The future tense allows you to talk about what will happen, make predictions, or describe planned events. In English, there are several ways to express the future, with the most common being will + base verb, be going to + base verb, and present continuous (for planned actions).
Here are examples of each form:
- Will: You will finish your homework tomorrow.
- Going to: I am going to visit my grandparents.
- Present Continuous: She is meeting her friend tonight.
You choose the form based on context. Use "will" for spontaneous decisions or predictions, "going to" for intentions or evidence-based predictions, and present continuous for scheduled plans. Avoid using simple present to describe future events, as it typically refers to habitual or general actions.
Complete this sentence: We ____ having a party on Saturday. (We / have)
are
"Are having" is the present continuous form for a scheduled future event.
Complete this sentence: I ____ meeting Sarah after work. (I / meet)
am
"Am meeting" uses the present continuous form to talk about a future plan.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
