Learn English Tenses: FUTURE SIMPLE with “will”

646

Hi, I'm Rebecca.

In this class, you will learn the easiest way to talk about the future in English, and

that is by using the word "will".

When we use the word "will", we are, in fact, using the future simple tense.

This class is part of a series created by www.engvid.com to help you master all of the

English verb tenses step by step so that you can communicate more fluently in English.

So, when we talk about the future, what do we mean?

We're talking about anything that happens after now.

For example, it could be something that happens five minutes now from now or 50 years from

All of that is the future.

And in English, we have many tenses and ways to talk about the future.

Some of them are basic, and some of them are more advanced.

So, let's start by looking at some basic ways to talk about the future in English.

So, three basic ways are by using the phrase "going to", by using the present continuous

for the future, or by using "will", which is what our class today is going to be focusing

So, how can we think about this?

Let's look up here first.

If you're talking about some formal situation, something more official and formal in business,

in academics, or even in a social situation with someone you don't know very well, for

example, if it's formal, it's very easy.

Then, all you do is you use "will" to talk about the future, okay?

Now, what if the situation is a little more informal?

Either when you're speaking if when you're writing, same thing here.

In speaking and writing, if it's formal, we're going to use "will", but if it's an informal

situation, maybe it's more casual, it's more friendly, it's with people that you know,

then you have to consider two points: is the thing you're talking about, the action, is

it something that is planned in advance?

Or is it something unplanned and happening at the moment of speaking?

Let me explain.

So, if it's planned, then we would use this phrase "going to", or we would use present

For example, we might say "I'm going to meet John tomorrow.", because you have a plan to

You may have an appointment to do that.

Or you could say "I'm meeting John tomorrow.".

Same thing, okay?

It's planned in advance, but if it's unplanned, that means what?

What do we mean by unplanned?

It just came up.

Let's suppose you're at a meeting and someone says "Hey, could you meet John tomorrow?",

and you say "Okay, I'll meet John tomorrow.".

So, you just decided at the moment of speaking, and it's an informal situation because you

So then, we can use "will" and of course, as we already said, if it's a formal situation,

then we use "will".

Planned, unplanned, doesn't matter, it's a formal situation, then we would say something

like "I will meet Mr. Williams tomorrow.", okay?

So, this is your basic overview and, of course, we'll be looking at all of this in more detail

so you really understand it very well and can use it correctly yourself.

Now, let's look at when we can use the future simple tense in real life.

As you know, we can use it in formal situations.

For example: The ceremony will begin at 8:00.

Okay, it's an official ceremony, maybe it's an awards ceremony, a graduation ceremony,

so it's something formal and official, so we can use it in that context, right?

The ceremony will begin, there's our future.

We can use it in planned events.

For example, you call to make an appointment and the receptionist says "Okay, the doctor

will see you at 3:00.", so this is something that's planned.

It's an appointment, right?

The doctor will see, alright?

We can also use it very often to talk about business.

For example: ABC Company will open a new factory, alright?

Here we have "will open", so this is like an official announcement.

It's a little more formal, right?

So, we see that, we see "will" being used in its full form.

Next, we can also use it when predicting something about the future.

For example: Experts say food prices will rise.

We see here, "will rise".

They're making a prediction about what might happen in the future.

We can also use it, as we saw, for informal situation.

For example: I'll call you later.

Now we see that when it's informal we're using that contraction, we'll look at that more

in a short while, but you can notice it here: I'll call you later.

Same thing in formal, right?

You can also use it for something that's not planned in advance informally.

For example: Hey, I'll give you a ride to the subway.

Let's suppose you and your colleague are just stepping out of the office and suddenly it

starts pouring rain or there's a big snowstorm and you have a car and your colleague doesn't,

so you say "Hey, I'll give", okay?

Next, you can use it for ordering food.

For example, when you order foo din a restaurant, you don't always decide in advance what you're

going to order, you look at the menu, you see what you feel like, and then you order

So, you're kind of making that decision on the spot.

So, you might say something like "I'll have a small cheese pizza."

I'll have, okay?

So, we can use it, as I said, to talk about like, the immediate future, right away, because

you're ordering right now.

You can also use it when you're promising something about the future.

For example: I'll return your book tomorrow.

Next, you can use it when you're offering something.

For example: I'll help you finish the report.

I see that you've got a lot of work left.

Hey, I'll help you finish the report, okay?

Next, we can also use it lots of times to talk about possibility.

We're not sure, but it's possible that something will happen or that we will do something.

For example: Maybe I'll take a break and watch a movie tonight.

Maybe somebody's been studying very hard or working very hard and they just want to relax,

and they say you know what?

Maybe I'll take a break.

So, this "maybe" is possibility.

Uncertainty about the future, so then also we can use the future simple tense.

Now, let's look at how we form the future simple tense and I really think you're going

to love this part because it's so easy.

Let's see how it's done.

So, I've divided the board into three for positive sentences, negative sentences, and

So, the basic structure that you're going to follow for a positive sentence is that

you take the subject, which is I, You, We, They, He, She, It, etc., + will + the verb

in its base form.

That's the interesting part.

You don't have to change the verb at all.

In many languages, in the future tense, you have to change the entire verb, sometimes

for every different subject, but in English, no, you don't.

This is one of those times when English is actually easier than many other languages.

So, let's see how to do it.

So, in a positive sentence, we would say "I will work.", alright?

This is our base form of the verb and all we're doing is we're taking the subject, we're

using "will" before it, and the verb doesn't change.

You say it after me: I will work.

They will work.

And, it will work.

That's basically it.

Now, what happens when we make it negative?

It's very simple.

We're just adding the word "not", okay?

I will not work.

He will not work.

They will not work tomorrow.

Then, to make a question, we have to change the order.

So, we say "Will I work tomorrow?"

Will they work?

Will it work tomorrow?

So, that's the question.

You're just changing the order, but there are not - there are no other special changes.

That's basically it, it's really as straightforward and simple as you could wish.

Now, here are some other points to keep in mind when we're using this tense.

Very often, we can use some expressions before this.

You don't have to, but you can.

For example, you could say "I think they will work tomorrow.", or I believe he'll work tomorrow.

I suppose she'll work tomorrow, or I imagine we will work tomorrow.

I don't know, I don't think it's a holiday.

I imagine that we will work tomorrow, like that, okay?

Or you could also make it negative.

For example: I don't think they will work tomorrow because it's a holiday.

So, you can do that.

I don't think, I don't believe, and so on.

But again, do you have to use this?

No, you don't have to.

You can just use these and that's fine.

Now, one other point, instead of "will not work", you're going to see that we can also

use some contractions.

We'll learn more about that soon, but a very common and necessary contraction for "will

not" is "won't".

So instead of saying "I will not work.", especially if it's informal, right?

Then we'll just say, "I won't work.", alright?

He won't work tomorrow.

She won't work.

We'll look at that again very soon.

And, before questions, sometimes we add question words.

For example, we could say: Where will they work?

When will they work?

How long will they work?

So, if you do that, then just put that word here, like "Where will he work?", okay?

That's it, alright?

Now, one other question that I get very often when we start learning "will" is "What about

I've heard that we can say 'shall' sometimes instead of 'will'."

Well, it's like this: usually in sentences, okay, positive or negative, we don't - in

North America, we don't really use "shall" in the sentence instead of "will".

We do not usually say "I shall go there.", because it sounds very formal and very official

and very - a little bit old fashioned.

A little bit like Shakespeare, which is wonderful, but it's not really used, so I would not encourage

you to use it in sentences or in negative sentences.

What we do sometimes, though, is we use it to create kind of a polite question.

So, we could say, for example, only with "I" or "we", you could ask somebody "Shall I order?"

Shall I order dinner?

It's just like a polite way of asking about something in the future or "Shall I bring

some dessert when I come to your house?" or "Shall we dance?" or "Shall we begin?", like

"Shall we begin the lesson?"

We do use it in questions like this, very polite questions, but really not anywhere

And that's basically how it works.

Remember that you can also do the same thing with irregular verbs, okay?

It doesn't matter, because the verb isn't going to change, right?

So, you could say "I will go", like "go" is an irregular verb, but you don't need to change

it at all, just keep the base form of the verb.

I will go, I won't go, Will they go?

Same thing, alright?

And that's how you form this tense.

Now, let's look at when and how to use contractions with the future simple tense.

So, first of all, when do we not use them?

We do not use contractions or shortened forms when we're speaking or writing formally.

For example, here, these are formal examples.

Dr. Johnson will speak at the conference.

It's a positive sentence, it's a formal sentence, so we do not and should not shorten it or

And this example: The manager will not complete the reports.

Also formal, more official, it's negative but it doesn't matter because it's formal.

So, when it's formal or academic or needs to be very businesslike, then do not use contractions.

So, when can we use contractions?

When we're speaking or writing informally.

So, how do we do it?

So, instead of saying "I will be on time.", we join together the words "I will" and it

becomes "I'll".

Say it after me: I'll be on time.

You'll be on time.

We'll be on time.

They'll be time.

He'll be on time.

She'll be on time, and It'll be on time.

It will be on time.

So, all of these are contractions for the subject + will.

Shortened and contracted.

Now, we can do the same thing with the negative form.

Instead of saying "I will not", we can say what?

Say it after me: I won't.

I won't be on time.

Oh, sorry, I won't be late.

I will be on time, but I won't be late.

You won't be late.

We won't be late.

They won't be late.

He won't be late.

She won't be late, and It won't be late.

It's important that you pronounce this word correctly.

Don't say it like the verb "want", it's not "want", it's "won't".

Say it again: won't.

So, make sure you're pronouncing it correctly in terms of the "o" and also make sure you're

saying the "tuh" sound, the "t" sound at the end.

And, of course, you could use these with all kinds of verbs.

Here, we used the verb "be".

I won't be, I will be, but we could say "I'll call you later.", "I'll talk to you later.",

"I'll see you later."

These are very common words and expressions that we use every day using contractions.

Now, let's look at how to give short answers in the future simple tense.

So, when do we give short answers?

When someone asks a question, we don't have to repeat everything they said, we just answer

in short, like this.

So, if someone says, "Will he be in Madrid tomorrow?", you could say "Yes, he will.",

or, if it's formal, "No, he will not.", or informally, "No, he won't.", alright?

So, it's really easy to know how to give this short answer.

If it's positive, we just take it from the question itself.

And if it's negative, you're still going to use the negative contraction: No, he won't,

or No, he will not, only if it's formal, okay?

Let's look at another example: Will the flight arrive on time?

So, you could say what?

"Yes, it will", or "No, it won't".

Now, what's important to notice here is that when it's positive, we cannot use any contraction.

And the same here, in any example, whenever it's a positive answer, then no contraction.

If it's a negative answer, yes, you can contract it.

You can shorten it.

Let's look at the last example: Will you invite a lot of people to your party?

So, you could say "Yes, I will", or "No, I won't."

Again, no contraction is possible for the positive answer.

And look, for most of these, you can also take the subject from the question itself,

Will the flight arrive?

The only time you need to change the subject is if they ask about you, because you can't

say "Yes, you".

They're asking about you, so they say, "Will you invite a lot of people?" and you say "Yes,

I will" or "No, I won't".

Now, let's practice what you've learned.

We'll make some positive sentences, some negative ones, and then some questions.

Let's get started.

Number one: I _____________ (give) you the recipe.

So, how would we express that in the future simple tense?

I - what do we put?

Will give you the recipe, okay?

I told you, it's really simple.

We don't have to change the verb, we're just basically adding what?

So, number two: Don't worry, you ___________ (pass) the exam.

What will it be?

Don't worry, you will pass the exam.

That's it, that's all.

Number three: The bank ___________ (close) at 5:00.

The bank will close at 5:00.

So, that was positive, okay?

We were making positive sentences.

Now, let's take these verbs and let's make this entire sentence negative.

The store __________ (deliver) on Sunday.

And let's use a contraction.

The store - what do we say?

Won't deliver on Sunday.

We could have also said "The store will not deliver on Sunday.", but basically, the verb

stays the same.

Next, number five: He ____________ (be) home until 11:00.

What would it be?

He - let's use the contraction again - he won't be home until 11:00.

We could also say what?

He will not be home until 11:00.

Alright, number six: I _________ (have) time tomorrow.

Make it negative.

I - use the contraction - I won't have time tomorrow.

Or, I will not have time tomorrow.

Okay, wonderful.

You're doing great.

Now, let's make some questions.

________ they ________ (make) an announcement?

Remember with the questions, we have to change the order.

So, which word do we use first?

Will they make an announcement?

Will they make, not they will make, but will they make, alright?

That's how we form the question.

Number eight: _______ she _______ (get) the job?

How do we make the question?

Will she get the job?

And the last one is actually the title of a famous song.

Let's see if you can figure it out.

_______ you still _____ (love) me tomorrow?

So, what will it be?

Will you still love me tomorrow?

So, there you go.

You've practiced positive sentences, negative sentences, and questions.

Now, let's look at some common mistakes to be careful of when using the future simple

So, the first one is with the word "will" itself.

Let's read the sentence and you can help me correct it.

This person wanted to talk about the future, but they wrote "They meet you at the hotel.".

So, what's wrong there?

The "will" was missing.

Where does it belong?

They will meet you at the hotel.

So, don't forget to write "will", alright?

That's the first point.

Second, sometimes mistakes are made in the contraction.

Let's look at this one: Well be home soon.

Right now, if I were just to read it, it would read like that.

Well be home soon.

But it should be - because this person wanted to say, "We will be home soon", but they wanted

to use the contraction, so what's wrong there?

Right now, it doesn't look like a contraction, so we need to add the apostrophe: We'll be

So, make sure you spell it correctly, the contraction, and also pronounce it correctly.

We'll be home soon, okay?

The next one is, again, a spelling mistake.

It's possible, okay?

So, this student wrote "The kids want to go to sleep.", but that's not what the person

was trying to say.

They wanted to say, "The kids will not go to sleep" and they want to use the contraction,

but they didn't use the right word.

The word is not "want", it should be what?

So, if you're using the contraction, make sure you don't say "want", say "won't", and

then make sure it's spelled correctly as well.

Now, here's another point.

We didn't cover this point before, but it's really important and you'll get it.

It's not hard to understand.

It's also a common mistake because in many languages, it is possible to write like this,

but in English, it's not possible to do this.

So here, we're talking about conditional sentences.

Type one conditional sentences, okay, if you're looking it up in a grammar book, you can check

So, what happens in these kind of sentences, we're talking about real possible situations

in the future, alright?

And the sentence often has two parts.

Let's read it first with the mistake: If I will visit Greece, I will call you.

Now, in many languages, both parts of these sentences, both clauses, can be in the future

The "if" clause + the main clause.

But in English, no.

I'm sorry, we can't do that.

So, in the "if" clause, the "if" part of the sentence, we cannot use "will".

We have to use just present simple.

So, the correct version of this sentence would be "If I visit Greece, I will call you.",

Now, what am I saying?

I'm saying you have to change the "if" part of the sentence, not the first part of the

sentence or the second part of the sentence, just wherever the "if" clause is.

For example, if I switch the sentence around, I could say "I will call you if I will visit

That's also wrong.

This time, the sentence started with the main clause "I will call you", that's fine, but

in the "if" clause, the "if" part of the sentence, again, we cannot use that "will".

We cannot use future in the "if" part of the sentence or the conditional part of the sentence,

So, remember that because it's quite possible that, in your language, it is completely correct

to do it the way it was on the board, but in English, it's not.

Now, what's also important to remember that it's not only with the word "if", it's any

kind of word that creates a condition.

For example: when.

When I visit Greece, I will call you.

As soon as I visit Greece, I will call you.

All of these are conditional words.

Or, Before I visit Greece, I will call you.

Or, After I visit Greece, I will call you, okay?

And again, remember the order doesn't matter, what matters is if it is a conditional sentence,

So, these are some of the most common mistakes and be careful of them when you are speaking

and writing with the future simple tense.

To review, you know the future simple tense when you know when to use it and how to use

it, all of which you have been learning during this class.

So, by now, you should be able to make what?

A positive sentence, a negative sentence, a question, easily and comfortably in English.

Let's look at the last example.

Let's say someone has gone to the supermarket and then you say, "He will return soon."

Our positive sentence.

Or, "He will not return soon.

He has a lot of shopping to do", or we can contract that and say, "He won't return soon."

Or we can make a question: "Will he return soon?" or "When will he return?"

"What time will he return?".

When you can form these kinds of sentences and questions easily and comfortably, you've

So, remember, if you feel comfortable with this and you feel you've understood everything,

then that's fine.

If you need a little more practice, go back, watch the lesson again, pay attention to any

parts you need to review, and try to make some sentences about your life, about what's

going on around you.

What will you do tomorrow?

Write about that, talk about it, use it to describe things happening around you.

When you're ready, you can go on to the next tense in this series, which is actually also

about the future, remember I told you we can also use "going to" and the present continuous

for the future?

That's the next class in this series.

How to use the future for informal communication, alright?

And, if you'd like a little more practice on this one, the future simple with "will",

you can go to www.engvid.com to do a quiz there, alright?

So, thanks very much for watching, and all the best with your English.