Six ways to talk about the future

A few years ago, I was delivering a training session at a company in Noida (near Delhi, India), and the topic was talking about the future. I noted that the participants were using the same language, over and over again.

Tomorrow morning, we will be meeting the client. Then in the afternoon I will be going to the warehouse. In the evening, they will be preparing the report.

will be… will be… will be…

I know–whatever will be, will be.

How many ways can we talk about the future? Some say four, some say more. Interestingly, not many people know about them. That is why many say: will be.

It would be good for you to use different ways to talk about the future. This gives your language variety, allowing you to express different shades of meaning.

In grammar, there is a present tense and a past tense. There is no future tense. This is because there is no specific grammatical form for the future. Instead, we usually talk about the future time using verbs (will and shall) and grammatical structures from other tenses. For example, we could use the present simple to talk about the future.

Does that sound confusing? Read on and find out how.

The Future time

1. Will 

This is a common way to talk about the future. You say things like:

1. I will make breakfast.
2. I will send the PowerPoint slides in ten minutes.
3. I will call the manager to find out what is happening.

We use will when we talk about something that we decide to do at the moment of speaking.

When the Terminator says–I’ll be back–he is telling us what is on his mind, right now.

2. going to 

This may be a bit tricky.

Stand up. Stretch your arms. Take a deep breath. Sit down. Done? Now, read further.

There are two ways to use the phrase going to.

a. We use going to when we talk about something that has a good chance of happening.

For example, you see dark clouds. And you say, “It is going to rain.” You are making a prediction based on some evidence–those dark clouds.

Another example sentence is: He is going to fall.

There is some evidence suggesting that this event could occur. For example, he may be replying to a WhatsApp message while walking down the stairs.

b. We also use going to when we have made a decision in the past, and we are talking about it right now.

Confused? Don’t be. This example should help:

Monday 10 am

Priya: Let’s go for a movie this evening.

Natasha: That’s a good idea. I’ll see what’s playing.

Monday 3 pm

Zach: Hi there! Do you and Priya have any plans later today?

Natasha: Yes. We are going to watch a movie.

Here, Natasha is telling Zach about a decision that has been made in the past. And that is why she uses ‘going to’.

Let’s imagine, instead of the Terminator saying, ‘I’ll be back’, he says: I‘m going to be back.

What does that mean? It means that he has made a decision in the past and he is telling us about it right now.

Does that make sense?

Just nod your head in agreement. (It’s the Terminator we’re talking about here.)

If your answer is no or maybe, read Natasha’s dialogue again.

Still want more? Try the explanation from Cambridge dictionary.

3. Shall 

Shall is a lot like will. We use it to express a decision we make at the time of speaking.

Nowadays, in general, we don’t use shall that much. Having said that, there are some situations when shall works very well.

Picture this:

You are about to start a meeting at work. There is casual chatter in the room. You look around the table and ask:

“Shall we start?”

Isn’t that a polite, inclusive way to begin?

When you are participating in your next meeting (online or otherwise), see where you can insert a question with shall. For example, “Shall we move on to the next point?”

4. Present Continuous Tense

We use the present continuous tense to talk about plans or arrangements in the future that are already fixed or arranged.

This is an excellent way to talk about the future.

Remember those participants in my session in Noida? They kept on using–will be. Instead they could have said: Tomorrow morning, we are meeting the client. Doesn’t that sound pleasing to your ears? To me, that sounds smoother, more fluid than using will be.

Use the present continuous tense when talking about confirmed plans or arrangements.

This tense works well in a semi-formal / formal business environment.

To get you started, here are some examples:

I am making a presentation this Friday.

(This means that everything is set. The room has been reserved. The participants have been informed.)

We are leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow.

(This means that all arrangements–tickets, hotel accommodation, meetings with vendors–have been made.)

5. Present Simple Tense

We use the present simple to talk about fixed schedules.

For example: the train for Mumbai leaves at 11:00 am every day. This means that it will leave tomorrow at the same time as well.

You can also use the present simple tense when talking about major events in the future.

For example: The Shareholders’ Meeting starts at 9:00 am on 20 December.

If you have a major event in your personal life (the wedding reception is on ….) or in your profession life, use the the present simple tense.

6. Future continuous tense

We use the future continuous tense to talk about something going on at a particular time, or over a period of time, in the future.

For example:

Sam: Can we discuss the proposal tomorrow at 10?

Yoko: No, sorry… I’ll be meeting the sales team between 9 and 11 o’clock.

You can use the future continuous tense when explaining why you won’t be available at a particular time in the future.

What next?

I know that this post may be a bit of an overload. You have just read (or skimmed through) six different ways to talk about the future time.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, here is some advice:

• The next time you talk about the future, monitor yourself. Are you using will all the time? Or are there a lot of will be‘s ?
• Once you have identified a pattern, the next step is to see how you can enrich your language. In the next meeting you have, see whether you can use shall. For example, you could say: Shall we start the meeting?
• Take it easy. Don’t start using all six different ways in one go! Select one way. Use it five to ten times during different interactions / situations. And then move on to the next way. Slow and steady.

By talking about the future in different ways, you express yourself with more precision and clarity.

For more on the future time, read this post from British Council LearnEnglish.

Like to know more about grammar? How about learning about articles.