The Future Tense

The Simple Future Tense
Here's the positive form (it's just 'will' + infinitive):
 I will meet him later (I'll ..)

 You will come (you'll..)
 It will rain tomorrow (it'll)
 She will be late (she'll..)
 He will help us later (he'll..)
 We will get married in September (we'll)
 They will cook dinner (they'll..)
Next, here's the negative form (just add 'not' - remember will not = won't):
 I will not go (I won't ..)

 You will not be late (you won't ..)
 It will not snow tomorrow (it won't..)
 She will not get the job (she won't..)
 He will not pass the exam (he won't ..)
 We will not come (we won't..)
 They will not stop (they won't ..)
'yes / no' questions:
 Will I go?
 Will you come early?
 Will it be cold?
 Will she dance?
 Will he arrive soon?
 Will we cook?
 Will they leave?
'wh' questions:
 Where will I go?

 Why will you come early?
 When will it be cold?
 Who will she dance with?
 What time will he arrive?
 What will we cook?
 When will they leave?
How to use the Simple Future with Will and Be
Going To
1: We use the future simple with 'will' to predict the future.
 The sun will rise at 7am.

 I think the Conservatives will win the next election.
2: Promises / requests / refusals / offers.
 I'll help you with your homework.

 Will you give me a hand?
 I won't go!
3:We use the simple future with 'will' in the first conditional.
 If it doesn't rain, we'll go to the park.
Shall
'Shall' is used mainly in the forms 'shall I?' and 'shall we?' in British English.
These forms are used when you want to get someone's opinion, especially for
offers and suggestions.
 Shall I open the window? (= Do you want me to open the window?)

 Where shall we go tonight? (= What's your opinion?)
Be going to
1: We often use 'be going to' to talk about our future intentions and plans. We
have usually made our plans before the moment of speaking.
 A: We've run out of milk. B: I know, I'm going to buy some.
2: We can also use 'be going to' to make a prediction about the future. Often it's
possible to use both 'be going to' and 'will' but it's more common to use 'be going
to' if we can see evidence in the present.
 Look at those boys playing football! They're going to break the window.
 The sky is getting darker and darker. It's going to rain.
The Future Continuous
The positive (will + be + verb-ing):
At 10 am tomorrow,
 I will be sleeping
 you will be working
 she will be studying
 it will be raining
 he will be cooking
 we will be eating breakfast
 they will be travelling
Here's the negative:
When John gets home,
 I will not be working (I won't be ..)

 you will not be reading (you won't be ..)
 he will not be cooking (he won't be ..)
 she will not be studying (she won't be ..)
 it will not be snowing (it won't be ..)
 we will not be watching TV (we won't be ..)
 they will not be sleeping (they won't be ..
'yes / no' questions:
When arrives at the party,
 will I be cooking?
 will you be dancing?
 will she be singing?
 will he be eating?
 will we be drinking?
 will it be snowing?
 will they be talking?
'wh' questions:
Next weekend,
 What will I be doing?

 Where will you be working?
 How will she be travelling?
 What will he be eating?
 Why will we be studying?
 Why will it be snowing?
 What will they be wearing?
When should I use the Future Continuous?

1: We use the future continuous to talk about an action in the future that overlaps
another.
 I'll be waiting when you arrive.

 At eight o'clock, I'll be eating dinner.
The Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect is made with the future simple of 'have' (will have) and the past
participle.
Here's the positive:
By six pm tonight:
 I will have finished this book

 You will have studied the English tenses
 She will have cooked dinner
 He will have arrived
 We will have met Julie
 It will have stopped raining
 They will have left Japan
Here's the negative:
By next week,
 I will not have finished this book

 You will not have studied the English tenses
 She will not have cooked dinner
 He will not have arrived
 We will not have met Julie
 It will not have stopped raining
 They will not have left Japan
'Yes / no' questions:

By next year,
 will I have finished writing this book?

 will you have studied all the English verb tenses?
 will she have graduated?
 will he have got married?
 will it have got colder?
 will we have met your boyfriend?
 will they have left their jobs?
'Wh' questions:
 When will I have finished writing this book?

 Why will you have studied all the English verb tenses by tomorrow?
 When will she have been here three weeks?
 Why will he have got married before June?
 Why will it have got colder by May?
 How will we have met your boyfriend by tonight?
 When will they have left their jobs?
How to Use the Future Perfect Tense

1: We use the future perfect to say 'how long' for an action that starts before and
continues up to another action or time in the future. Usually we need 'for'. We can
also use the future perfect continuous here so we often use the future perfect
simple with stative verbs. If we use 'when', we usually need the present simple.
 When we get married, I'll have known Robert for four years.
 At 4 o'clock, I'll have been in this office for 24 hours.
2: We use the future perfect with a future time word, (and often with 'by') to talk
about an action that will finish before a certain time in the future, but we don't
know exactly when.
 By 10 o'clock, I will have finished my homework. (= I will finish my homework

some time before 10, but we don't know exactly when.)
 By the time I'm sixty, I will have retired. (= I will retire sometime before I'm sixty.
Maybe when I'm fifty-nine, maybe when I'm fifty-two.)
The Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Positive Form Positive Short Form
I will have been working I'll have been working
You will have been sleeping You'll have been sleeping
She will have been studying She'll have been studying
He will have been cooking He'll have been cooking
It will have been raining It'll have been raining
We will have been exercising We'll have been exercising
They will have been travelling They'll have been travelling
Negative Form Negative Short Form
I will not have been working I won't have been working
You will not have been sleeping You won't have been sleeping
She will not have been studying She won't have been studying
He will not have been cooking He won't have been cooking
It will not have been raining It won't have been raining
We will not have been exercising We won't have been exercising
They will not have been travelling They won't have been travelling
'Yes / No' Questions

Will I have been working?
Will you have been sleeping?
Will she have been studying?
Will he have been cooking?
Will it have been raining?
Will we have been exercising?
Will they have been travelling?
'Wh' Questions
Where will I have been working?
Why will you have been sleeping?
Where will she have been studying?
What will he have been cooking?
How long will it have been raining?
Where will we have been exercising?
How long will they have been travelling?
How to use the Future Perfect Continuous

1: Just like with the other perfect continuous tenses (and the future perfect
simple), we can use the future perfect continuous to say 'how long' for an action
that continues up to another point in the future. The second point can be a time
or another action. Generally, we need 'for + length of time' and if we use 'when'
or 'by the time', we usually use the present simple.
 In April, she will have been teaching for twelve years.

 By the time you arrive, I'll have been cooking for hours!
In the same way as with the future perfect simple, we often use the future
perfect continuous because we like easy numbers. It's also possible to use the
present perfect continuous, but then we get a more complicated number.
 I've been working here for 11 months and three weeks. (This is correct, but the
time is not an easy number.)
 On Tuesday, I will have been working here for one year. (A much easier
number.)
2: We can use the future perfect continuous, like the other perfect continuous
tenses, to talk about something that finishes just before another time or action (in
this case, in the future). It's often used because there will be a result at the
second point in the future. (Again, if we use 'when' we usually need the present
simple.)
 When I see you, I'll have been studying, so I'll be tired.

The Future Tense

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The Simple Future Tense

Here's the positive form (it's just 'will' + infinitive):

 I will meet him later (I'll ..)

 I will not go (I won't ..)

'yes / no' questions:

 Where will I go?

 The sun will rise at 7am.

2: Promises / requests / refusals / offers.

 I'll help you with your homework.

 If it doesn't rain, we'll go to the park.

 Shall I open the window? (= Do you want me to open the window?)

 A: We've run out of milk. B: I know, I'm going to buy some.

Here's the negative:

When John gets home,

 I will not be working (I won't be ..)

'yes / no' questions:

When arrives at the party,

 What will I be doing?

When should I use the Future Continuous?

 I'll be waiting when you arrive.

The Future Perfect Tense

Here's the positive:

 I will have finished this book

Here's the negative:

 I will not have finished this book

'Yes / no' questions:

 will I have finished writing this book?

 When will I have finished writing this book?

How to Use the Future Perfect Tense

 By 10 o'clock, I will have finished my homework. (= I will finish my homework

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense

'Yes / No' Questions

How to use the Future Perfect Continuous

 In April, she will have been teaching for twelve years.

 When I see you, I'll have been studying, so I'll be tired.

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