Means of Expressing Future Time

There are a number of grammatical means that

can be used to express future time.

Shall and will are only one form among them.
So when we say that English has no future
tense, we certainly do not mean that English
has not the means of expressing future time.
Instead there are a number of constructions
that can be used to denote futurity in English.

 Constructions denoting future time

Future time can be expressed by means of

modal auxiliaries, semi-auxiliaries, the simple

present and present progressive forms.
1)Will / shall + infinitive
Will / shall + infinitive can be used to express
future. But in many cases, the future meaning
expressed by these auxiliaries are very often
colored by modal meanings from prediction to
intention and volition.

 -I will be here tomorrow. (future + intention)

-Tomorrows weather will be cold and cloudy.

(future + assumption)
-When shall I see you next? (listeners
intention)
2) Will / shall + progressive infinitive
* This construction usually implies an action
which will occur in the normal course of
events without any human involvement, ie.
without being colored by volition and intention.
-I will go to town this afternoon.
-I will be going to town this afternoon.

 -Hurry up. They will be waiting.

* This construction can also be used to denote

an action that is still going on at a given future

time.
-I will be studying in London during August.
-What will you be doing this time tomorrow
morning?
Will / shall + perfective infinitive
This construction can be used to express an
action that has just finished before a given future
time.
-I will have completed the English course by this
time next year.

 Will / shall + perfective progressive infinitive

If an action has extended for a special length of

time before a given future moment and possibly

continues at that moment, we can use this
construction.
-At the end of this week I shall have been
studying in this country for exactly three years.

 3) be going to + infinitive
a) The uses of be going to + infinitive
This construction is usually used to express two

meanings: intention and prediction.

* In its first use, the be going to form implies
an intention of doing something in the near
future. The doer of the intended action is
generally the subject of the sentence, but in
some contexts it may also be implied or
realized by a different element, but with
personal intention.
-Next year we are going to spend our summer
vacation in Sydney.
-A house is going to be built there.

 In its second use, be going to can express the

speakers feeling of certainty or strong

probability. The time is usually not mentioned,
but the action is expected to happen in the near
or immediate future. It can be used with both
personal and non-personal subject.
-She is going to have a baby.
-It is going to rain.
-He is going to arrive late at the concert.
(context)
-He doesnt like music. He
-He hasnt yet had supper. He .

 b) Contrast between be going to and will

*A. Be going to: premeditated intention

Will: unpremeditated intention

-She has bought some cloth; she is going to
make herself a dress.
-Where is the telephone book? Ill get it for
you.

e.g. You shall obey / are to obey / *are going to

obey my orders!
(Im willing to let you obey my orders.)
She shant be / ?isnt to be / *isnt going to be
back late. (Im not willing to let her be back late)
*B. The both forms can express prediction.
Be going to: implying that there are signs that
something will happen
Will: implying what the speaker thinks or
believes will happen, no signs
-She is going to have a baby. (She is pregnant.)
-She will love her baby. (It is her baby.)

Look at the balck clouds

it *will rain / is going to rain.
4) Present progressive
The present progressive can express an action
that will happen in the near future according to
a present arrangement, plan, or program .
-What time are you coming back?
As a future form, the present progressive is
widely used with verbs of movement from one
place to another such as go, come, leave, start,
arrive, etc. and other dynamic verbs.
-We are leaving on Friday.

 When used to denote futurity, the future

reference must be clearly indicated.

-He is washing the dishes. (now, later)
Since both the be going to form and the
present progressive can be used to refer to a
future happening arising from the present
decision, the two forms are sometimes
interchangeable for future reference.
-She is getting married this winter.(=She is
going to get married this winter.)

We are going to invite / are inviting several

people to the party.
When expressing that something will probably
happen, we often use be going to.
-I feel dizzy. I think I am going to faint.
*I think I am fainting.

5) Be to + infinitive
1) As a form expressing futurity, this construction can
denotes a future happening based on a present plan
or arrangement. It is very much used in newspapers,
and in headlines with the verb be omitted to save
space.
-The line (is) to be open to traffic on October 1.
2) Another use of this construction is to convey orders,
instructions, or prohibitions; it can also connote
possibility or destiny.
-You are to stand here. Do you understand? (order)
-The football match is not to be played tonight.
(possibility)

 The future action expressed by be to + infinitive

is usually controlled by human will. In this case,

be to + infinitive and be going to can be used
interchangeably, but they have different
meanings.
-I am going to play football this afternoon.
(present intention)
-I am to play football this afternoon. (planned)
Be going to cannot be replaced by be to
+infinitive when expressing the action that is
not controlled by human will.
-He is going to be fat. *He is to be fat.
-It is going to rain. *It is to rain.

 Be about to +infinitive
This construction expresses an immediate

future and can be used interchangeably with

be on the point of + -ing participle and with
be just going to +infinitive.
-We are just about to leave.
-The talk is just about to begin.

 6) Simple present
a) The future use of the simple present is more

frequent in dependent, especially conditional

and temporal, clauses than in main clauses.
-If you try hard, well be able to finish the plan.
-Mr. Smith will telephone you as soon as he
returns.
b) In main clauses, the simple present refers to
an immutable future event predetermined by a
timetable or a schedule which is very definite
and unalterable.
-Tomorrow is my birthday.
-The term starts on September 1.

 For future reference, the simple present, just

like the present progressive, usually goes with

transitional verbs with the implication of a
plan or program already made, but the plan
implied by the simple present is more
impersonal than that by the present
progressive, and therefore, more fixed and
unalterable.

 One day I / you / he will die.

*One day he is going to die
I shall be 25 / *am

going to be 25 next week.

Come to the party.
Ok, I will bring / *bring /*am going to bring my
boyfriend.

 the simple present, the present progressive and

will + do
e.g. The match starts/is starting at 2 oclock.
We start / are starting for Istanbul tonight.

e.g. The exhibition closes / will close / *is

closing on Friday next week.
e.g. Tomorrow is / will be / *is being Saturday.
Next Christmas falls/will fall/ *is falling on a
Thursday.

Practice

Translate the following sentences:

1. Eu voi merge acasa.
2. Veti desena?
3. Diana won't sing.
4. The life will be beautiful.
5. Noi nu vom povesti (spune).
6. This cart will dissapear.
7. Unde veti locui?
8. Veti semna acolo?
9. My mother will come.
10. Nu voi mai face iar.
11. Va zbura? (el /ea, neutru)
12. I won't repeat.

Practice

Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses:
1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?
B: I (write) a letter to my friends back home in Texas.
2. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I (get) you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.
3. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I (turn) it up so you can hear it.
4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We (visit) Paris, Nice and Grenoble.
5. Sarah (come) to the party. Oliver (be) there as well.
6. Ted: It is so hot in here!
Sarah: I (turn) the air-conditioning on.
7. I think he (be) the next President of the United States.
8. After I graduate, I (attend) medical school and become a doctor. I have wanted to be a doctor all my life.
9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is simply too small for four people.
B: That man at the service counter (help) you.
10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk) down to the beach and go swimming.

THE END