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The following is a mini-tutorial on FUTURE TENSES. Once you have completed the tutorial, you are ready
to do the practice exercises.

The base form for the future tense in English is formed with the auxiliary verb will:

It will rain tomorrow

You will meet a handsome stranger
She will start her new job next month

We can use will to make predictions:

According to the Mayan calendar, the world will end in 2012

to talk about scheduled events:

The train will leave from platform 3 at 9:15

to make promises:

I will help you pack up your things

to offer something politely:

Will you please take a seat?

and to make polite requests:

Will you help me, please?

However, English also has other ways of expressing the future:

I shall be there!
Jane is going to be an actress
Hes arriving on Friday
The class starts next week
I will be walking on the beach next week at this time
I am going to be playing tennis with Bob at this time on Friday
By tomorrow at this time, we will have solved the problem

We use SHALL in the first person singular and plural to express the future. We can also use shall in
question form to politely make a suggestion or offer something:

Do not worry. We shall see each other again

Shall I wrap this for you, sir?

We use GOING TO to express a personal intention or to make a prediction.

Look at those clouds! It looks like its going to rain

Im going to lose weight this year

It should be noted that will and going to can be interchangeable without any change in meaning. For
example:

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Next year will be a very profitable year for our company

Next year is going to be a very profitable year for our company

Mark my words! John will be the next CEO of this company

Mark my words! John is going to be the next CEO of this company

We form this tense using to be + going to + infinitive (without to)

While we normally use the PRESENT CONTINUOUS to talk about an action that is taking place at the
moment; however, it can also be used to express longer actions which are currently in progress or
actions in the near future:

I am studying to become a nurse

I am having dinner with some friends this weekend

We use the PRESENT SIMPLE when we want to talk about something that is arranged or scheduled:

His flight takes off at 2:30

I leave for Dallas in the morning

We use the FUTURE CONTINUOUS tense to talk about a progressive action in the future:

I will be sleeping when you get home

We will be participating in a competition next week

Notice that we can form this tense using will + to be + gerund. However, it is also possible to use be
going to + be + gerund:

I am going to be sleeping when you get home

We are going to be participating in a competition next week

We use the FUTURE PERFECT tense to talk about an action that started in the past or that will start in
the future AND will be completed in the future:

We will have known each other for 5 years next summer

(This action started in the past and will be completed in the future)

At 5:00 tomorrow, I will have finished my presentation

(This action will start tomorrow and will be completed then as well)

We form this tense using will + have + past participle

You are now ready to put into practice what you have learned in this tutorial. Go directly to the practice
exercises.

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