Fun with Future Tenses

01For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.

02This week, we are going to talk about the future tenses.

03There are several ways to talk about future events in English.

04Compared to the past and present, future tenses are usually more flexible.

05Let's start with will.

06To form the simple future, use will and then the simple form of the verb.

07For example, I will go to the store.

08In everyday conversation, will often gets shortened, which can be difficult for English learners to hear.

09For example, I'll leave tomorrow, or he'll go to the store.

10You can use will to express a desire to do something.

11I'll help you move tomorrow, or I'll answer the phone.

12The second form of the simple future is be going to.

13For example, I am going to start a new job tomorrow.

14Use be going to when you already have a plan to do something.

15When you say, I'm going to start a new job tomorrow, you made the plan in the past.

16If you do not have a plan, use will.

17If you are making a prediction about the future, you can use will or be going to.

18You can say, she will win the election, or she is going to win the election.

19The meaning is the same.

20In casual conversation, most Americans will change going to to gonna.

21Be careful with this expression.

22You might want to avoid using the reduced form, gonna, in formal situations.

23You should never use it in professional or academic writing.

24Another way to express the future is with shall.

25Shall has the same meaning as will to express the future.

26Listen to a famous speech by American General Douglas MacArthur.

27General MacArthur is talking about his escape from the Philippines during World War II.

28When I landed on your soil, I said to the people of the Philippines whence I came, I shall return.

29I shall return is one of the most famous quotes related to World War II.

30But these days, shall seems very formal and a bit old-fashioned in American English.

31It is more common in British English.

32Sometimes, a present tense can express the future.

33Imagine you have a flight to Chicago tomorrow.

34There are several ways to express the future in this situation.

35Since you have a plan, you can use be going to.

36I am going to fly to Chicago tomorrow.

37You could also use the present progressive.

38I am flying to Chicago tomorrow.

39The meaning is almost the same.

40The present progressive just emphasizes that the flight is a scheduled event.

41If you are referring to a fixed schedule or timetable, you can even use the simple present to express the future.

42For example, the flight to Chicago arrives at 7.

43The simple present here shows that the flight has a regular set schedule.

44Let's move on to the future progressive.

45To form the future progressive, use will be followed by the ing form of the verb.

46For example, I will be working when you arrive.

47Use the future progressive to talk about an event that will be in progress or unfinished in the future.

48For example, don't call me after 9 because I will be studying.

49Or, I will be sleeping when you get home.

50There are other ways to express the future, such as the future perfect and future perfect progressive, but they are rare.

51A native speaker may never use them in an entire lifetime.

52Let's look at some common mistakes we see in all of the future tenses we have discussed.

53First, remember that you cannot use will in a time clause.

54For example, I am going to visit her when I will arrive.

55Should be, I am going to visit her when I arrive.

56The when phrase, also known as a time clause, uses the simple form of the verb in a future tense.

57Another common mistake is with the third person S.

58There is quite a bit of flexibility with future tenses.

59Sometimes, there is little or no difference among different forms.

60If you have a choice, use the simplest tense.

61For VOA Everyday Grammar, I'm Jill Robbins.

62And I'm Jonathan Evans.