Grammar - Beginner - The Future Tense

The Future Tense 

Use the future tense for things that have not happened yet, but are going to happen.

Use the verbs shall and will as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs to form the future tense.

FORMING THE SIMPLE FUTURE

The simple future tense is composed of two parts: will / shall + the infinitive without to

1: We use the future simple with 'will' to predict the future. It is the basic way we talk about the future in English, and we often use it if there is no reason to use another future tense. We can use it for future facts and for things that are less certain.

The sun will rise at 7am.

I think the Conservatives will win the next election.

2: Promises / requests / refusals / offers. This is sometimes called 'volitional' will. It's about wanting to do something or not wanting to do something in the future.

I'll help you with your homework.

Will you give me a hand?

I won't go!

In a similar way, we often use 'will' when we're talking about a decision at the moment of speaking. We are usually making an offer or promise or talking about something that we want to do.

A: I'm cold. B: I'll close the window.

3: We use the simple future with 'will' in the first conditional, and in other sentences that have a conditional feeling.

If it doesn't rain, we'll go to the park.

Let's arrive early. That will give us time to relax.

Shall

'Shall' is used mainly in the forms 'shall I?' and 'shall we?' in British English. These forms are used when you want to get someone's opinion, especially for offers and suggestions.

Shall I open the window? (= Do you want me to open the window?)

Where shall we go tonight? (= What's your opinion?)

Be going to

1: We often use 'be going to' to talk about our future intentions and plans. We have usually made our plans before the moment of speaking.

A: We've run out of milk. B: I know, I'm going to buy some.

2: We can also use 'be going to' to make a prediction about the future. Often it's possible to use both 'be going to' and 'will' but it's more common to use 'be going to' if we can see evidence in the present.

Look at those boys playing football! They're going to break the window.

The sky is getting darker and darker. It's going to rain.

Affirmative                      Negative                  Interrogative                    Interrogative Negative

I will see                               I won't see                     Will I see                              Won't I see?

*I shall see                                                     *Shall I see?  

You will see                        You won't see             Will you see?                  Won't you see?

He will see                               He won't see              Will he see?                     Won't he see?

We will see                        We won't see              Will we see?                   Won't we see?

*We shall see                                                     *Shall we see?  

They will see                       They won't see               Will they see?               Won't they see?

Learn these contractions:
I shall = I’ll                       we shall = we’ll
I will = I’ll                        we will = we’ll
you will = you’ll               they will = they’ll
he will = he’ll
she will = she’ll                 shall not = shan’t
it will = it’ll                        will not = won’t

Keywords to indicate the presence of Simple future Tense :

Tomorrow

Next (week, month, year,...) 

Soon

Shortly

In 2015 / any year that comes after this year

After

In a little time

In the years to come

In future

Early

On next Monday

In a few minutes

Later

Today evening

Within a week