When talking about thoughts and feelings, we usually just use either the future with will or going to instead, because you don’t schedule a feeling or thought:
I’ll enjoy the party on Friday.
She’s going to love her birthday present!
English Articles
How to talk about the future with the present simple and the present continuous in English?
By: revel arroway, Isabel McKay Thu Sep 12 2024
EnglishVerbs
In English, we often talk about the future using verbs in the present simple and the present continuous, even though these are not “official” future tenses:
present simplepresent continuous
My plane arrives at six o'clock tonight.
I am going to the circus tomorrow.
Here are the main cases where we do this:
The present simple is used for talking about events in the future that are on a schedule.
The present continuous is used for a future event that is planned, certain, or about to happen.
In this post, we’ll take you through how and when you can use the present continuous and the present simple to tell us about your future. We’ll also show you the difference between the future with the present continuous and the future with going to! Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is the difference between the present simple and the present continuous?
Before we talk about how to use present tense verbs to talk about the future, let's review what we mean by the terms present continuous and present simple. There are some important differences between the two that you should keep in mind.
Tense: | ||
|---|---|---|
How to Form: | I / you / we / they + verb he / she / it + verb-s | I + am+ verb-ing you / they / we + are+ verb-ing he / she / it + is+ verb-ing |
Example: | I make pies. She makes pies. | I am making pies. We are making pies. She is making pies. |
When to use (for the present): | customs, habits, truths, facts, thoughts, feelings, and with stative verbs in the present | something happening while you speak, actions in progress |
When to use the present simple to talk about the future?
The present simple is used to talk about a scheduled future event or to talk about the future in a subordinate clause.
The present simple for a scheduled future
Use the present simple to talk about a future event that is scheduled on a calendar. Often, these are events that always happen at the same time, like a train or flight schedule, but it can be anything that you can predict by looking at a calendar or schedule. In these cases, the future has been recorded and is unlikely to change.
My flight leaves next Monday at 8:00am.
→ There is a regularly scheduled flight every Monday at 8:00 am.Sally opens her show at the Kit Kat Club this weekend!
→ That’s the first day she’s scheduled to sing at that club, make sure you buy tickets!This year, Christmas is on Sunday.
→ There’s no changing that! Next year will be a different day.The tide comes in at 4:30 this afternoon.
→ It’s true, the tide always comes in, and later today, it will come in at 4:30!
Tip
The present simple in a future subordinate clause
We also usually use the present simple to talk about the future in a subordinate clause (sentence within a sentence) that gives information about:
when something will happen
We’ll clean the house before Mom visits.
the conditions under which something will happen
We’ll clean the house if Mom visits tomorrow.
clauses that describe hopes about the future
I hope he cleans the house before Mom visits!
If you are describing a hope for the future, the future with will is also acceptable. There is no difference in meaning.
present simplefuture with will
✅She hopes that Paul arrives on time.
✅She hopes that Paul will arrive on time.
But in clauses that describe when something will happen (subordinate clauses of time) and clauses that describe the conditions when something will happen (conditional clauses), you generally cannot use the future with will, which is why we use the present tense instead:
✅I’ll be so happy when we get there!
❌I’ll be so happy when wewill getthere!✅If he reads my message, he’ll know the meeting is canceled.
❌If hewill readmy message, he’ll know the meeting is canceled.
Tip
You can use other present tenses in the subordinate clause as well, but this is not as common. Read on to learn more!
Important
Remember, you can use the future with will in some other kinds of subordinate clauses!
I won’t come to the party, because I’ll be too tired.
→ gives a reasonJohn wonders when the pizza will arrive.
→ the clause describes what John wonders
When to use the present continuous to talk about the future?
When we use the present continuous, we are always talking about a future that we have planned in advance. We can use the present continuous for planned future actions that we are 99.99 percent sure are going to happen.
We are leaving at 6 tonight.
→ We have all decided to leave at 6.My dad is making the turkey for Thanksgiving this year.
→ My dad volunteered already to make the turkey.I’m not coming to dinner this Saturday.
→ I am certain I will not come.
Tip
Because the present continuous is used in both the present and the future, it’s important to remember to use a time marker like tomorrow, next week, next month, or in January to let your listener know when you are talking about the future.
You’ve now learned the basics! Read on if you want a more advanced look into using the present to talk about the future.
Can you use the present continuous in a future subordinate clause?
There are a few situations where it is acceptable or even better to use the present continuous in a future subordinate clause.
You can use the present continuous in a time clause if the action in the main clause is going to happen at the same time as the action in the subordinate clause.
- present continuouspresent simple
✅I’ll entertain the guests while my mom is finishing dinner.
✅I'll entertain the guests while my mom finishes dinner.→ No real difference between these two! - present continuouspresent simple
❌I’ll entertain the guests after I am finishing dinner.
✅I'll entertain the guests after I finish dinner.→ The actions don’t happen at the same time: use present simple
In other kinds of subordinate clauses, the present continuous can be used if you are discussing an official plan.
- present continuouspresent simple
If Patricia is coming on Monday, I’ll need to buy three tickets.
→ Someone told me Patricia plans to come. I am not certain she will, but I will still buy the tickets.If Patricia comes on Monday, I’ll need to buy three tickets.
→ Patricia might come, so I am making a plan just in case. - present continuouspresent simple
I hope Leon is doing the project this weekend.
→ I hope Leon has planned ahead to do it.I hope Leon does the project this weekend.
→ I hope Leon will get it done.Tip
A clause describing a hope can use the future with will, with the present simple, or with the present continuous! There is just a slight difference in meaning. To learn more about the verb hope and some similar verbs in English, check out our post on expressing hopes and desires in English!
You can use the future with going to in the same situations!
Future with the present continuous vs. ‘going to’?
The future with the present continuous and the future with going to have almost the same meaning. Just like the future with the present continuous, the future using the expression going to also means that you have already made plans about the future.
So, why do we sometimes use the present continuous instead? Here are some of the differences:
The future with the present continuous sounds more like an official, scheduled plan that people know about. The future with going to is more neutral.
present continuousfuture with going toI'm visiting my mother on Monday.
→ My mother probably knows that it is happening; we have probably chosen a time.I'm going to visit my mother on Monday.
→ I know the visit will happen sometime on Monday.The future with the present continuous shows more emotional connection to the future plan (excitement, dread, anticipation, etc.). The future with going to is more neutral.
present continuousfuture with going toThe teacher is returning our tests tomorrow.
→ Sounds like you are a little nervous or excited or have been waiting for your grade for a long time.The teacher is going to return our tests tomorrow.
→ I believe that the teacher will return our tests sometime today.
An example with a variety of English future tenses
Let’s look at an example of how to use the different future tenses in English (future with will, with going to, with the present continuous, and with the present simple) all together!
Muriel is planning a trip to Valencia, Spain. She is very excited about her trip; she spends every day thinking and talking about it. Look at Muriel writing on her personal blog about her plans. As you read, make a note of which future tense she uses and think about why she is using that tense!
Muriel’s blog post about her plans for Valencia
present continuouspresent simplefuture with willfuture with going to
Hey friends! I’m so excited! I’m flying to Spain next month! I’m visiting the beautiful city of Valencia, on the southern east coast, on the Mediterranean sea.
I work until Saturday the week before the trip. My plane leaves on Monday really late at night, at 11:00pm. Let’s hope the metal detector doesn't catch my tooth implants!
The plane lands in Valencia 14 hours later, at 10 pm Spain time. I’ll probably feel really sleepy when I arrive because I won't sleep on the flight. I’m not getting jet lag this time!
I’m planning on visiting the city, mainly. I have a friend in Valencia and she’s going to show me around the most important parts of the city.
I have tickets for the opera at the Palau de les artes Reina Sofía and my friend and I are going to see La Traviata. I will love the opera, I am sure. The show starts at 10 pm; that’s a lot later than in the US!
Valencia is famous for its night life, mainly having tapas at a terrace restaurant. Every night I’m there I’m trying a different restaurant.
The city gets busy in August because it’s summer and in the summer people go out at night because it’s not as hot.
I’m flying back after two weeks. I’ll probably feel very tired, but I’m not looking forward to coming home and going back to work!!
Did you figure out why she used each future tense? Here were a few of the tricky ones:
Muriel used the present simple for an action that is not on a schedule in this sentence:
Let’s hope the metal detector doesn’t catch my tooth implants!
This is because she is hoping about the future, so she can use the present simple instead of the future with will!
Muriel used the future with will to talk about her future feelings a few times:
I’ll probably feel really sleepy…
I will love the opera…Remember that we usually talk about future feelings with will, and not with the present tense!
Muriel used the future with will in this subordinate clause:
…because I won’t sleep.
Remember that in many subordinate clauses you can use the future with will!
Summing up
Remember, in English we have many different ways to talk about the future besides the “official” futures you learn in English class:
Use the present continuous to talk about the future when you are 99.99 percent sure that the future action will happen.
Use the present simple when the future action is scheduled.
We also often use the present tense to talk about the future in a subordinate clause.
Ready to put this information to use? Take a look at the special future with the present tense activity we’ve prepared for you for some additional practice.
