Future tenses

future tenses

ÍNDICE

8. Modal Verbs

1. Present Simple

2. Present Continuous

9. Be to / be due to

3. be going to

10. Future in the past

4. Future Simple (will)

5. Future Continuous

6. Future Perfect

7. Future Perfect Continuous

present simple

recurrent activities

Scheduled events

school timetables, cinema, theater, flights, trains... The train leaves at 5.

Routines, things that usually happen at the same time I finish college at 4, like every Tuesday

present continuous

fixed arrangements

Questions

meetings, appointments, travels... often with a time expression I'm meeting my boss at 5 p.m.

About plans for the future What are you doing tomorrow evening?

be going to

future

Predictions

Plans, decisions and intentions, specially in an informal style I am going to the beach this summer

With evidence or when you can see something that is sure to happen. Look at the time! We are going to be late!

future simple

spontaneous decission

Predictions

promises/threats

request

Instant decissions taken at the moment of speaking Look, my friends are over there, I will introduce you.

With very little or no evidence or events that are unlike to happen I will win the lottery today

Polite requests Will you open the window?

I will give you your money back Leave or I'll call the police!

future continuous

deductions

Future events

We also use this tense to talk about something that is happening now (current prediction) Dan is not answering the phone, he'll be talking to somebody else.

We use future continuous to talk about an event that will happen at a certain time in the future. I will be sleeping tomorrow at 4 am.

future perfect

events finished in the future

This tense focuses on whether the event will be finished or not, not the exact time it will be finished. Usually used with "by"

We use this tense to talk about things that will be finished before a specific time in the future. I will have finished this project before 9:00

future perfect continuous

events finished in the future

We use this tense to talk about things that will be finished before a specific time in the future, but we want to talk about the length of an action as seen from a moment in the future.

By 2018, I'll have been studying French for twenty years.

modal verbs

Could, might and may are also used to make predictions. They have similar meaning, but may is more formal.

be to / be due to

Use be + to + infinitive to describe official plans and arrangements. The company is to provide insurance for all of its workers.

Use be due to + inifitive to describe a formal arrangement. The plan is due to land at 6.00

Future in the past