Future

Will It will snow tomorrow. She won't win the election.
Used for predictions The concert will begin at 8 o'clock. When will the train leave? Used for scheduled events Will you marry me? I'll help you with your homework after class Used for promises I'll make you a sandwich. They'll help you if you want. Used for offers
Be going to
Frank is going to study Medicine. Where are they going to stay when they come? She isn't going to buy the new house afterall. The future with 'going to' is used to express planned events or intentions. These events or intentions are decided on before the moment of speaking. NOTE 'Going to' or '-ing' are often both correct for planed events. 'Going to' should be used for distant future intentions (example: He's going to study Law) Oh no! Look at those clouds. It's going to rain. Be careful! You're going to drop those dishes! Used for future predictions based on physical (usually visual) evidence. Present Continuous (be '-ing') He's coming tomorrow afternoon. What are we having for dinner? I'm not seeing the doctor until Friday. Used for planned or personally scheduled events. Usually used with principle verbs such as: come, go, begin, start, finish, have, etc. NOTE
'Going to' or '-ing' are often both correct for planed events. 'Going to' should be used for distant future intentions (example: He's going to study Law) Simple Present The class begins at 11.30. The plane leaves at 6 o'clock. Used for scheduled public events such as train and plane schedules, course schedules, etc. Common future time expressions include: next (week, month, year), tomorrow, in X's time (amount of time, i.e. two week's time), in year, time clauses (when, as soon as, before, after) simple present (example: I will telephone as soon as I arrive.) soon, later xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Future with 'Will' Use the future with 'will' to:

Make a future prediction Express a decision made about the future at the moment (spontaneous reactions to events) Make a promise Think about future possibilities
Examples: It will rain tomorrow. I think he won't attend the meeting. Oh! You're all wet. I'll fetch you a blanket. Future with 'Going to' Use the future with 'going to' to speak about future intentions or plans made before the present moment. Examples: We are going to study abroad next semester. Who are you going to visit in Seattle? Peter isn't going to attend next week's meeting. Future Continuous
Use the future continuous to speak about an activity that will be happening at a precise point in time in the future. Examples: I'll be playing tennis at four this afternoon. When you arrive in Boston, I'll be sleeping soundly in my bed. What will you be doing this time next week? Future Perfect Use the future perfect to express something that will have been done up to a precise point in time in the future. Examples: She'll have read the book by the time you arrive. I'm afraid we won't have finished by the end of tomorrow afternoon. What will you have studied by the time you finish college?
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Will
One of the most common ways to talk about the future is with will, for example: I will call you tonight. We often call this the "future simple tense", but technically there are no future tenses in English. In this construction, the word will is a modal auxiliary verb. Here are the three main ways that we use will to talk about the future.
No plan
We use will when there is no prior plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:

Hold on. I'll get a pen. We will see what we can do to help you. Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.
In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision was made at the time of speaking. We often use will with the verb think:
I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow. I think I'll have a holiday next year. I don't think I'll buy that car.
Prediction
We often use will to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

It will rain tomorrow. People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century. Who do you think will get the job?
Be
The verb be is an exception with will. Even when we have a very firm plan, and we are not speaking spontaneously, we can use will with be. Look at these examples:

I will be in London tomorrow. There will be 50 people at the party. The meeting will be at 9.30 am.
Going to
Intention
We use the special going to construction when we have the intention to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision before speaking. Look at these examples:

I have won $1,000. I am going to buy a new TV. We're not going to see my mother tomorrow. When are you going to go on holiday?
In these examples, we had an intention or plan before speaking. The decision was made before we spoke.
Prediction
We often use going to to make a prediction about the future. Our prediction is based on evidence. We are saying what seems sure to happen. Here are some examples:

The sky is very black. It is going to snow. It's 8.30! You're going to miss the train!
I crashed the company car. My boss isn't going to be very happy!
In these examples, the present situation (black sky/the time/damaged car) gives us a good idea of what is going to happen.

We use will for prediction when we have no real evidence: "It will rain tomorrow." (It's my feeling but I can't be sure.) We use going to for prediction when there is some real evidence: "It's going to rain." (There's a big, black cloud in the sky and if it doesn't rain I'll be very surprised.)
Present Continuous for Plan

We often use the present continuous tense to talk about the future. Of course, we normally use the present continuous to talk about action happening in the present, but if we add a future word, we can use it to talk about the future. (By "future word" we mean words or expressions like tomorrow, next week, in June. The future word may be clearly expressed or understood from the context.) Sometimes there is no real difference between an intention (going to) and a plan (present continuous). In this case, it doen't matter which we use.

We're going to paint the bedroom tomorrow. We're painting the bedroom tomorrow.
We use the present continuous only when a plan exists before we speak. Look at these examples:

Mary is taking her music exam next year. They can't play tennis with you tomorrow. They 're working. We're going to the theatre on Friday.
Present Simple for Schedules

When an event is on a schedule or timetable (for example, the take-off time for a plane), we often use the present simple to express the future. We usually also use a future word (expressed or understood) like tomorrow, at 6.30pm, next week. Only a few verbs are used in this way, for example:
be, open, close, begin, start, end, finish, arrive, come, leave, return
Look at these sentences:
The train leaves Detroit at 9pm tonight. John starts work next week. Tomorrow is Thursday.
Future Time: Summary

When we speak, we choose the tense that we use. This is important in English, because the tense we choose expresses more than just a simple fact. When we speak about the future, the tense we choose can express how we "see" the future, even our personal feelings about the future. It certainly expresses what we believe to be the probability (the chance, the reality) of something happening or whether we have already decided to do it. This table gives a simple scale of probability for each structure. It is not exact because language is not a science, and there are many variables. This table should help you to think about the "concept" of the future in English. This concept does not exist in all languages, but it is rather important in English.
% probability before speaker speaks of event happening structure 0% 70% 90% 99.999% will going to present continuous present simple
used for no plan intention plan schedule
example Don't get up. I'll answer the phone. We're going to watch TV tonight. I'm taking my exam in June. My plane takes off at 6.00am tomorrow.

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Will It will snow tomorrow. She won't win the election.

I crashed the company car. My boss isn't going to be very happy!

Present Continuous for Plan

Present Simple for Schedules

Look at these sentences:

Future Time: Summary

used for no plan intention plan schedule

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