Future

Other ways of talking about the future

1. Is to + Infinitive

Form

This form is composed of two elements: the appropriate form of the verb to be + to (am to, are to, is to), and the infinitive of the main verb without 'to'..

Subject	to be to	infinitive without to
We	are to	leave

Affirmative
She	is to	travel
Negative
You	are not (aren't) to	travel
Interrogative
Am	I to	travel?
Interrogative negative
Aren't	they to	travel?

Function

This form refers to an obligation to do something at a time later than now. It is similar to 'must', but there is a suggestion that something has been arranged or organised for us. It is not normally used in spoken English, but might be found in spy stories, e.g.

• "You are to leave this room at once, and you are to travel by train to London. In London you are to pick up your ticket from Mr Smith, and you are to fly to your destination alone. When you arrive, you are to meet our agent, Mr X, who will give you further information. You are to destroy this message now."

2. Be + about to + Infinitive

Form

This form is composed of three elements : the appropriate form of the verb to be, present tense, + 'about to' + the infinitive of the main verb without 'to':

Subject	be	about to	infinitive without to
I	am	about to	leave
She	is	about to	arrive

Function

This form refers to a time immediately after the moment of speaking, and emphasises that the event or action will happen very soon:

Examples

• She is about to leave.
• You are about to see something very unusual.
• I am about to go to a meeting - can I talk to you later?

It is often used with the word 'just', which emphasises the immediacy of the action:

• We are just about to go to sleep.
• Sally is just about to take an exam.

This form can also be used in the simple past tense to refer to an action that was imminent, but was interrupted. In such cases it is often followed by a 'when - clause':

• She was about to leave when he arrived.
• I was just about to telephone her when she walked into the house.

Future Perfect Continuous

Form

This form is composed of two elements: the future perfect of the verb to be (will have been) + the present participle of the main verb (base+ing):

Subject	will have been	base+ing
We	will have been	living

Affirmative
I	will have been	working
Negative
I	won't have been	working
Interrogative
Will	I have been	working?
Interrogative negative
Won't	I have been	working?

Example: to live 

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I'll have been living	I won't have been living	Will I have been living?
You'll have been living	You won't have been living	Will you have been living?
He'll have been living	He won't have been living	Will she have been living?
We'll have been living	We won't have been living	Will we have been living?
You'll have been living	You won't have been living	Will you have been living?
They'll have been living	They won't have been living	Will they have been living?

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 in a time between now and some future time, that may be unfinished.

Examples:

• I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o'clock.
• By 2001 I will have been living here for sixteen years.
• By the time I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
• Next year I will have been working here for four years.

Future Perfect

Form

The future perfect is composed of two elements: the simple future of the verb to have (will have) + the past participle of the main verb:

Subject	will have	past participle
He	will have	finished

Affirmative
I will have left
Negative
They won't have gone
Interrogative
Will we have seen?
Interrogative negative
Won't he have arrived?

Example: to arrive

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I'll have arrived	I won't have arrived	Will I have arrived?
You'll have arrived	You won't have arrived	Will you have arrived?
He'll have arrived	She won't have arrived	Will it have arrived?
We'll have arrived	We won't have arrived	Will we have arrived?
You'll have arrived	You won't have arrived	Will you have arrived?
They'll have arrived	They won't have arrived	Will they have arrived?

Function

The future perfect refers to a completed action in the future. When we use this tense we are projecting ourselves forward into the future and looking back at an action that will be completed some time later than now.
It is often used with a time expression using by + a point in future time.

Examples

• I'll have been here for six months on June 23rd.
• By the time you read this I'll have left.
• You will have finished your work by this time next week.

Future with Going to

Form

This form is composed of three elements: the appropriate form of the verb 'to be' + going to + the infinitive of the main verb:

Subject	'to be'	going to	infinitive
She	is	going to	leave

 Function

The use of 'going to' to refer to future events suggests a very strong association with the present. The time is not important - it is later than now, but the attitude is that the event depends on a present situation, that we know about. So it is used:

• to refer to our plans and intentions:
  We're going to move to London next year. (= the plan is in our minds now.)
• to make predictions based on present evidence:
  Look at those clouds - it's going to pour with rain! (= It's clear from what I can see now.)
  

Note: In everyday speech, 'going to' is often shortened to 'gonna', especially in American English.

Plans and intentions:

• Is Freddy going to buy a new car soon?
• Are John and Pam going to visit Milan when they are in Italy?
• I think Nigel and Mary are going to have a party next week.

Predictions based on present evidence:

• There's going to be a terrible accident!
• He's going to be a brilliant politician.
• I'm going to have terrible indigestion.

NOTE: It is unusual to say 'I'm going to go to...'
Instead, we use 'going to' + a place or event:

Examples

• We are going to the beach tomorrow.
• She is going to the ballet tonight.
• Are you going to the party tomorrow night?

Simple Present for Future Events

Form

See Simple Present section.

Function

The simple present is used to make statements about events at a time later than now, when the statements are based on present facts, and when these facts are something fixed like a time-table, schedule, calendar.

Examples

• The plane arrives at 18.00 tomorrow.
• She has a yoga class tomorrow morning.
• The restaurant opens at 19.30 tonight.
• Next Thursday at 14.00 there is an English exam.

Note the difference between:

• The plane leaves in ten minutes (= statement of fact)
• The plane's going to leave in ten minutes (= prediction based on present situation, meaning "...and if you don't hurry up you're going to miss it!")

Present Continuous for future events

Form

See notes on form in section on Present Continuous.

Subject	+ to be	+ base-ing
She	is	meeting

Function

The present continuous is used to talk about arrangements for events at a time later than now.
There is a suggestion that more than one person is aware of the event, and that some preparation has already happened. e.g.

• I'm meeting Jim at the airport = and both Jim and I have discussed this.
• I am leaving tomorrow. = and I've already bought my train ticket.
• We're having a staff meeting next Monday = and all members of staff have been told about it.

More examples

• Is she seeing him tomorrow?
• He isn't working next week.
• They aren't leaving until the end of next year.
• We are staying with friends when we get to Boston.

Note: in example (a), seeing is used in a continuous form because it means meeting.

BE CAREFUL! The simple present is used when a future event is part of a programme or time-table. Notice the difference between:

a. We're having a staff meeting next Monday.
b. We have a staff meeting next Monday.(= we have a meeting every Monday, it's on the time-table.)

Simple future

Form

The 'simple' future is composed of two parts: will / shall + the infinitive without 'to'

Subject	will	infinitive without to
He	will	leave...

Affirmative
I	will	go
I	shall	go
Negative
They	will not	see
They	won't	see
Interrogative
Will	she	ask?
Interrogative negative
Won't	she	take?

Contractions
I will I'll	We will we'll
You will you'll	You will you'll
He,she, will he'll, she'll	They will they'll

NOTE: The form 'it will' is not normally shortened.

Example: to see

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I'll see	I won't see	Will I see?
*I will / shall see	I shan't see	Shall I see?
You'll see	You won't see	Will you see?
He, she, it will see	He won't see	Will she see?
We'll see	We won't see	Will we see?
*We will / shall see	We shan't see	Shall we see?
You will see	You won't see	Will you see?
They'll see	They won't see	Will they see?

*NOTE: shall is slightly dated but can be used instead of will with I or we.

Function

The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. In this case there is no 'attitude'.
The simple future is used:

• to predict a future event:
  It will rain tomorrow.
• (with I/we) to express a spontaneous decision:
  I'll pay for the tickets by credit card.
• to express willingness:
  I'll do the washing-up. He'll carry your bag for you.
• (in the negative form) to express unwillingness:
  The baby won't eat his soup.
  I won't leave until I've seen the manager!
• (with I in the interrogative form) to make an offer:
  Shall I open the window?
• (with we in the interrogative form) to make a suggestion:
  Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
• (with I in the interrogative form) to ask for advice or instructions:
  What shall I tell the boss about this money?
• (with you) to give orders:
  You will do exactly as I say.
• (with you) to give an invitation:
  Will you come to the dance with me? Will you marry me?

NOTE: In modern English will is preferred to shall.

Shall is mainly used with I and we to make an offer or suggestion (see examples (e) and (f) above, or to ask for advice (example (g) above).
With the other persons (you, he, she, they) shall is only used in literary or poetic situations, e.g.

• "With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes."

Past Perfect Continuous

Form
 
The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements - the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).

Examples

Subject	had been	verb-ing
I	had been	walking

Affirmative
She	had been	trying
Negative
We	hadn't been	sleeping
Interrogative
Had you	been	eating
Interrogative negative
Hadn't they	been	living

Example: to buy

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I had been buying	I hadn't been buying	Had I been buying?
You had been buying	You hadn't been buying	Had you been buying
He,she,it had been buying	He hadn't been buying	Had she been buying?
We had been buying	We hadn't been buying	Had we been buying?
You had been buying	You hadn't been buying	Had you been buying
They had been buying	They hadn't been buying	Had they been buying

Function

The past perfect continuous corresponds to the present perfect continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than 'before now'. Again, we are more interested in the process.

Examples

• Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
• We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.
• It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
• Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in.

This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:

• Jane said "I have been gardening all afternoon." Jane said she had been gardening all afternoon.
• When the police questioned him, John said "I was working late in the office that night." When the police questioned him, John told them he had been working late in the office that night.

Past perfect

Form

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

Subject	had	past participle
We	had	decided...
Affirmative
She	had	given.
Negative
We	hadn't	asked.
Interrogative
Had	they	arrived?
Interrogative negative
Hadn't	you	finished?

Example: to decide

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I had decided	I hadn't decided	Had I decided?
You had decided	You hadn't decided	Had you decided?
He, she, it had decided	He hadn't decided	Had she decided?
We had decided	We hadn't decided	Had we decided?
You had decided	You hadn't decided	Had you decided?
They had decided	They hadn't decided	Had they decided?

 Function

The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.
In these examples, Event A is the first or earliest event, Event B is the second or latest event:

Event B Event B

a.	John had gone out	when I arrived in the office.
	Event A	Event B
b.	I had saved my document	before the computer crashed.
	Event A
c.	When they arrived	we had already started cooking
	Event B	Event A
d.	He was very tired	because he hadn't slept well.
	Event B	Event A

Past perfect + just

'Just' is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now, e.g.

• The train had just left when I arrived at the station.
• She had just left the room when the police arrived.
• I had just put the washing out when it started to rain.