Future forms
Choosing between will, be going to, present forms, future continuous and future perfect.
English has several ways to talk about the future, and the right one depends on meaning, not just on time. We use 'will' for instant decisions, predictions and promises, and 'be going to' for plans we have already made and for predictions based on present evidence. Fixed arrangements with other people are usually expressed with the present continuous (I am meeting Tom at six), while timetables and schedules use the present simple (the train leaves at nine). For actions in progress at a future moment we use the future continuous (will be doing), and for actions completed before a future point we use the future perfect (will have done) or the future perfect continuous (will have been doing) to stress duration. After time words such as when, as soon as, until, before and after, we do NOT use 'will'; we use a present tense instead. For example: 'I'll call you as soon as I arrive' (not 'as soon as I will arrive').
Rules
- 1Use 'will' for instant decisions, predictions and promises; use 'be going to' for prior plans and evidence-based predictions.
- 2Use the present continuous for fixed personal arrangements and the present simple for timetables/schedules.
- 3Future continuous (will be + -ing) describes an action in progress at a future time; future perfect (will have + past participle) describes an action finished before a future time.
- 4Future perfect continuous (will have been + -ing) stresses how long an action will have lasted by a future point.
- 5After when, as soon as, until, before, after and once, use a present tense, not 'will'; use 'be about to' for the very near future.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard