What is the Future Simple Tense?

The Future Simple is a verb tense used to express actions that will occur in the future. We form it
with the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall" plus the infinitive form of the main verb. It is used to express
things that are expected to happen in the future, such as predictions and intentions.

You can easily use this tense with a simple formula:

will/shall + infinitive form of the main verb

The Future Simple can also be used to make offers, such as when you offer to help someone. It can
also be used to express promises, such as when you promise to do something. In addition, it can be
used to express decisions that have been made in the present but will happen in the future.

Simple Future
The simple future verb tense has two different forms in English, will and be going to. Although the
two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings:
will is used for offers and be going to is used for plans. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples,
and simple future exercises.

Simple Future Uses

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The simple future (also called future simple or future indefinite) is a verb tense which is used to
show that an action will take place at a specific time in the future. The simple future is also used to
talk about future habits and future generalizations
FORMS OF THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
A. THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE (“WILL”)
 In affirmative, the structure of the Future Simple Tense is:
S + auxiliary WILL + Vb1
SUBJECT AUXILIARY VERB COMPLEMENT
I shall/will study at Yale University next year.
You will go to the cinema next Tuesday.
He/She/It will play outside during the summer.
We shall/will order some food.
You will leave tomorrow.
They will go to Italy next spring.
 For negative sentences in the Simple Future tense, we insert not between
the auxiliary verb and main verb.

SUBJECT AUXILIARY NOT VERB COMPLEMENT

I shall/will not study at Yale University next year.

You will not go to the cinema next Tuesday.

He/She/It will not play outside during the summer.

We shall/will not order some food.
You will not leave tomorrow.
They will not go to Italy next spring

 In the interrogative form, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb.

AUXILIARY SUBJECT VERB COMPLEMENT

Shall/Will I study at Yale University next year?

Will you go to the cinema next Tuesday?

Will he/she/it play outside during the summer?

Shall/Will we order some food?
Will you leave tomorrow?
Will they go to Italy next spring?

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Contracted forms:
I will I'll I will not I won`t

You will you'll You will not You won`t

He will She will It He will not She will not It

he'll she'll it'll He won`t She won`t It won`t
will will not

We will we'll We will not We won`t

They will they'll They will not They won`t

B. ‘BE GOING TO’ FUTURE

It is used for:
 planned actions in the future e.g. We are going to Tim`s party.
 To express an action that you are certain that is going to happen in the future
e.g. Look at that car! It is going to crash into the yellow one. Look at the clouds! It is going to rain
soon.

FORMS OF THE ‘BE GOING TO’ FUTURE

to be (am, are, is) + going to + infinitive

1. Affirmative sentences in the ‘be going to’ future

Long forms Contracted forms

I am going to play handball. I'm going to play handball.

You are going to play handball. You're going to play handball.

2. Negative sentences in the ‘be going to’ future

Long forms Contracted forms

I'm not going to play handball.

I am not going to play handball.
You're not going to play handball.
You are not going to play handball.
You aren't going to play handball.

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3. Questions in the ‘be going to’ future

Long forms Contracted forms

Am I going to play handball?
not possible
Are you going to play handball?
ATTENTION!!
Do not mix up with the Present Progressive!

‘be going to’ future Present Progressive

He's going to read the book. He's reading the book.

C. THE PRESENT TENSE:

When we know about the future, we normally use the present tense.
 We use the present simple for something scheduled:
We have a lesson next Monday.
The train arrives at 6.30 in the morning.
The holidays start next week.
It's my birthday tomorrow.
D. THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS
 We can use the present continuous for plans or arrangements:
I'm playing football tomorrow.
They are coming to see us tomorrow.
We're having a party at Christmas.

Signal Words: Tomorrow; in (future year, month, week); on (future day); next (month, week, year,
name of day); # days, months, weeks, years from now; this month, week, afternoon, year; someday,
soon, as soon as.

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Future continuous

Future continuous –
Actions in progress in the future
We use the future continuous to talk about situations or actions that will be in progress at a certain
time in the future.
 This time next week, we‘ll be travelling to Paris.
 Tomorrow at 10, you‘ll be doing your exam.
 When you get off the train, I‘ll be waiting on the platform.
 In two months’ time, we‘ll be lying on the beach and drinking a mojito.
Future arrangements (=present continuous)
We use the future continuous instead of the present continuous to talk about future events that have
already been planned or decided.
 We’ll be coming next weekend.
 We’ll be leaving at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
Future continuous: signal words
As you can see in the examples above, we often use the future continuous with time expressions
such as:
 This time … (this time tomorrow, this time next week, etc.)
 When …
 At + time … (at seven tomorrow, at midday next Monday, etc.)
 In … (in two weeks, in three months, in five years, etc.)
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  In …’ time (in two weeks’ time, in three months’ time, in five years’ time, etc.)
1) next week / month / year
This gives a time in the future. I'll be starting start at the new company next week.
2) later / this afternoon / tonight / tomorrow / soon
This gives a time in the near future. We'll be meeting your parents for dinner tonight.
3) in / on / at
It is also possible to use these prepositions of time for the future, but it is also common to use the
present continuous for future arrangements.
We'll be leaving in ten minutes / on Saturday / at the weekend. (Future continuous)
We're leaving in ten minutes / on Saturday / at the weekend. (Present continuous)

Future perfect

Future perfect – Use

Actions finished in the future
We use the future perfect for actions that will be finished before a certain time in the future.
 By 2050, researchers will have found a cure for cancer.
 By this time next year, I’ll have graduated.
 When you arrive tomorrow, we’ll have left.
Duration until sometime in the future
We use the future perfect to talk about the duration of a situation until a certain time in the future.
 By the time I leave, I will have been in England for six months.
 In two years, we will have been married for twenty years.
Future perfect: signal words
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As you can see in the examples above, we often use the future perfect with time expressions such
as:
 By … (by tomorrow, by next week, by the end of the year, etc.)
 By this time … (by this time tomorrow, by this time next week, etc.)
 In … (in two weeks, in five years, etc.)
 When/Before …
By + time expression means ‘not later than’, ‘at’ or ‘before’ certain time.
The future perfect simple tense refers to 'the past in the future' and we use it to describe:
Time markers can be used with the future perfect simple and connect (or relate to) two different
times in the future.
1) for
This connects a period of time in the future to a later time in the future.
I'll have worked at this company for six years (at Christmas).
2) by / by the time / when
This is used when something happened before (not later than) a specific time in the future.
By 4 o'clock, he'll have finished all his emails.
By the time he leaves today, he'll have finished all his emails.
I'll have already worked at this company for two years, when I get married.
3) already
This shows that something will finish earlier than another event in the future.
Examples:
She'll have already gone home (when we arrive at the party).
4) before
This can be used to emphasis the sequence of events in the future.
Examples:
The film will have finished before we have dinner.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, is defined as a tense
form used “when we are looking back to the past from a point in the future, and we want to empha-
sise the length or duration of an activity or event.”
Structure and Formula of the Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Here is the formula that you can use to structure a sentence in the future perfect continuous tense.
Subject + Helping verbs (will + have + been) + Present participle form of the main verb + the
rest of the sentence.

When we describe an action in the future perfect continuous tense, we are projecting ourselves for-
ward in time and looking back at the duration of that activity. The activity will have begun some-
time in the past, present, or in the future, and is expected to continue in the future.
In November, I will have been working at my company for three years.
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At five o’clock, I will have been waiting for thirty minutes.
When I turn thirty, I will have been playing piano for twenty-one years.

Function
Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to project ourselves forward in time and to look
back. It refers to events or actions that are currently unfinished but will be finished at some future
time. It is most often used with a time expression.
Examples

 I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o'clock.
 By 2001 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.
 When I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
 Next year I will have been working here for four years.
 When I come at 6:00, will you have been practicing long?

 Ram starts waiting at 9am. I am late and cannot arrive before 10am. Ram will have been
waiting for an hour by the time I meet him.

Notice that the long action or state can start at any time in the past, present or future, but of course
it always ends in the future.

Next Monday we will have been living here for exactly five years.

Look at these examples:

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  He'll be tired when he gets here. He'll have been travelling all day.
 How long will Jo have been working when he retires?
 Next month I'll have been studying Chinese for two years.
 Will you have been working when I arrive?
 He won't have been studying long enough to qualify.
 Next week Jane is going to swim from England to France. By the time she gets to France
she'll have been swimming non-stop for over thirteen hours.

Key differences between the simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future
perfect continuous tenses
Simple Future Tense: "I will travel to Paris next week."
 Used to describe actions or events that will happen at a later time or in the future.
 Indicates a simple statement or prediction about the future.
 Uses the auxiliary verb "will" + base form of the verb.
Future Continuous Tense: "I will be studying for my exam tomorrow evening."
 Used to describe actions or events that will be in progress at a specific time or during a spe-
cific period in the future.
 Indicates the ongoing nature of an action in the future.
 Uses the auxiliary verb "will be" + present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.
Future Perfect Tense: "By next year, I will have graduated from university."
 Used to describe actions or events that will be completed before a specific future time or ref-
erence point.
 Indicates the completion of an action or event before another future action or moment.
 Uses the auxiliary verb "will have" + past participle of the main verb.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense: "By the time you arrive, I will have been waiting for two hours."
 Used to describe ongoing actions or events that will be in progress and will have a duration
leading up to a specific future time or reference point.
 Indicates the continuous duration of an action or event before another future action or mo-
ment.
 Uses the auxiliary verb "will have been" + present participle (-ing form) of the main verb.

KEY DIFFERENCES:
1. Simple Statement vs. Ongoing Action:
 Simple Future: Describes a simple statement or prediction about the future.
 Future Continuous: Describes ongoing actions or events in the future.
2. Completion vs. Ongoing Action:
Future Perfect: Indicates the completion of an action or event before another future action or moment.
Future Perfect Continuous: Indicates the ongoing duration of an action or event before another future
action or moment.
4. Usage:
Simple Future: Used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future.
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Future Continuous: Used to describe ongoing actions or events that will be in progress at a specific time
in the future.
Future Perfect: Used to describe actions or events that will be completed before a specific future time or
reference point.
Future Perfect Continuous: Used to describe ongoing actions or events that will have a duration leading
up to a specific future time or reference point.

Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect Continuous

The difference between future continuous and future perfect continuous is that we use future con-
tinuous to predict the future while we use future perfect continuous to talk about an ongoing ac-
tion that will finish before another.

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