Future simple (will) - Level II

The future simple tense is one of the twelve verb tenses that exist in English. It is an easy tense to grasp, but as there are several ways to express future intent, students should know the differences between each method.

In this post we will learn the future simple at level II, so the explanation is in English and the examples shown have an intermediate difficulty.

Uses of the future simple (will)

We use the future simple for:

1. Making predictions that may or may not happen.

• Tomorrow it will rain over the city if the weather conditions do not change through the day.
• Donald thinks that the next solar flare will cause a lot of nice auroras in the night sky.
• I assure you that I will pass the next English test because I have been studying really hard.
• Sarah will become an extremely beautiful lady by the time she reaches her late teen years.

2. Talking about spontaneous decisions made on the fly.

• Me and the boys will go to the cinema tonight to see the latest Saw film, want to come?
• Winifred will rage so hard if she’s ever called ugly in front of her sisters by a little girl.
• Do not worry, I will pay for the next round after Sammy comes back from the toilet.
• Jenny and Christie will go to the archeology conference in the museum after all.

3. Speaking about the near future (reminder: in Spanish, present tense is used for this function).

• I’ll go to the grocery store later, do you need me to bring you anything from there?
• Will you pick me up tonight? I’ll be ready in around an hour, so no need to rush to get there in time.
• Sorry, I am in the middle of a thing and can’t take your call. I will call you later, ok?
• Susan will come in a moment to see if everything is ok with the restoration of the picture.

4. Making requests, promises or threats.

• “Will you marry me, dear?” he asked her. “Yes, I will” was her long-awaited answer.
• Try that again and you will find yourself landing on jail with a 2 year sentence for arson.
• I will do everything in my power to help your brother to pass the driving test tomorrow.
• I swear to God, I’ll slap you if you keep being an annoying little brat in front of me and the team.

5. Refusing to do certain actions (for this, negative sentences are obligatory).

• I will not watch any more of these stupid ads Youtube keep showing me!
• I don’t think I will do this job anymore because I am tired and I deserve some vacations.
• I won’t start any fires anymore after I was threatened with two years of jail time.
• Winifred will not stop looking for the little girl who dared to call her ugly in front of her sisters.

Structure of the future simple with will

Affirmative sentences

Subject + auxiliary verb ‘will’ + main verb + rest of the sentence

• I will be in the artists drawing panel in next summer’s ComiCon signing some of my art pieces.
• I bet Teresa and Mira will come dressed in very expensive dresses to the dinner next Saturday.
• If my boss sees the poor quality of this report I will be probably fired on the spot.
• Paul will watch tonight a funny Halloween movie in order to cheer himself up a little bit.

Note: We usually use contractions for the auxiliary verb ‘will’ when not using a formal register.

• I will join you at the gala soon. = I’ll be joining you at the gala soon.
• They will notice our absence in a moment. = They’ll notice our absence in a moment.

Negative sentences

Subject + auxiliary verb ‘will’ + not + main verb + rest of the sentence

• I will not be in the artists drawing panel in next summer’s ComiCon signing some of my art pieces.
• I bet Teresa and Mira will not come dressed in very expensive dresses to the dinner next Saturday.
• If my boss doesn’t see the poor quality of this report I will not be fired on the spot.
• Paul will not watch tonight a funny Halloween movie in order to cheer himself up a little bit.

Note: We usually use contractions for the auxiliary verb ‘will + not’ when not using a formal register.

• She will not come to the party tonight. = She won’t come to the party tonight.
• Alice will not follow the rabbit this time. = Alice won’t follow the rabbit this time.

Interrogative sentences

Auxiliary verb ‘will’ + subject + main verb + rest of the sentence

• Will I be in the artists drawing panel in next summer’s ComiCon signing some of my art pieces?
• Will Teresa and Mira come dressed in very expensive dresses to the dinner next Saturday?
• If my boss sees the poor quality of this report will I be fired on the spot?
• Will Paul watch tonight a funny Halloween movie in order to cheer himself up a little bit?