English future tense. The simple future tense in English (The Future Simple Tense). Using the Present Continuous to express future actions

English grammar is quite multifaceted. I thought for a long time about how to title this article. On the one hand, it provides the most complete information on the topic future tense in English, but in this context it is more common to consider the times of the Future group. Therefore, here we will talk specifically about future action. Remember that the exact tense of a verb cannot always be determined by its grammatical form. For example, ways of expressing future action are manifested not only in tenses of the Future group with the use of will, but also in such tenses as Present Simple, Present Continuous and the phrase going to.

Verbs in the Present Simple form describe actions that occur regularly. But when we use this grammatical tense to describe events that will occur in the future according to an exact schedule. In other words, how confident are we in our words that we are talking about the future as a fait accompli.

The train arrives at 7 o’clock – Train will arrive at 7:00.

In the above statement, we are not interested in a specific time, not a process, not the result of a process, but the accomplished fact itself: the train will definitely arrive on schedule and will do so regularly. Consequently, the Present Simple group of verbs focuses on the regularity of an action, even if it has not yet occurred.

Present Continuous

Verbs in this tense are used to express the current action that is happening now. But in some cases it can express future action. For example, in the case of expressing precise plans in the near future.

I ‘m flying to Venice this weekend. - I I'll fly to Venice this week (assuming tickets are purchased and hotel booked).

Going to

We use the form to be going to in the following cases:

• To express plans, intentions or ambitions for the future;

Anna is going to be a singer when she grows up. – Anna is going to become a singer when she grows up.

• To express actions that we have already decided to take in the near future;

Jack is going to visit his parents this Saturday. Jack is going to visit his parents this Saturday.

• To express predictions and calculations about the future, especially when there is a significant probability that the action spoken of will occur sooner or later.

Look up! This branch is going to fall on the road. - Look up! This branch is about to fall on the road.

• To express a decision;

I'm going to build the big house. - I'm going to build a big house.

Future times

Future Simple

• To express spontaneous decisions made at the moment of conversation;

I feel ill. I will not go to school. - I feel bad. I will not go to school.

• Predictions for the future based on feelings;

I'm sure he will come. - I'm sure he will come.

• To express dreams;

I will build the best house. - I will build the best house.

• Promises, thoughts, warnings, requests, demands, wishes;

Will you help me clean the room? – Will you help me clean the room?

• Actions that will occur in the future beyond our control;

John will be seven years old. — John will be seven years old.

Future Continuous

• For actions that will develop at a designated time in the future;

At the same time next week I’ll be walking around Paris. — This time next week I will be walking around Paris.

• For actions that are certain to occur in the future as a result of an established order;

I will be going to the company next week. – I will go to the company next week.

• When we kindly ask someone about their plans for the near future;

Will you be finishing your work soon? – Will you finish your work soon?

Future Perfect

We use the future completed tense to express actions that must end before a specific time in the future.

I will have finished university by the end of this week. — I will graduate from university by the end of this week.

Scheme

In some textbooks, the use of tenses expressing future action is classified according to the degree of probability. I believe that this is not entirely correct and only applies to the topic. I propose a classification by degree determination perform an action.

The only difficulty arose with the Present Simple, because it is used in this context for schedules, event programs and commentary on sporting events.

As you can see, sentences expressing actions in the future tense are not always accompanied by will. The ways of expressing the future tense are quite multifaceted. Considering the focus and purpose of the proposal will help determine the right timing.

Before studying the English future tense, we systematize the general patterns identified during the study of the present and past:

1. By degree of application: the most used tenses in spoken English are the tenses of the simple group ( Indefinite), long ( Continuous) and perfect ( Perfect).
2. The rules for forming tenses are identical in meaning and differ only in different time coordinates.
3. The tenses of the Perfect group state that the action has been completed, the Continuous group - the time or duration of a possibly unfinished action.
   Perfect is the English analogue of the Russian perfect form of the verb, answering the question “what to do.” The English verb does not have such a “luxury” (to have a perfect and an imperfect form), and for example, “to write” and “to write” are designated in this language exactly the same: to write. But which translation follows the meaning - it entirely depends on the form of tense in the sentence.
4. Perfect Continuous(perfect continuous) tense is used in more complex sentences where it is necessary to emphasize the nature of the action (time, duration and other circumstances) Usually used in complex sentences with two or more actions in literary and newspaper speech

1.The Future Indefinite (Simple): the future is simple

In the first person Future Indefinite auxiliary verb is used shall, in the rest - will. Nowadays in English it is possible to use both shall and will at the same time. Together with the subjects, abbreviated forms are formed:

• I'll, we'll, she'll, etc.

Let's summarize the properties of time in the table:
The Future Indefinite (Simple)

This tense is used in English if something will happen one day in the future simultaneously, regularly or in the form of sequential events.

I shall write an article tomorrow. — I will write an article tomorrow (single case indicating the time of its occurrence)

• I’ll write articles every two days - I will write articles every two days (regularity of actions)
• He will write the book and carry it in the publishing house. — He will write a book and take it to the publishing house (two consecutive actions)

Examples of temporal adverbials that are usually used in the future tense:

Examples of temporary circumstances In subordinate clauses of the English language, it is not the Future Indefinite that is used, but the Present Indefinite, which in its meaning is translated as the future tense

• When editor come back he'll give me new task. — When the editor returns, he will give me a new task

The verbs shall and will play the role of not only auxiliary, but also modal verbs.

1. Shall used in affirmative sentences containing promises or demands, in interrogative sentences - in order to find out or confirm the intention of the interlocutor.
2. Will in the affirmative form they are used to express desire (intention), in the interrogative form in the second person - requests.

• I shall come to you tomorrow. - I will come to you tomorrow (firm promise)
• I will come to you tomorrow, if you do not mind. — I’ll come to you tomorrow if you don’t mind (intention)
• Shall I write it another time? — Should I write this another time? (clarification)
• Will you set aside this work on time, please? —Will you put this work aside for a while, please? (request)

2.The Future Continuous: the future is long

Formed using an auxiliary verb to be in the future tense ( shall/will be) and participles Present Participle (IV-th form with ending - ing)
The Future Continuous Future Continuousused in English to express ordinary or ongoing events that will occur or have a likelihood of happening in the future.

1. Ordinary events, as in the Past Continuous, are indicated by similar circumstances:
   • time
     This press conference will be hosting tomorrow at the same time. — This press conference will take place tomorrow at the same time
   • a simple action in the future, but only it, unlike the past tense, is expressed not in its temporal form, but in the form of a simple present:
     When participants arrive, we will be meeting them on the platform. — When the participants arrive, we will meet them on the platform
   • another simultaneous continuous event of the future, expressed in the form of the present continuous:
     While break is lasting, we'll be talking with that expressive top liner. — While the break lasts, we will talk with this expressive star
   • certain situation:
     Did you arrive? My car is gray will be standing on our old place. - You arrived? My gray car will be parked in our old place
2. Long running events (possibly with interruptions)
   • We'll be preparing material for printing all day. — We will be preparing material for printing all day

   We use this form to emphasize the duration of the process. To state the fact, we use Future Indefinite.
   We also use Future Indefinite when there are sequential actions

   • I’ll get back from work in the evening, I’ll rest hour, I’ll write an article then. — I’ll return from work in the evening, rest for an hour, then write an article
3. Individual cases: for example, probable events possible in the future, and their time may or may not be indicated:
   • I’ll be finishing this job probably tomorrow. “I’ll probably finish doing this tomorrow.”
   • I hope he'll be passing the exam successfully. — I hope he passes the exam successfully

   Here we are talking, perhaps, about an exam that has already begun or will begin at a time known to the interlocutors. If the conversation concerns an event that is indefinite in time, then Future Indefinite should be used here

Sentences with a long future in English usually use adverbs and conjunctive words. For example, these:

circumstances and allied words

3.The Future Perfect (future perfect)

In this tense we use an auxiliary verb to have in the future tense ( shall/will have) And III f. semantic verb as a participle Participle II
Let's remember: Participle I and Participle II are formed by adding -ed to the infinitive without -to, if the verb is regular, or taken from the table of irregular verbs.
The Future Perfect (future perfect) Future Perfect is translated from English as “future in the past,” that is, it expresses an event that will happen:

1. Until a specific time
   • I shall have written this bullshit by only morning. - I will write this nonsense only in the morning
2. Until another event in the future
   • He'll have done the task before the teacher takes notebooks. - He will complete the task before the teacher takes away the notebooks (Present Indefinite is used in the subordinate clause)
3. Will be related to some situation:
   • Horrible forecast… So we’ll have gone broke. - A terrible forecast... So we will go bankrupt

But if the future tense is contained in a subordinate conditional clause (containing conjunctions such as -when, -if, etc.), then instead of the Future Perfect the Present Perfect should be used:

• My salary will increase, if I have worked better. — My salary will increase if I work better.

This is not the first time in English that time, for example, present or past, is translated into the future.

Here is another example, when, on the contrary, the future is translated into the past. These are well-known phrases, which in meaning are translated as “should be”, “probably”:

• You will have known that nationalism is the source of fascism? — You must know that nationalism is a harbinger of fascism?

4.The Future Perfect Continuous (future perfect continuous)

Future Perfect Continuous has a bulky shape:

auxiliary to be in this form - shall/will have been And IV-I ( ing-form).

The Future Perfect Continuous (future perfect continuous) The Future Perfect Continuous is rarely used, mainly to express a long-term action that must take place before some future event and is still continuing at that moment. It is translated into Russian as imperfect, as it answers the question “what will I do?”

Future tense variations - Variations of future tense expression(future tense in English)

4 forms of future tense

In addition, will is used:
1. To predict a future event, when there is no certainty and no signs certifying that the predicted event will definitely happen.
Tomorrow will be warm with some clouds in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be warm with some clouds in the middle of the day.
Who do you think will win? Who do you think will win?
2. As a modal verb to express decisions, intentions or proposals that appear during a conversation.
- Jack, there's someone at the door. Jack, someone is at the door.
- OK, I'll get it. Okay, I'll open it.
3. To indicate a desire, promise or offer.
He"ll do it. He will do it (he wants to do it).
We"ll help you. We will help you (we promise to help you).
The negative form will - won't often means refusal or reluctance.
He won't come. He won't come (He refuses/doesn't want to come).
We won't pay. We won't pay./We won't pay.
They won't help. They won't help.
4. Questions with will you usually express polite requests.
Will you do me a favor? Would you do me a favor?
Will you pass me the salad? Could you pass me the salad?
There are no particular differences in the use of shall and will, except for questions in the first person, where shall denotes suggestions and advice.
Shall we dance? Shall we dance? (proposal/invitation to dance)
Shall we check the brakes? Shall we check the brakes? (do you think this is a good idea?)

In addition to the Future forms, the future tense in English can also be expressed by other tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, as well as sentences with the construction to be + going to. Cases of their use:
1. Present Simple (Present Simple) expresses only those actions that do not directly depend on a person, but are established by some kind of schedule (train/bus/plane schedules, schedules in educational institutions, work schedules, TV program schedules, etc.) .
The train arrives at ten minutes past eight p.m. The train arrives in the evening at ten minutes past eight.
My first class starts at half past nine in the morning tomorrow. Tomorrow my first lesson starts at half past eight in the morning.
2. Present Continuous is used when actions directly depend on the person. Moreover, the Present Continuous is used only in cases where the expressed future action is established by agreement or plan (but not schedule), often when the time, date or place where this action will occur is already known.
I am visiting the Louvre museum tomorrow. Tomorrow I am visiting the Louvre Museum (I already have purchased tickets in hand).
What are you doing this evening? What are you doing this evening? (= what are your plans?)
3. To be + going to expresses actions, intentions and has meaning" get ready to do something". This construction is used in conversations about plans, decisions and firm intentions, especially in informal settings.
I am going to get up early tomorrow. I'm going to get up early tomorrow.
We are going to buy a new car soon. We are going to buy a new car soon.
When are you going to get your hair cut? When are you going to get your hair cut?
To be + going to is also used to predict the future based on present events:
Look at those clouds! It is going to rain. Look at those clouds! It will be raining.
The negative construction to be not + going to is used as a refusal or prohibition.
We"re not going to pay for it. We are not going to pay for it (we refuse to do this).
You"re not going to involve her in this. You will not involve her in this (the speaker forbids doing this).

Will is not used in conversations about the future tense after the conjunctions if and when in subordinate clauses. Instead of Future, tenses of the Present group (present tense forms) are used to express future action.
If I"m there tomorrow, I"ll phone you. If I'm there tomorrow, I'll call you.

Conclusion: The future tense in English can be expressed:
1. Future Simple
2. Future Continuous
3. Future Perfect
4. Future Perfect Continuous
5. Future in the Past (future in the past)
5. Present Simple
6. Present Continuous
7. To be + going to

Related materials:

There are 12 active tenses in the English language. For us this number seems huge, and it seems that English tenses are very difficult to understand. In fact, this is not true, and with practice all students learn to choose the right time correctly.

But in the initial stages of learning, any way to remember the functions of tenses is useful. Whether you teach or study on your own, you will definitely need this worksheet. We advise you to use summary table of English tenses with examples at first, so as not to get lost in times.

We invite you to study and download two tables: table of formation times And English tenses table. The first clearly shows how tenses are formed in English, and the second lists all the functions of tenses with English examples. The tables are compiled from articles about that time published on the blog, so if you want to read in detail about a particular time, just enter its name into the site search.

English has long taken a leading position among all other languages ​​spoken by residents of six continents. In most countries it is studied in schools and universities as the first foreign language. If you are traveling and do not know the language of the country you are in, the likelihood that you will be addressed in English is virtually 100%. Today, employers no longer perceive knowledge of English by an employee of a reputable company as a bonus, but as a requirement. This is why it is so difficult to overestimate the value of this knowledge and it is so important to start learning English right now.

What times are there?

The English language is famous for its intricate grammatical tenses. Ask any schoolchild or student whether learning English is easy for him, and be sure that he will name this fact as the main difficulty...

Unlike Russian, English grammar has as many as 16 tenses! The three main ones are present, future, past tense. They are translated as Present, Future and Past respectively. Moreover, the future tense in English also has such a form as Future-in-Past, which is similar to our “would be” construction. Depending on at what moment and under what circumstances certain actions occur, tenses are divided into 4 groups:

• Simple (simple).
• Continuous (long).
• Perfect (perfect).
• Perfect Continuous (perfect continuous).

A clearer picture of all tenses can be obtained from the following table.

At first glance, it is not easy to understand so many grammatical tenses. If everything is more or less clear with the past, present and future, then how can a Russian-speaking person learn to distinguish between, for example, the Simple and Continuous forms? And what is Perfect Continuous? Let's try to clarify everything by turning to Future Tense or future tense.

Future Simple (Indefinite)

As you already understood, the future tense in English can be simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. The first of them is Future Simple. Affirmative sentences with it are constructed according to the following scheme:

auxiliary verb will + verb I conjugation.

In negative sentences, the particle not is added to will; the position of the words remains unchanged. But if you need to ask a question, the phrase should look like this:

auxiliary verb will + noun or pronoun + verb I conjugation?

Future Simple is used:

• if the speaker intends to perform some action in a certain period of time (I"ll read this book tomorrow);
• if the planned action is repeated systematically (If you move to Italy I"ll call you everyday);
• when a series of sequential actions in the future is imagined (Firstly I"ll eat, then I"ll rest a bit and then I"ll do my homework);
• if the decision about the upcoming action is made at the time of the conversation (If you want you can go out with us tonight - Great! I"ll go).

As a rule, the simple future tense is accompanied by such temporary adverbs as tomorrow, next weekend, everday, soon, in some days etc.).

Future Continuous

Forming the future continuous tense is a little more difficult than the previous one. In addition, it is important to understand in what situations to use it. The phrase construction scheme looks like this:

noun or pronoun + will + be + verb I conjugation + ending -ing.

In case of negation, the particle not is placed between will and be. The interrogative form remains virtually unchanged:

will + noun or pronoun + be + verb I conjugation + ending -ing?

The future tense in English, expressed as the Future Continuous, is used:

• if you need to show that the action will take place in a certain period of time (I"ll be still sleeping when you come);
• if the action is a kind of “prediction” (Don"t wait me, I"ll be coming back late).
• when there is a clear indication of time, i.e. the action is planned (Tomorrow I"ll be leaving at 6 a.m.).

Future Perfect

If you have already encountered the Perfect form while studying other tenses in English, then you know that it indicates the completion of an action. In what cases can an action in the future be considered completed? First of all, if it is assumed that by a certain moment it will be done (I "ll have done my homework by the evening). Temporal designations (by 5 p.m.), adverbs (then, before), as well as context help to understand this fact.

Affirmative sentences with the Future Perfect are constructed as follows:

noun or pronoun + will + have + verb III conjugation.

The particle not in negation separates the verbs will and have. The question form looks like this:

will + noun or pronoun + have + verb III conjugation?

Sometimes in journalism or letters you can find sentences like “You”ll have heard that my uncle is very ill.” This construction has nothing to do with the future tense, but serves to indicate the assumption: “You must have heard that my uncle very sick."

Future Perfect Continuous

Nowadays this future tense is used extremely rarely in English. Agree, it is difficult to imagine a situation with a continuous action in the future, which is also completed. But nevertheless it is worth talking about it.

The Future Perfect Continuous is formed according to a scheme that combines the features of both the continuous and the perfect future tense:

noun or pronoun + will +

As always, in negation, not follows the auxiliary verb will, which, when asked, is moved to the beginning of the sentence.

The future perfect continuous tense indicates an action that begins before another action that has not yet occurred, but when it finally happens, the first action will already be completed... Confused? Let’s try to figure it out using an example: “I”ll have been working here for 50 years by next year.” That is, someone started working “here” 49 years ago and continues to this day, and next year this event will be 50 years old. It turns out, that the action will be completed (after all, he will have already crossed the barrier of 50 years), but at the same time the speaker indicates a certain period, which, in turn, shows that all this time the action (have been working) was carried out in the process. such complex time relations are conveyed by the prepositions by or for.

Future-in-Past

The last form of the future tense, which we translate into Russian using the construction “would have been,” is called “future in the past” in English. There are many situations when it could be used, and most often such sentences and phrases are accompanied by the verbs “thought”, “said”, etc. For example, "I thought he would come back yesterday." In this case, the time is simple and is constructed according to the Future Simple type. Only the auxiliary verb will turns into would, indicating the past tense:

noun or pronoun + would + verb I conjugation.

Now let's give an example of Future-in-Past Continuous: "What is it? You said you would be working hard all the week but you are playing!". It is clear that the sentence scheme here is similar to the Future Continuous:

noun or pronoun + would + be + verb I conjugation + ending -ing.

As for the Future-in-Past Perfect, everything is more complicated here: “I thought that I would have made the cake before the dinner.” The action had to be completed at a certain moment. As the table of English tenses shows, such a sentence is constructed as follows:

noun or pronoun + would + have + verb III conjugation.

And finally, everyone’s favorite form, Future-in-Past Perfect Continuous, which you are unlikely to ever see. Even book authors don't bother using it. Let's remember the example from the previous paragraph and try to turn it into “the future in the past”: “He said he would have been working here for 50 years by next year.” It follows from this that the algorithm for constructing an affirmative phrase is as follows:

noun or pronoun + would + have + been + verb I conjugated with -ing.

Construction to be going to

The future tense in English can also be expressed by the construction to be going to do smth., which can be translated into Russian as “getting ready to do something.” It is used in situations where an action is planned and will happen in the near future (I'm going to cook turkey oday?). The example shows that the sentence is structured like this:

noun or pronoun + corresponding declension of the verb be + going + infinitive of the verb.

It is very important to remember that to be going to is not used when the infinitive is words such as "go" or "come". In these cases, you need to construct a phrase using the Present Continuous. That is, instead of “I”m going to go to New York,” it would be more correct to say “I”m going to New York.”

Conclusion

In general, understanding English grammatical tenses is not as difficult as it seems. Moreover, some of them are practically not used in real life. The future tense in English, which was discussed in detail in this article, although it has many forms, is in fact not much different from the future tense in Russian. The only thing a person studying English grammar should learn is to feel the subtle nuances of actions and the moment when they happen or will happen. As you gradually master the language, you will realize that it is not difficult at all.