Talking about the future in English can be tricky because, unlike many other languages, English does not have a real future tense. To talk about the future we use different combinations of the present tense.
Using 'Will' or 'Going To'
To talk about something you will do in the future, we usually use two different phrases:
- I will finish my homework after dinner.
- I am going to finish my homework after dinner.
You can use 'will' and 'be going to' for many things when talking about the future. In particular, when you are making a prediction about what you think is going to happen in the future, you should only use 'will' or 'be going to.' For example:
| Use 'be going to' | It's going to snow next week. |
| Use 'will' | It will snow next week. |
| Don't use the future continuous | It'll be snowing next week. |
| Don't use the present continuous | It's snowing next week. |
| Don't use the simple present | It snows next week. |
Using the Present Continuous
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