Future Indefinite (Simple) Tense

The future simple tense is used to express actions in the future. There are 2 ways to express the future simple tense: will and going to.

The future simple tense using will:

– The affirmative case.

– The negative case.

– The interrogative case.

the future simple tense using going to:

– The affirmative case.

– The negative case.

– The interrogative case.

Future simple tense using will

The affirmative future simple tense using will:

It consists of will + infinitive

For example:

• Jack will go to the airport tomorrow.
• Certainly, I will clean my room in the evening.

The negative future simple tense using will:

The subject + will not (won’t) + infinitive

For example:

• I think Sony won’t leave the town next week.
• The queen will not appear to the public this year.

The interrogative future simple tense using will:

How to make questions using the future simple tense:

will + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + ( the infinitive) + the rest of the sentence?

For example:

The question: Will John send flowers tomorrow?

The answer: Yes, he will / No, he will not.

Note: questions made with question words (how, when, where, why, etc,) are constructed as follows:

Question word + will + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + ( the infinitive) + the rest of the sentence?

For example:

The question: When will you go to the cinema?

The answer: I will go to the cinema tonight.

Future simple tense using going to

The affirmative future simple tense using going to:

It consists of :

“To be + going to + infinitive”

I + am + going to + infinitive

He, she, it + is + going to + infinitive

We, you, they + are+ going to + infinitive

For example:

• Jack is going to go to the airport tomorrow, everything is planned.
• I am going to clean my room in the evening.
• My friends are going to play a match next week, we arranged it together.

The negative future simple tense:

The subject + to be + not + going to + infinitive

For example:

• Sony is not going to leave the town next week.
• The queen and the king are not going to appear to the public this year.

The interrogative present simple tense:

How to make questions using the present simple tense:

To be + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + going to + infinitive + the rest of the sentence?

For example:

The question: Is John going to send flowers tomorrow?

The answer: Yes, he is going to send flowers tomorrow/ No, he is not going to send flowers tomorrow.

Note: questions made with question words (how, when, where, why, etc,) are constructed as follows:

Question word + to be + the subject (noun/ pronoun) + going to +        ( the infinitive) + the rest of the sentence?

For example:

The question: When are  you going to go to the cinema?

The answer: I am going to go to the cinema tonight.

The question: Why are the teachers going to have a party next week?

The answer: They are going to have a party next week because it is the end of the scholar year.

Both will and going to + infinitive are used to express the future simple tense but each one of them has different usages than the other. In this article, we would like to introduce to you a simple guide to let you differentiate between them.

1. When to use will + infinitive

2. When to use going to + infinitive

First, will + infinitive

In the future simple tense, we use will + infinitive in the following cases:

1. To make a prediction (based on no evidence)

For example:

I think Marry will come again tomorrow.

2. To talk about facts that accepts no discussions.

For example:

Next Monday, Nickolas will be 31.

3. To make immediate decisions at the moment of speech.

For example:

• Tom: The weather is hot in here.
• Romeo: I will open the window.

4. To make a threat or a promise.

For example:

• My father promises he will give me a car when I graduate from high school.
• My father will punish me if I fail in my last year at high school.

5. To ask for a request/ make an offer.

For example:

• Will you help me cook the food?
• I will help you carry these bags.

Important notes:

Will/ won’t + infinitive comes with the following verbs, adverbs and expressions:

expect, predict, promise, think, believe,  I am afraid, suppose, probably, certainly, perhaps, maybe, certainly.

For example:

He will probably ask for money.

Second, going to + infinitive

In the future simple tense, we use going to + infinitive in the following cases:

1. To make a prediction (based on evidence)

For example:

There are no tomatoes in the kitchen, my mother is going to buy some.

2. To talk about: intentions, arrangements and plans.

For example:

• I am going to travel to London soon.
• Everything is arranged, we are going to marry next month.

Important notes:

Going to + infinitive comes with the verbs and expressions of the following words: decide to, intend to, plan to.

For example:

I am going to quit my job, I have decided.