Erica has big dreams for the future. She will write lots of catchy songs that music lovers will be enjoying for years to come. By this time next year, she will have created the next huge pop hit! The next time you hear about her, Erica will have been entertaining people all over the world with her incredible music. Sounds great, right? There is just one small problem: she will need to learn how to play an instrument first! For now, let’s put Erica’s dreams on hold and look closer at all of the verbs that were used to tell you about all of the actions and states that are (definitely!) going to happen to Erica in the future.

The sentences that told about Erica’s dreams use several different verb tenses to describe the future. However, you don’t need to be able to see the future to learn a lot more about future tense verbs, the  helpful verbs we use to refer to events that will happen in the time yet to come.

What is a future tense verb?

Future tense verbs, as their name suggests, tell us that an action or state will happen in the future. We can use future tense verbs to both refer to events that we know will happen and events that we think will happen. Depending on the sentence, you can also use future tense verbs to say that something that is happening now or has happened in the past will happen again in the future. While all future tense verbs are concerned with time yet to come, they can serve a variety of functions. Some of the reasons we use future tense verbs include:

 

• State that an action/state will begin and end in the future
• Express a belief that something will happen in the future
• Say that an event will definitely happen in the future
• Ask questions about the future
• State that an action/state will continue for a length of time in the future
• Say that one future action will happen before another one
• Explain that one future action/state will cause another to happen
• State that a future event will be in progress when another event happens

With each of our articles, you will move closer toward being a grammar champ. Should that be toward or towards? Let’s find out.

The four types of future tense verbs

In total, we use four different types of future tenses in our sentences. Here we provide names and examples of each type of future tense.

Simple future tense

 

• I will go to the beach.
• My friends will join my baseball team.
• Brianna will feed her cats later.

Future perfect tense

 

• She will have finished her test before lunchtime.
• By next week, I will have paid my debt.
• If all goes well, we will have found the pirate’s treasure before anyone else.

Future continuous tense

 

• We will be hiking all day tomorrow.
• I will be waiting in the car while my sister shops.
• The sheep will be grazing in the meadow while the dog guards them.

Future perfect continuous tense

 

• By the time the sun rises, we will have been working for hours.
• Hopefully, I will have been making good progress on these chores when you come over to help me.
• If she keeps at it, Angela will have been researching Egyptian ruins for 20 years by the time she turns 40.

Simple future tense

The simple future tense uses the auxiliary verb will followed by the root of the verb. We use the simple future tense for a variety of reasons:

A state/action will begin and end in the future:

 

• Nicki will sing at the concert.
• Scott will give me a ride to the airport.

Making predictions or guesses about the future:

 

• I think it will rain tomorrow.
• He said that my uncle will visit us tomorrow.

Asking questions about the future:

 

• Will we win the game?

State facts about the future:

 

• The sun will rise in the east.
• Halloween will be on a Saturday this year.

Future perfect tense

The future perfect tense uses the phrase will have followed by the past participle of the verb (for regular verbs, ending in -ed, -d, or –t). We use the future perfect tense to say that a state or action will be completely finished before a certain time or before another event happens. For example:

 

• Nate will have published two books before the age of 18.
• Hopefully, we will have set up the surprise party before two o’clock.
• Unless something goes wrong, I will have finished my essay long before it is due.

Future continuous tense

To form the future continuous tense, we use the verb phrase will be followed by the present participle of the verb (ending in –ing). Typically, we use the future continuous tense to say that a future action or state will continue to happen over a length of time. For instance:

 

• Unfortunately, I will be grading final exams all day tomorrow.
• According to the weatherman, it will be snowing all of next week.
• Miranda can’t come to the movies with us because she will be visiting her grandparents.

Future perfect continuous tense

The future perfect continuous tense uses the phrase will have been followed by the present participle of the verb (ending in –ing). In general, we use this verb tense to say that a future action or state will have happened for a length of time before some other event interrupts it or ends it. For instance:

 

• If all goes as planned, I will have been practicing my dance routines for weeks by the time I have to perform.
• Morty will have been working on his science project for a while when Rick stops by to help him with it.
• Hopefully, we will have been helping most of the prisoners escape before anybody figures out what we are doing.

Future perfect continuous tense is a mouthful, but it doesn’t have to be insurmountable. Get an in-depth look at it here.

We predict perfect grammar in your future!

Improve your writing with Thesaurus.com’s Grammar Coach™, which catches grammar and spelling errors and provides Thesaurus-powered synonym suggestions. Using machine learning, this tool can spot the difference between the different verb tenses, making sure you’re using them correctly—and much more! Whether you’re writing in the past, present, or future, perfect grammar has never been easier.

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

Simple Future Exercises