next  summer  I’m  going  to  visit  my  parents  in  England.”  
-­‐>  This  means:  I  probably  haven’t  bought  the  flight  tickets  and  I  may  also  not  have  chosen  a  specific  
date  yet  but  I  want  to  indicate  that  an  intention  is  there.  

It   is   also   used   for   predictions   but   with   evidence   (“will”,   if   you   remember,   is   used   for   predictions  
without  evidence)  

Imagine   the   following   situation:   It’s   the   World   Cup   and   England   are   playing   Germany   in   the   semi-­‐
final.  It’s  0-­‐0  after  extra  time  and  the  referee  signals  penalties.  “Oh  no”  I  say,  “England  are  going  to  
lose  to  Germany  at  football  again!”  
Why  not  ‘will’?  Because  there  is  evidence  in  the  form  of  history  to  suggest  that  England  are  going  to  
lose.  Sadly  for  England  fans  such  as  myself,  too  much  evidence!  
 
Another  example  would  be  if  you  looked  up  at  the  sky  and  saw  that  it  was  grey.    “It’s  going  to  rain.”  
(The  sky  provides  evidence  for  your  predictions).  
 
 
 
Tip:  ‘Going  to’  is  usually  used  for  New  Years  Resolutions  for  example.  “This  year  I’m  
going  to  give  up  smoking”  is  definitely  a  mark  of  intent  rather  than  a  fixed  plan.  
 

 
  
Conclusion

In   some   situations   ‘going   to’   and   present   continuous   are   used  interchangeably   in   the   English  
language,  depending  on  the  context.    There  are  only  a  few  cases  where  it  would  sound  unnatural  to  
use  one  instead  of  the  other.  That  said,  how  fixed  something  is,  is  often  a  subjective  point.  

However,   the   difference   between   ‘will’   and   ‘going   to’   and   ‘present   continuous’   is   big   and   English  
learners   should   concentrate   on   getting   that   right   with   plenty   of   practice.   After   a   while   you   will  
development  a  feel  for  it,  but  before  that  happens,  it  is  important  to  always  test  your  answers  against  
the  rules  outlined  above.