Simple Future Tense

I will sing

The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with
the modal auxiliary will.

How do we make the Simple Future Tense?

The structure of the simple future tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + main verb

invariable base

will V1

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb
and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at
these example sentences with the simple future tense:

  subject auxiliary verb main verb  

+ I will   open the door.

+ You will   finish before me.

- She will not be at school tomorrow.

- We will not leave yet.

? Will you   arrive on time?

? Will they   want dinner?

When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary
verb:

I will I'll
 you will you'll

he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll

we will we'll

they will they'll

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not I won't

you will not you won't

he will not he won't

she will not she won't
it will not it won't

we will not we won't

they will not they won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?

No Plan

We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we
speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:

 Hold on. I'll get a pen.

 We will see what we can do to help you.
 Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.

In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of
speaking.

We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:
  I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
 I think I will have a holiday next year.
 I don't think I'll buy that car.

Prediction

We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no
firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

 It will rain tomorrow.

 People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
 Who do you think will get the job?

Be

When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or
decision before speaking. Examples:

 I'll be in London tomorrow.

 I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
 Will you be at work tomorrow?

Note that when we have a plan or intention to do something in the future, we usually use other
tenses or expressions, such as the present continuous tense or going to.
Future Continuous Tense
I will be singing

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + auxiliary verb BE + main verb

invariable invariable present participle

will be base + ing

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For
question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with
the future continuous tense:

  subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb  

+ I will   be working at 10am.

+ You will   be lying on a beach tomorrow.

- She will not be using the car.

- We will not be having dinner at home.

? Will you   be playing football?

? Will they   be watching TV?

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:

I will I'll

you will you'll

he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll

we will we'll

they will they'll

Future Continuous Tense
I will be singing

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + auxiliary verb BE + main verb

invariable invariable present participle

will be base + ing

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For
question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with
the future continuous tense:

  subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb  

+ I will   be working at 10am.

+ You will   be lying on a beach tomorrow.

- She will not be using the car.

- We will not be having dinner at home.

? Will you   be playing football?

? Will they   be watching TV?

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:

I will I'll

you will you'll

he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll

we will we'll

they will they'll

For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like
this:

I will not I won't

you will not you won't

he will not he won't

she will not she won't
it will not it won't

we will not we won't

they will not they won't

 
We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?

The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The
action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example,
tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm:

At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.

past present future

4pm

At 4pm, I will be in the

   
middle of working.

When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what
time we are talking about. Look at these examples:

 I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.

 They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
 What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
 What will you be doing when I arrive?
 She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
 We 'll be having dinner when the film starts.
 Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.
Future Perfect Tense
I will have sung

The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The future perfect
tense talks about the past in the future.

How do we make the Future Perfect Tense?

The structure of the future perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + auxiliary verb HAVE + main verb

invariable invariable past participle

will have V3

Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:

  subject auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb  

+ I will   have finished by 10am.

+ You will   have forgotten me by then.

- She will not have gone to school.

- We will not have left.  

? Will you   have arrived?  

? Will they   have received it?

In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes,
we contract the subject, will and have all together:

I will have I'll have I'll've

you will have you'll have you'll've

he will have he'll have he'll've

she will have she'll have she'll've
it will have it'll have it'll've

we will have we'll have we'll've

they will have they'll have they'll've

 
We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Perfect Tense?

The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future.
This is the past in the future. For example:

 The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When
you arrive, the train will have left.

The train will have left when you arrive.

past present future

Train leaves in future at

   
9am.

9  9.15
 

You arrive in future at

   
9.15am.

Look at some more examples:

 You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
 They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
 "Mary won't be at home when you arrive."
"Really? Where will she have gone?"

You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead
of your viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:

present perfect tense   future perfect tense

| will |
have | have |
done | done |
>| >|
 
past now future   past now future
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
I will have been singing

How do we make the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future perfect continuous tense is:

auxiliary verb auxiliary verb auxiliary verb

subject + + + + main verb
WILL HAVE BE

present
invariable invariable past participle
participle

will have been base + ing

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we insert not between will and
have. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example
sentences with the future perfect continuous tense:

auxiliary auxiliary auxiliary main

  subject  
verb verb verb verb

for four
+ I will   have been working
hours.

+ You will   have been travelling for two days.

- She will not have been using the car.

- We will not have been waiting long.

? Will you   have been playing football?

? Will they   have been watching TV?

When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject
and auxiliary verb:

I will I'll

you will you'll

he will he'll
she will she'll
it will it'll
 we will we'll

they will they'll

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't, like
this:

I will not I won't

you will not you won't

he will not he won't

she will not she won't
it will not it won't

we will not we won't

they will not they won't

How do we use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in
the future. Look at these examples:

 I will have been working here for ten years next week.
 He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been travelling for 24 hours.