Simple Future Tense

What is Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense is used to talk about things that will happen in the future. It is formed by adding the helping verb "will" to the base form of the verb.

The simple future tense is used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. 

How do you form the Simple Future Tense?

In English, the simple future tense is usually formed using the auxiliary verb "will" followed by the base form of the main verb. However, in some cases, the auxiliary verb "shall" can also be used.

For example:

I will go to the store.

She will eat her lunch.

They will play basketball.

Some more examples of the simple future tense in action:

I will eat breakfast tomorrow.

You will pass the exam if you study hard.

She will go to the movies with her friends.

We will travel to Paris next month.

They will finish their project by the end of the week.

Note that in the negative form, "will not" is used instead of "will", and in the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is moved to the beginning of the sentence:

Negative form:

I will not eat breakfast tomorrow.

You will not pass the exam if you don't study hard.

Interrogative form:

Will she go to the movies with her friends?

Will we travel to Paris next month?

It's important to note that the simple future tense is often used with time expressions such as "tomorrow", "next week", "in two months", etc., to indicate when the action or event will happen.

So, how do you form the Simple Future Tense?

To form the simple future tense, you need to use the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall" followed by the base form of the main verb. 

Here's the formula for forming the simple future tense:

Subject + will/shall + base form of the main verb

For example:

I will travel to Paris next month.

They shall not pass this exam.

She will study harder for the test.

We will finish our homework by 6 PM.

As you can see, the subject always comes first, followed by the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall" and then the base form of the main verb.

Note that in the negative form, "will not" is used instead of "will," and in the interrogative form, the auxiliary verb is moved to the beginning of the sentence:

Negative form

I will not travel to Paris next month.

They shall not be able to attend the conference.

Interrogative form

Will she study harder for the test?

Will we finish our homework by 6 PM?

It's also important to note that in some cases, "shall" can be used instead of "will", particularly in formal or legal contexts. However, "will" is much more common in everyday conversation.

Some more examples of the simple future tense:

Affirmative

They will arrive at the airport at 3 PM.

I will buy a new car next year.

She will graduate from college in two years.

We will have a party on Saturday.

Negative

He will not be able to attend the meeting.

They will not go on vacation this year.

She will not cook dinner tonight.

I will not forget your birthday next week.

Interrogative

Will you come to the party tonight?

Will they finish the project on time?

Will it rain tomorrow?

Will she pass the exam?

Use of "going to"

I am going to take a vacation next month.

They are going to start a new business soon.

She is going to buy a new house next year.

We are going to watch a movie tonight.

Use of present continuous

I am meeting my friends for lunch tomorrow.

They are flying to New York next week.

She is taking a yoga class later today.

We are having a meeting at 2 PM.

Remember that the simple future tense is used to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. You can use it to make predictions, talk about plans or arrangements, or simply describe things that you expect to happen in the future.

Some more details about the simple future tense

Use of "will" and "shall" as auxiliary verbs

As I mentioned earlier, "will" is the most common auxiliary verb used to form the simple future tense in English. However, in some cases, "shall" can also be used to indicate the future, particularly in formal or legal contexts. For example:

I shall meet you at the station at 7 PM.

We shall not tolerate any kind of discrimination.

Use of contractions

In spoken English, it's very common to use contractions with "will" to form the simple future tense. Instead of saying "I will," you can say "I'll." Similarly, instead of saying "will not," you can say "won't." For example:

I'll call you later.

They won't be able to come to the party.

Use of "going to" for future plans

Another way to talk about future plans or intentions is to use "going to" followed by the base form of the main verb. This is commonly used for plans that have already been made or decisions that have already been taken. For example:

I'm going to visit my grandparents next weekend.

They're going to start a new business next year.

Use of present continuous for future arrangements

In some cases, the present continuous tense can be used to talk about future arrangements or plans that have already been made. For example:

I'm meeting my boss tomorrow morning.

They're flying to New York next week.

Overall, the simple future tense is an important tense to master in English, as it's used frequently in everyday conversation and writing to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future.

What are some common time expressions used with the simple future tense?

There are many time expressions that are commonly used with the simple future tense to indicate when an action or event will happen. Here are some of the most common time expressions:

Tomorrow

I will see you tomorrow.

They will arrive tomorrow morning.

Next week/month/year

We will start the project next week.

She will have a birthday party next month.

In + a specific period of time

He will finish his homework in an hour.

They will be back in two days.

By + a specific time

I will finish my work by 5 PM.

We will have dinner ready by 7 PM.

Soon

She will be home soon.

They will announce the winner soon.

Later

He will call you later.

We will discuss this later.

In the future

We will have more time in the future.

She will be a doctor in the future.

Remember that time expressions are used to indicate when an action or event will happen in the future. So, when you use the simple future tense, it's important to include a time expression to provide context and clarity about when you expect the action or event to occur.

How to form questions using simple future tense

To form questions using the simple future tense, you need to invert the subject and the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall". 

Here's the formula for forming questions in the simple future tense:

Will/Shall + subject + base form of the main verb?

For example:

Will you come to the party tonight?

Shall we start the meeting now?

Will they finish the project on time?

Will she pass the exam?

As you can see, the auxiliary verb "will" or "shall" comes first, followed by the subject, and then the base form of the main verb. The question is indicated by the use of a question mark at the end of the sentence. 

Note that when using "shall" in questions, it's more common to use it with "I" or "we" to make suggestions or offers, rather than to ask about the future. For example:

Shall we go to the beach this weekend?

Shall I help you with your luggage?

In addition, when forming negative questions in the simple future tense, you can use "won't" instead of "will" not. 

Here's the formula for forming negative questions in the simple future tense:

Won't + subject + base form of the main verb?

For example:

Won't you come to the party tonight?

Won't they finish the project on time?

In negative questions, the auxiliary verb "won't" comes first, followed by the subject, and then the base form of the main verb.

Remember that questions are used to ask about actions or events that will happen in the future. When using the simple future tense, it's important to use the correct word order and intonation to indicate that you are asking a question.

Certainly! Here are some examples of negative questions in the simple future tense:

Won't he be arriving tomorrow?

Won't they be taking the day off next week?

Won't she be attending the meeting this afternoon?

Won't you be joining us for dinner tonight?

Won't it be raining later?

In these examples, the negative question is formed by using "won't" instead of "will" and placing it before the subject. The base form of the main verb comes after the subject. The intonation for negative questions typically rises at the end of the sentence, just like with affirmative questions.

Negative questions are often used to express surprise, doubt, or uncertainty about something that is expected to happen in the future. They can also be used to confirm a negative assumption or to express a negative expectation.

Remember that when using negative questions in the simple future tense, it's important to use the proper word order and intonation to convey the intended meaning.

How to form negative sentences using simple future tense

To form negative sentences using the simple future tense, you need to use the auxiliary verb "will not" or the contraction "won't" followed by the base form of the main verb. 

Here's the formula for forming negative sentences in the simple future tense:

Subject + will not/won't + base form of the main verb

For example:

I will not travel to Paris next month.

They won't be able to attend the conference.

She will not cook dinner tonight.

We will not forget your birthday next week.

As you can see, the subject comes first, followed by the auxiliary verb "will not" or "won't", and then the base form of the main verb.

Note that "will not" is the formal way of expressing the negative form, while "won't" is the contracted form that is commonly used in informal speech.

It's important to remember that when forming negative sentences in the simple future tense, you need to use "not" after the auxiliary verb "will" or the contraction "won't" to indicate negation.

Negative sentences are used to express that something will not happen in the future. They can be used to express a lack of intention, an expectation or prediction that something will not occur, or a prohibition or warning against a future action.

Here are some examples of negative sentences in the simple future tense:

I will not forget to call you tomorrow.

They won't be taking any more orders tonight.

She will not be attending the party.

We will not be able to finish the project on time.

Remember to use the correct form of the auxiliary verb and the base form of the main verb when forming negative sentences in the simple future tense.

Here are some more examples of negative sentences in the simple future tense:

I will not be able to attend the meeting tomorrow.

They won't finish the construction work on time.

She will not travel alone to the new city.

We will not have enough time to complete the project before the deadline.

He will not buy a new car this year.

The concert won't start until 9 PM.

The company will not launch the new product until next year.

They won't be able to come to the party because of their prior engagement.

She will not let her children watch too much TV.

We will not forget to lock the door before leaving the house.

In these examples, the negative sentence is formed by using "will not" or "won't" before the base form of the main verb. The subject comes first, followed by the auxiliary verb and then the base form of the main verb.

Negative sentences are used to express a lack of intention, a prediction or expectation that something will not happen, or a prohibition or warning against a future action. It's important to use the correct form of the auxiliary verb and the base form of the main verb when forming negative sentences in the simple future tense.

Summary

Overall, the simple future tense is an important tense to master in English, as it's used frequently in everyday conversation and writing to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. It's important to note that the simple future tense is not the only way to talk about the future in English. Other verb tenses, such as the future continuous and the future perfect, can also be used to express different aspects of future events or actions.