We can use time clauses to tell the order of future events. These time clauses include:
- when
- before
- as soon as
- after
- until
When you are using time clauses to talk about the order of future events, make sure to use the simple present after the time clause. For example:
| First Event | Second Event |
|---|---|
| I'm going to buy a muffin | before I go to class. |
| She'll be watching our bags | until the train arrives. |
| After we finish this book, | we will read the next in the series. |
| As soon as I see her, | I'm going to give her a big hug! |
Notice that the part with the clause can come first or second. Remember, there must be a comma (,) if your time clause comes first!
The part of the sentence with the time clause should always be in the simple present, but the part in the future tense can be in any of the future forms. For example:
| Using 'will' | After I bake this cake, I'll take it to Sara's house. |
| Using 'be going to' | After I bake this cake, I'm going to take it to Sara's house. |
| Using future continuous | After I bake this cake, I'll be taking it to Sara's house. |
| Using present continuous | After I bake this cake, I'm taking it to Sara's house. |
All of these examples are acceptable, although the meaning might be slightly different for some sentences.