Le Futur en anglais | English Grammar

No matter what conversation you have, you will almost always talk about the future in some shape or form.

I'm not going to lie, it's not the easiest grammar point, but I will try to make it as clear as possible for you in this video.

If you want to go straight there...

1. Future Simple (will) : [01:50]

2. Future with 'Going to' : [04:57]

3. Future with 'Present Continuous' : [05:56]

4. Differences between 'Going to' and Present Continuous : [06:27]

5. Future with Present Simple : [07:19]

There are also a quick quiz in the video at the end to help you practice.

TRANSCRIPT

What are you doing at the weekend?

Uhhg! I have a dentist appointment on Saturday. I think I'm just going to chill out for the afternoon. Maybe I'll watch some Netflix.

I hope the dentist won't be too traumatic!

What are you up to?

Well, I'd really like to just chill out but I have kids so I’ll probably go to the playground.

In the evening we are entertaining.

I'm cooking dinner for friends.

Sounds good!

Hey, I will look after your kids if you ever need to go out.

I don't mind!

Ahh, thanks. Be careful I just might take you up on that offer!

OK! My train leaves in 5 minutes.

I have to go. I'll see you soon.

Yeah! See you!

This is an extract from a very normal conversation in English. And as you can see from all the pink text, we use the future tense a lot.

But there are many ways to talk about the future.

Which one do you normally choose?

The future is a topic which gets my students very frustrated.

And I'm not going to lie, it's a complicated area of grammar because sometimes two structures can have the same meaning.

But I'm going to make it as clear as possible for you and I'm going to give you a quiz at the end.

So, you can see if you have learnt which tenses to use when.

And we're also going to revisit the conversation we just saw previously, to see if you can tell why we used each tense in that particular conversation.

1. SIMPLE FUTURE

Let's start with the simple future

which is formed using will + the infinitive without to

The negative is won't + infinitive

and the contraction uses apostrophe ‘ll’ - I’ll, he’ll, we’ll, they’ll

It's probably the most commonly used future tense.

It is used in the following cases,

1. Spontaneous or instant decisions/offers

- Come on, I'll help you with your homework.

- That looks like so much fun Louis. I'll push you and then you can push me!

- Do you need to go to the shop? I'll drive you.

- Will you bring me to the airport tomorrow, please?

As you can see from the examples,

We use will for the future when we are making offers.

And it is very common for an instant decision to be an offer.

2. Promises

We also use the future simple with promises

- I'll do it tomorrow, I promise!

- I'm an excellent teacher. I'll have you dancing the Tango in no time.

3. Opinion, Hope, Uncertainty, Predictions

We also use it for opinion, hope, uncertainty and predictions in the future

- I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow (hope)

- Are you sure they'll win the match? (uncertainty)

- I don't think he'll come to the party (uncertainty)

- In 50 years, there will be no petrol or diesel cars on the road (prediction)

- Who do you think will win on Saturday? (prediction)

- You'll never finish that book. (prediction)

4. If, when, as soon as

We also use it with keywords - if, when and as soon as.

- If I need help I'll let you know.

- When he comes, I'll tell you.

- As soon as I finish this chapter, I'll go to bed.

So you notice, there is the present simple in these sentences but there's also will

We do not use a simple future with events that are already decided in the future or events that we can see coming.

In this instance, we use either

- the present continuous for the future

or

- the future with going to

- I'm seeing my hairdresser on Monday (decided)

- My friend is going to have a baby soon (it’s definitely happening!)

We do not use it in subordinate clauses either.

Take a look at this sentence,

- I'll phone you when I arrive

When I arrive - is in the present simple

- I'll phone you when I arrive

We never put two wills in the same sentence

So it's not,

- I will phone you when I will arrive

In British English, some people use shall for the subjects - We and I, instead of using will

and there is no difference in meaning.

- Shall we go to the cinema?

- I shall be rich one day

But everywhere else including the United States, don't really use this.

It's good to recognize it when you hear it, but you don't really need to use it.

2. FUTURE WITH ‘GOING TO’

Now, let's look at the future with 'going to'

‘going to’ is conjugated by using the verb be + going to + infinitive

a) Planned and decided

If we say, something in the future is going to happen, it is usually already

planned and decided.

- I'm going to drive to work tomorrow

- They are going to move to Manchester

- When are you going to cut your hair?

b) Intention

It's also used as an intention

- We're going to buy a new house soon

Or

c) When we can see to ‘coming’

- Look at those clouds! it's going to rain

It's an informal style and used mainly in spoken English because when we're speaking we're mainly talking about future plans or actions.

In informal speech, we very often pronounce it “gonna”

This is used in American English, Australian English, Irish English.

- Nobody's gonna tell me what to do

- Are you gonna go?

3. FUTURE WITH PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Next, let's look at the present continuous.

a) Personal arrangements and Fixed plans

We use the present continuous in discussions of personal arrangements and fixed plans

- What are you doing at the weekend?

- What are we having for dinner?

b) Time and place are decided

And when the time and place have been decided:

- I'm visiting friends in Paris this weekend

- I'm starting a new job tomorrow

c) Emphatic refusals and orders

It is often used in emphatic refusals and orders.

- I'm sorry but you are not taking my car

- You are not wearing that skirt to school

4. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN “GOING TO” AND THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Now, let's take a look at the differences between going to and the present continuous

In many cases, we can use both to express the same idea.

- I'm cooking dinner tonight

- I'm going to cook dinner tonight

But there are some differences.

We like to use ‘going to’ when we're talking about intentions and decisions and not fixed plans.

- I'm seeing Tina tonight

(present continuous - fixed arrangement)

- I'm going to try and do better in the next exam

(“going to” - intension)

(The emphasis here is on the intention)

Because the present continuous is used for personal arrangements and fixed plans, we do not use it for predictions or things that are out of our control.

- It's going to snow a lot this winter

(“going to” - prediction)

Not - It snowing a lot this winter

- I can see things are gonna get better soon

(“going to” - prediction)

Not - I can see that things are getting better soon

5. THE PRESENT SIMPLE

We use the present simple for the future when we're talking about things that are in

An agenda, a timetable or a schedule

- My plane leaves at 5 pm.

- The sun sets at 7 pm.

- What time does the meeting start?

- The second semester finishes in June

When, If, As soon as, Until, What

As mentioned before,

It is used after When, If and As soon as when talking about the future.

And it is also used with Until and What.

I'll give you some examples.

- He'll tell you what he finds out

- I'll go surfing when the weather gets warmer

- He'll come to the party if he has time

- As soon as the meeting is over, we'll have lunch

- Until he learns to pee in the potty, we cannot enrol them in kindergarten

Asking for and giving instructions

We also use the present simple when asking for and giving instructions.

For example,

- What do we do now?

- When you leave the hospital you just go straight ahead and you will see the petrol

station on your right.

- Where do I pay?

So, do you use the present forms?

- going to, present continuous or present simple or will

Will is used when we don't have a good reason to use the other forms.

For example,

When we have a future event with a present reality.

Like this one,

- I'm meeting Paul on Tuesday

(present continuous- arrangement exists)

(The arrangement exists now)

- I wonder will she remember who I am?

(will- no prior arrangement)

(We're not talking about the present in this sentence)

- We are going to get a new car.

(“going to” - decision made)

(The decision has been made in the present)

- I hope the way there would be nice tomorrow.

(no present involvement)

(We're not talking about the present at all)

For predictions in the future,

We use going to, if it is clear or we have proof that the event is going to happen.

- Watch out! he's going to fall!

- Look at those clouds. It's going to rain.

But if we do not know the outcome or we only think or we believe the outcome, then we

use will

- I think the repairs will cost a fortune

(This is only an opinion)

Let's revisit our first conversation

- What are you doing at the weekend?

(We use present continuous - to ask about plans in the near future)

- I have a dentist appointment on Saturday

(use present simple for - arrangements in a schedule or agenda)

- Then I think I'm just going to chill out for the afternoon

(we use going to for - an intention or plan in the future)

- Maybe I'll watch some Netflix

(We use will with words like maybe - to express an uncertain future)

- I hope the dentist won't be too traumatic!

(We use will with words like hope - to express an uncertain future)

- What are you up to?

( ‘What are you up to?’ is like saying ‘What are you doing?’ , which is present continuous to

ask about plans in the future)

- Well, I'd really like to just chill out but I have kids so I will probably go to the playground.

(will is used with probably - to demonstrate uncertainty in the future)

- In the evening we are entertaining. I'm cooking dinner for friends.

(Here, we use the present continuous - for future arrangements that are already made)

- Sounds good!

Hey I will look after your kids if you ever need to go out.

(will is used - for offers of assistance)

- Ahh thanks. be careful I just might take you up on that offer!

(might is another form of future - for something that is not sure)

- OK! My train leaves in five minutes.

(present simple used - for a future event in a schedule)

- I have to go. I'll see you soon

(I'll see you soon is just a very common future expression using will)

QUICK QUIZ:

- Did you know that Sarah is in Hospital? No, I didn’t. I __________ (visit) her this afternoon.

- Did you know that Sarah is in Hospital? Yes, I __________ (visit) her this afternoon.

- I __________ (invite) 50 people to the party, and I hope everyone ________ (come).

- We’d better hurry. The plane ________ (leave) in 1 hour.

- It’s a beautiful day. I think I ________ (go) to the beach.

- Are you sure they ________ (win) the match tomorrow?

Answers:

- Did you know that Sarah is in Hospital? No, I didn’t. I will visit her this afternoon.

- Did you know that Sarah is in Hospital? Yes, I am visiting her this afternoon.

- I am going to 50 people to the party, and I hope everyone will come.

- We’d better hurry. The plane leaves in 1 hour.

- It’s a beautiful day. I think I will go to the beach.

- Are you sure they will win the match tomorrow?

So, I really hope you enjoyed that video.

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If you have any questions about the future at all, please don't hesitate to comment below this video and in Facebook or Instagram or directly on YouTube.

And I will see you again very soon.

Thanks for joining me.

Bye bye : )

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