Present Continuous

Future events that are already planned and decided, when a date and/or a place have been chosen.​

• ​I’m seeing the dentist at 6.

• We are getting married next week.

• I’m flying to New York tomorrow morning.

be going to

We can also use be going to for future arrangements.

• I’m going to play tennis with Elisabeth today.

Present continuous vs be going to

We can normally use both present continuous and going to to talk about future plans, but the present continuous emphasises the fact that we have already decided a place and/or time, whereas be going to emphasises our intention to do something.

• I’m going to have a drink after work. (=it’s my intention)

• I’m having a drink with some colleagues after work. (=it has been arranged)

Future continuous

​​We can use the future continuous:

• instead of the present continuous for future events that have already been planned or decided = We’ll be coming next weekend.

• ​to ask politely about future arrangements = Will you be going home this summer?

• ​for situations or actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future = This time next week, we’ll be travelling to Paris.

Present simple

We use the present simple for future events that are scheduled or timetabled.

• The train leaves at 4.

• Shops close at 6.

• I have my yoga class tomorrow at 10.

Predictions

will

We use will to talk about something we think that will happen:

• I think he’ll win the election.

• He will be a good doctor.

be going to

We use be going to to talk about something that is very near to happen or that we see is going to happen (there is present evidence)

• Don’t drive like a crazy man. We’re going to have an accident!

• The doctor said I’m going to have a girl.

Future perfect

Future perfect simple

We use the future perfect simple for

• actions that will be finished before certain time in the future = By 2050, researchers will have found a cure for cancer.

• ​to talk about the duration of a situation until a certain time in the future (with stative verbs) = By the time I leave, I will have been in England for 6 months.

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Future perfect continuous

We use the future perfect continuous with dynamic verbs to talk about the duration of a situation until a certain time in the future.

By the end of the year, she will have been working on the publication for over 10 years.