Do you know how to use different future tenses in English? How can we talk about our plans and goals for 2025 using future tenses? What is the difference between ‘going to’ and ‘will’? When do we use ‘shall’? In today’s blog post, we’ll find out!
If you are an Intrepid English Member, you can study all of the future tenses in great detail, download useful cheat sheets and test your understanding with quizzes in the Fast Grammar course in the Intrepid English Academy.
1. Will (Future Simple)
Used for decisions made at the moment of speaking, predictions, or future facts.
Example: “I will study English every day in 2025.”
2. Going to (Intended Future)
Used to express plans or intentions, often based on current circumstances or decisions made before the moment of speaking.
Example: “I’m going to improve my vocabulary by reading more books this year.”
3. Shall (Formal Future)
Often used with “I” or “we” to offer or suggest future actions (more common in British English).
Examples: “I shall focus on my speaking skills this year.”
“We have been working hard for a couple of hours now. Shall we take a short break?”
4. Future Continuous (Will be + Verb-ing)
Used for actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future.
Example: “This time tomorrow, I will be having an online lesson with my Intrepid English Teacher.”
Learn more about the future continuous tense in this video lesson from Intrepid English Teacher Kate R.
5. Future Perfect (Will have + Past Participle)
Describes actions that will be completed before a certain point in the future.
Example: “By the end of 2025, I will have finished my English proficiency course.”
Learn more about the future perfect tense in this video lesson from Intrepid English Teacher Kate R.
6. Future Perfect Continuous (Will have been + Verb-ing)
Describes the duration of an action that will be ongoing up until a specific point in the future.
Example: “By next winter, I will have been studying English with Intrepid English for over three years.”
Key nouns for talking about the future
1. Prediction
A statement about what will happen in the future based on opinion or evidence.
Example: “My prediction is that I will pass my English exam this summer.”
2. Plan
A detailed proposal for doing or achieving something in the future.
Example: “My plan is to practice English every day for at least 30 minutes.”
3. Schedule
A list of planned events or tasks.
Example: “I’ve created a study schedule to improve my English skills in 2025.”
4. Intention
A determination to do something, an aim or purpose.
Example: “My intention is to speak English more fluently by the end of the year.”
5. Expectation
A strong belief that something will happen in the future.
Example: “I have high expectations for my English progress in 2025.”
6. Deadline
A specific time or date by which something must be completed.
Example: “I have set a deadline to be prepared for the IELTS exam by June.”
Goal-Setting Exercise:
Now it’s your turn to practise! Write about your English goals for 2025 using some of the tenses or nouns above. Leave a comment below and an Intrepid English Teacher will get back to you!
Examples:
“I will listen to the Intrepid English Podcast every week.” (Future Simple)
“I am going to become an Intrepid English Member next month.” (Going to)
“By the end of this year, I will have taken the IELTS exam.” (Future Perfect)