1. The Future
Form and Usage

2. The various Future Forms
In English, there are different forms to express the future:
the will-future
the going-to-future
the present continuous
the present simple
the usage of modal verbs

3. Future: The will-future
We can use the will-form to express the future:
to make general predictions:
He will be here at 7 o‘clock.
She won‘t come to the meeting.
to express a spontaneous decision at the moment of speaking
If you don‘t want to come, I will ask someone else.
to express an offer
I‘ll lend you some money, if you like.
She will help you with this task. So, don‘t panic!

4. Future: The going-to-future
We can use the going-to-form to express the future
to talk about a decision/an intention (Vorhaben) made before the moment of speaking:
I‘m going to visit my uncle in London next summer.
She‘s not going to do exam this year.
to predict the future based on facts:
Look at those clouds! It‘s going to rain again!
He really enjoys reading. He‘s going to be a good student some day.

5. Future: The present continuous
We can also use the present continous to express the future
to express a planned and fixed arrangement in the future (e.g. meeting)
I‘m seeing my lawyer next week.
They‘re meeting the boss later this afternoon.
to prevent (verhindern) ‚going to go‘ and ‚going to come‘
I‘m going (going to go) to Paris later this year.
She‘s coming (going to come) to the party as well.

6. Future: The present simple
We use the present simple to express a future event when we talk of timetables, schedules and programmes.
The train leaves at
The workshop on marketing starts at 3pm.
Math lessons begin at half past seven in room B403.

7. Future: The usage of modal verbs
We use various modal verbs to talk about a future event and express different levels of certainty.
They might come a bit too late.
Global warming could destroy our planet.
Some people may lose their jobs because of the crisis.