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Future Plans: Verb Forms Explained

The document discusses different verb forms used to talk about future plans in English: 1) "Will" is used for spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking. 2) "Going to" is used for plans decided before the moment of speaking. 3) The present continuous is used for plans that have already been arranged or confirmed. 4) Other future verb tenses like the future continuous and future perfect are used to refer to actions that will be ongoing or completed at a specific time in the future.

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Eva sánchez-pascuala sanz
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25 views4 pages

Future Plans: Verb Forms Explained

The document discusses different verb forms used to talk about future plans in English: 1) "Will" is used for spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking. 2) "Going to" is used for plans decided before the moment of speaking. 3) The present continuous is used for plans that have already been arranged or confirmed. 4) Other future verb tenses like the future continuous and future perfect are used to refer to actions that will be ongoing or completed at a specific time in the future.

Uploaded by

Eva sánchez-pascuala sanz
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© All Rights Reserved
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Future Forms

We use different verb forms to talk about our future plans (spontaneous plan, a
pre-planned plan or an arrangement)

will

We use will to talk about spontaneous plans.

I forgot to pick-up my dry cleaning. I’ll do it after work.

I can’t see any cookies. I’ll go to the supermarket after my nap.

going to

We use going to to talk about plans decided before the moment of speaking.

I’m going to the park with my friends later.


I’m going to go the cinema tonight.
I’m going to talk to my friend after work.

Present continuous

We use the present continuous when the plan has already been arranged. A plan
that has already been confirmed.

I’m going to the bank at 5 o’clock.

She’s driving back home from Germany on Monday.

We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans.

Are you going anywhere this summer?

1
Future continuous

We can use the future continuous (will/won't be + -ing form) to talk about future
actions that:

a) will be in progress at a specific time in the future:

When you go to the supermarket tomorrow, I’ll be working.

Will you be sleeping by the time I come home tomorrow?


When you come over to the house on Saturday, I won’t be reading.

b) we see as new, different or temporary:

Today we're taking the bus next week we'll be taking the train.
Will you be starting work earlier with your new job?

Future perfect

We use the future perfect simple (will/won't have + past participle) to talk about
something that will be completed before a specific time in the future.

The students will have finished the homework by then.

Alex will have gone to bed by 10 p.m.

Will you have seen the exhibit by next week?

We can use phrases like by or by the time (meaning 'at some point before')
and in or in a day's time / in two months' time / in five years' time etc. (meaning 'at
the end of this period') to give the time period in which the action will be
completed.

I won't have read all the books by next month.


I'll have finished in an hour and then we can watch a film.
In two years' time, I'll have graduated from university.

2
Practice

1) What time ______ work on Monday?


a) do you finish
b) will you finish
c) are you going to finish

2) ______ this weekend?


a) Do you go out
b) Will you go out
c) Are you going out

3) I'm sorry I made you so angry. I ______ it again


a) won't do
b) 'm not going to do
c) 'm not doing

4) It's really hot. ______ the window, please?


a) Are you going to open
b) Will you open
c) Do you open

5) I don't think I ______ come tomorrow.


a) 'm being able to
b) am able to
c) will be able to

6) A: Where are you going?


B:I ______ something for dinner.
a) 'm going to buy
b) 'll buy
c) 'm buying

3
7) You can insist all you want; I ______ you.
a) 'm not helping
b) don't help
c) won't help

8) _______ doing that, please? I'm trying to concentrate.


a) Are you going to stop
b) Will you stop
c) Do you stop

9) ______ tonight? There's a new restaurant that looks promising.


a) Shall we eat out
b) Will we eat out
c) Are we going to eat out

10) I'm sure the baby ______ blue eyes, like her mother.
a) is going to have
b) will have
c) is having

Common questions

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'Will be able to' is used to express a future capability or potential that is uncertain or tentative, as demonstrated by the option "I don't think I will be able to come tomorrow" which conveys uncertainty about being able to fulfill an obligation in the future .

The present continuous tense is significant for indicating confirmed future plans that have already been arranged, as in "I’m going to the bank at 5 o’clock." It helps differentiate these types of plans from spontaneous decisions or long-term plans .

The future perfect tense is used to indicate that an action will be completed before a specific time in the future. Examples include "Alex will have gone to bed by 10 p.m." and "The students will have finished the homework by then." This construction uses 'will have' followed by a past participle to show completion relative to a mentioned timeline .

'Will' is employed to express a decision made spontaneously, directly at the moment of speaking. This is illustrated with statements like "I’ll do it after work," where the decision to act is not premeditated but occurs in response to immediate conditions .

The question "Will you be sleeping by the time I come home tomorrow?" uses the future continuous to set expectations about the state of affairs at a specific future time, indicating the asker anticipates a certain activity (sleeping) will be ongoing, reflecting anticipation or prediction about future conditions .

"I’m going to buy" indicates a plan made before the moment of speaking, reflecting premeditation, whereas "I’ll buy" signifies a decision made spontaneously in reaction to present circumstances, capturing immediacy and current decision-making .

The document describes 'will' as being used to talk about spontaneous plans that are decided upon at the moment of speaking, such as "I’ll go to the supermarket after my nap." In contrast, 'going to' is used for plans that were decided prior to the moment of speaking, such as "I’m going to talk to my friend after work" .

The future continuous is used for new, different, or temporary actions, indicating changes that will happen over time. For instance, "Today we're taking the bus, next week we'll be taking the train" highlights a transition from a current method to a temporary alternative .

The choice between 'will open' and 'do you open' affects perceived certainty and expectation in a request. 'Will open,' as in "Will you open the window, please?" implies immediate intent and politeness, suggesting acknowledgment of the request, whereas 'do you open' might imply a routine or habitual action without immediate obligation .

'Shall' in the context of suggesting future activities collaboratively, such as "Shall we eat out tonight?" offers a polite suggestion or invitation to consider a collective activity. It implies openness to joint decision-making and consensus, differing from willful assertions with 'will' .

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