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 Forms

FORM Will

The will form of simple future is made with will + verb. Questions are indicated by
inverting the subject and will. Negatives are made with not.

• Statement: You will help him later.

• Question: Will you help him later?
• Negative: You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

The be-going-to form of simple future is made using am/is/are + going to + verb.
Questions are indicated by inverting the subject and am/is/are. Negatives are made
with not.

• Statement: You are going to meet Jane tonight.

• Question: Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
• Negative: You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

Complete List of Simple Future Forms

Simple Future Uses

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. In
many ways, the verb tense behaves like the simple past.

However, the simple future has two different forms will and be going to. Study the
uses below to learn how to choose between the two forms.

USE 1 Will to Express a Voluntary Action

Will often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is
one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use will to respond to
someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use will when we request that
someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use will
not or won't when we refuse to do something voluntarily.

Examples:

•I will send you the information when I get it.

•I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
• Will you help me move this heavy table?
• Will you make dinner?
•I will not do your homework for you.
•I won't do all the housework myself!
• A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.
• A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.
• A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.

USE 2 Will to Express a Promise

Will is usually used in promises.

Examples:

•I will call you when I arrive.

• If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has
access to inexpensive health insurance.
•I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
 • Don't worry, I'll be careful.
•I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 Be going to to Express a Plan

Be going to expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person
intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic
or not.

Examples:

• He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

• She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
• A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
• I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
• Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
• They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
• Who are you going to invite to the party?
• A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 Will or Be Going to to Express a Prediction

Both will and be going to can express the idea of a general prediction about the
future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In prediction
sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-
3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

• The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.

• The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.

• John Smith will be the next President.

• John Smith is going to be the next President.

• The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.

• The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.
IMPORTANT

In the simple future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often,
there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the simple future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time
expressions such as when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless,
etc. Instead of simple future, simple present is used.

Examples:

• When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
• When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You will never help him.

• Will you ever help him?

• You are never going to meet Jane.

• Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active

• The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive

• Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active

•A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive

More About Active / Passive Forms

Future Continuous
Future continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing."
Unlike simple future forms, future continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Continuous with "Will"

[will be + present participle]

Examples:

• You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
• Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
• You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

FORM Future Continuous with "Be Going To "

[am/is/are + going to be + present participle]

Examples:

• You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
• Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
• You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

REMEMBER: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the future
continuous with little difference in meaning.

Complete List of Future Continuous Forms

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future

Use the future continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be
interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption
or just an interruption in time.

Examples:
 •I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.
•I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
•I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and
you need to contact me.
• He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when
she arrives.

Notice in the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in simple
present rather than simple future. This is because the interruptions are in time
clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future

In USE 1, described above, the future continuous is interrupted by a short action in

the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a
specific time as an interruption.

Examples:

• Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.

I will be in the process of eating dinner.
• At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert.
We will be in the process of driving through the desert.

REMEMBER

In the simple future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or
end. In the future continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.

Examples:

• Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner.

I am going to start eating at 6 PM.
• Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.
I am going to start earlier and I will be in the process of eating dinner at 6
PM.
USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future

When you use the future continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it
expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions
are parallel.

Examples:

•I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.

• Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a
good time.
• While Ellen is reading, Tim will be watching television.
Notice "is reading" because of the time clause containing "while." (See
Explanation Below)

USE 4 Atmosphere in the Future

In English, we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a

specific point in the future.

Example:

• When I arrive at the party, everybody is going to be celebrating. Some will

be dancing. Others are going to be talking. A few people will be
eating pizza, and several people are going to be drinking beer. They
always do the same thing.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future tenses, the future continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with
time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if,
unless, etc. Instead of future continuous, present continuous is used.

Examples:

• While I am going to be finishing my homework, she is going to make

dinner. Not Correct
 • While I am finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Correct

AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any

continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be
used in continuous tenses. Instead of using future continuous with these verbs, you
must use simple future.

Examples:

• Jane will be being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct

• Jane will be at my house when you arrive. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You will still be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
• Will you still be waiting for her when her plane arrives?

• You are still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
• Are you still going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. Active

• At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John. Passive

• At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. Active

• At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by
John. Passive

NOTE: Passive forms of the future continuous are not common.

Future Perfect
Future perfect has two different forms: "will have done" and "be going to have done."
Unlike simple future forms, future perfect forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect with "Will"

[will have + past participle]

Examples:

• You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.
• Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.?
• You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.

FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]

Examples:

• You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back
from the U.S.
• Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back
from the U.S.?
• You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come
back from the U.S.

NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the future perfect
with little or no difference in meaning.

Complete List of Future Perfect Forms

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Future

The future perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action
in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the
future.

Examples:

• By next November, I will have received my promotion.

• By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
•I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o'clock.
• Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to
Beijing?
• Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time
he leaves this afternoon.
• By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.
• How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?

Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are
in simple present rather than simple future. This is because the interruptions are
in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous

Verbs)

With non-continuous verbs and some non-continuous uses of mixed verbs, we use
the future perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the
future.

Examples:

•I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.
• By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.

Although the above use of future perfect is normally limited to non-continuous verbs
and non-continuous uses of mixed verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and
"study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT non-continuous
verbs.
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the future perfect cannot be used in clauses beginning with time
expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless,
etc. Instead of future perfect, present perfect is used.

Examples:

•I am going to see a movie when I will have finished my homework. Not

Correct
•I am going to see a movie when I have finished my homework. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You will only have learned a few words.

• Will you only have learned a few words?

• You are only going to have learned a few words.

• Are you only going to have learned a few words?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• They will have completed the project before the deadline. Active
• The project will have been completed before the deadline. Passive

• They are going to have completed the project before the deadline. Active
• The project is going to have been completed before the deadline. Passive
Future Perfect Continuous
Future perfect continuous has two different forms: "will have been doing " and "be
going to have been doing." Unlike simple future forms, future perfect continuous
forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Will"

[will have been + present participle]

Examples:

• You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.
• Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives?
• You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane
finally arrives.

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have been + present participle]

Examples:

• You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane
finally arrives.
• Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane
finally arrives?
• You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her
plane finally arrives.

NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the future perfect
continuous with little or no difference in meaning.

Complete List of Future Perfect Continuous Forms

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future

We use the future perfect continuous to show that something will continue up until a
particular event or time in the future. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since
Friday" are all durations which can be used with the future perfect continuous. Notice
that this is related to the present perfect continuous and the past perfect continuous;
however, with future perfect continuous, the duration stops at or before a reference
point in the future.

Examples:

• They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
• She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it
finally closes.
• James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the
time he leaves for Asia.
• How long will you have been studying when you graduate?
• We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when
we get to Anchorage.
• A: When you finish your English course, will you have been living in New
Zealand for over a year?
B: No, I will not have been living here that long.

Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are
in simple present rather than simple future. This is because these future events are
in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Future

Using the future perfect continuous before another action in the future is a good way
to show cause and effect.

Examples:
 • Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for
over an hour.
• Claudia's English will be perfect when she returns to Germany because she is
going to have been studying English in the United States for over two
years.

Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect Continuous

If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since
Friday," many English speakers choose to use the future continuous rather than the
future perfect continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the
sentence. Future continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas future perfect
continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the future. Study the
examples below to understand the difference.

Examples:

• He will be tired because he will be exercising so hard.

This sentence emphasizes that he will be tired because he will be exercising
at that exact moment in the future.
• He will be tired because he will have been exercising so hard.
This sentence emphasizes that he will be tired because he will have been
exercising for a period of time. It is possible that he will still be exercising at
that moment OR that he will just have finished.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the future perfect continuous cannot be used in clauses
beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as
soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of future perfect continuous, present perfect
continuous is used.

Examples:

• You won't get a promotion until you will have been working here as long as
Tim. Not Correct
• You won't get a promotion until you have been working here as long as
Tim. Correct
AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any

continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be
used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future perfect continuous with these
verbs, you must use future perfect .

Examples:

• Ned will have been having his driver's license for over two years. Not
Correct
• Ned will have had his driver's license for over two years. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You will only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.
• Will you only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

• You are only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane
arrives.
• Are you only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane
arrives?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by
the time it is finished. Active
• The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six
months by the time it is finished. Passive

• The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six
months by the time it is finished. Active
 • The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over
six months by the time it is finished. Passive

NOTE: Passive forms of the future perfect continuous are not common.