How do I form Future Simple?
Future Simple can be formed in two ways:
- Future with Will: Yes, I will drive you home.
- ‘Be Going to‘ Future: It is going to rain.
Both refer to the future, but they are used in specific situations.
How do I use Future Simple?
We use Future with Will for:
- instant decisions: A: Coffee or tea? B: I will have tea.
- voluntary actions: I will send you an email when I receive new information.
- promises: (I promise) I will call you when I arrive.
- offers to help: A: The weather is bad. B: I will drive you home.
- requests for help: A: Will you drive me home?
- predictions: The fortune teller said: “You will mary a rich man.” / Twenty years from now, I will have wrinkles.
(In this case, the prediction is made with a high level of certainty, usually for a more distant future.)
We use ‘Be Going to’ Future for:
- plans: I am going to spend the summer in California.
- intentions: I am going to clean the house this weekend.
- predictions: Look at the sky! It is going to rain.
(In this case, the prediction is made based on a concrete situation / an observable fact in the present.)
Note: According to other sources, Future with Will and ‘Be Going to’ Future can be used interchangeably for making predictions.
Affirmative / Interrogative / Negative
Will is a modal verb. Its conjugation is very simple.
I will have tea. → Will I have tea? → I will not (won’t) have tea.
He will call us when he arrives. → Will he call us when he arrives? → He will not (won’t) call us when he arrives.
We will drive you home. → Will we drive you home? → We will not (won’t) drive you home.
Note: will not = won’t
‘Be Going to’ Future is formed like this: to be + going to + main verb
- The verb to be is used at the correct person/number, i.e. am, are or is.
- Going to never changes.
- The main verb is always in the infinitive.
| Affirmative | Interrogative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person, sg. | I am going to spend the summer here. | Am I going to spend the summer here? | I am not going to spend the summer here. |
| 2nd person, sg. | You are going to spend (…) | Are you going to spend (…)? | You are not going to spend (…) |
| 3rd person, sg. | He is going to spend (…) She is going to spend (…) It is going to rain. | Is he going to spend (…)? Is she going to spend (…)? Is it going to rain? | He is not going to spend (…) She is not going to spend (…) It is not going to rain. |
| 1st person, pl. | We are going to spend (…) | Are we going to spend (…)? | We are not going to spend (…) |
| 2nd person, pl. | You are going to spend (…) | Are you going to spend (…)? | You are not going to spend (…) |
| 3rd person, pl. | They are going to spend (…) | Are they going to spend (…)? | They are not going to spend (…) |
We can use contractions:
I am going to → I’m going to
You are going to → You’re going to
He is going to → He’s going to etc.
I am not going to → I’m not going to
You are not going to → You’re not going to / You aren’t going to
He is not going to → He’s not going to / He isn’t going to etc.
In colloquial speech, going to can be replaced with gonna:
I am going to buy a new umbrella. → I’m gonna buy a new umbrella.