There are two main ways to express the future in English. They are sometimes interchangeable, but they often have different meanings.
Future: “Will”
Structure
Note: There is a short form for the modal verb “will” in both the affirmative and negative.
| Afirmativo |
Forma corta |
Negativo |
Forma corta |
|
I will |
I’ll |
I will not |
I won’t
I’ll not |
|
you will |
you’ll |
you will not |
you won’t
you’ll not |
|
he will |
he’ll |
he will not |
he won’t
he’ll not |
|
she will |
she’ll |
she will not |
she won’t
she’ll not |
| it will |
it’ll |
it will not |
it won’t
it’ll not |
| we will |
we’ll |
we will not |
we won’t
we’ll not |
| they will |
they’ll |
they will not |
they won’t
they’ll not |
Subject + “will” + principal verb…
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I will [I’ll] call you tonight.
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She will [She’ll] arrive late.
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They will [They’ll] be happy to see you.
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Subject + “will” + “not” + principal verb…
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I will not [won’t] call you tonight.
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She will not [won’t] arrive late.
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They will not [won’t] be happy to see you.
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3. Interrogative Sentences
“Will” + subject + principal verb…?
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Will you call me tonight?
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Will they be happy to see you?
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Future: “Going to”
Structure
Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + “going to” + principal verb…
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I am going to call you tonight.
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She is going to arrive late.
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They are going to be happy to see you.
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Subject + auxiliary verb (to be) + “not” + “going to” + principal verb…
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I’m not going to call you tonight.
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She isn’t going to arrive late.
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They aren’t going to be happy to see you.
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3. Interrogative Sentences
Auxiliary verb (to be) + subject + “going to” + principal verb…?
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Are you going to call me tonight?
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Is she going to arrive late?
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Are they going to be happy to see you?
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Note: For imminent actions or events, we can say “to be about to”. The structure is the same as “to be going to”.
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The concert is about to begin.
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Uses
Both “will” and “to be going to” are used for expressing the future, but the use of one over the other implies something about the probability of the action occurring in the future. The aspect that differentiates “to be going to” with “will” is in the sense of “planning”. In general, “to be going to” is used for concrete plans, when we are quite certain that something is going to happen.
1. We use “will” with voluntary actions.
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They will clean their rooms.
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She won’t work with Paul.
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2. “Will” is used to express a promise.
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When I am president, I will lower taxes.
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He promises he will call when he arrives.
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3. “To be going to” is used for plans; it indicates the intention to do something.
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We are going to have a party tonight.
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Richard is going to take an English class.
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Are they going to play football later?
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4. Either “will” or “to be going to” can be used for making predictions. When there is evidence that something is going to happen, we use “going to”.
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It will be a great party. / It is going to be a great party.
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It won’t rain. / It isn’t going to rain.
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Note: There are some situations in which we use the present continuous or the present simple to express actions in the future.
1. The present continuous can be used for actions in the near future or actions that are certain.
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Sarah is arriving tonight.
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I am going to the doctor this afternoon.
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2. We use the present simple for events scheduled in the future and timetables for trains, flights, etc.
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The train leaves at 10am.
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Hay dos formas principales para expresar el futuro. A veces son intercambiables, pero a menudo pueden tener significados diferentes.
Future: “Will”
Structure (Estructura)
Nota: Existe una forma corta del verbo modal “will” tanto en el afirmativo como en el negativo.
| Afirmativo |
Forma corta |
Negativo |
Forma corta |
|
I will |
I’ll |
I will not |
I won’t
I’ll not |
|
you will |
you’ll |
you will not |
you won’t
you’ll not |
|
he will |
he’ll |
he will not |
he won’t
he’ll not |
|
she will |
she’ll |
she will not |
she won’t
she’ll not |
| it will |
it’ll |
it will not |
it won’t
it’ll not |
| we will |
we’ll |
we will not |
we won’t
we’ll not |
| they will |
they’ll |
they will not |
they won’t
they’ll not |
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + “will” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
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I will [I’ll] call you tonight.(Te llamaré esta noche.)
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She will [She’ll] arrive late.(Llegará tarde.)
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They will [They’ll] be happy to see you.(Estarán felices de verte.)
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2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
Sujeto + “will” + “not” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
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I will not [won’t] call you tonight.(No te llamaré esta noche.)
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She will not [won’t] arrive late.(No llegará tarde.)
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They will not [won’t] be happy to see you.(No estarán felices de verte.)
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3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
“Will” + sujeto + verbo principal?
Ejemplos:
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Will you call me tonight?(¿Me llamarás esta noche?)
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Will she arrive late?(¿Llegará tarde?)
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Will they be happy to see you?(¿Estarán felices de verte?)
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Future: “Going to”
“Going to” equivale a “ir a” en español.
Structure (Estructura)
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to be) + “going to” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
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I am going to call you tonight.(Voy a llamarte esta noche.)
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She is going to arrive late.(Va a llegar tarde.)
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They are going to be happy to see you.(Van a estar felices de verte.)
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2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to be) + “not” + “going to” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
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I am not going to call you tonight.(No voy a llamarte esta noche.)
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She is not going to arrive late.(No va a llegar tarde.)
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They are not going to be happy to see you.(No van a estar felices de verte.)
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3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
Verbo auxiliar (to be) + sujeto + “going to” + verbo principal?
Ejemplos:
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Are you going to call me tonight?(¿Vas a llamarme esta noche?)
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Is she going to arrive late?(¿Va a llegar tarde?)
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Are they going to be happy to see you?(¿Van a estar felices de verte?)
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Nota: Para acciones o eventos inminentes, podemos decir “about to” (a punto de). La estructura es la misma de “going to”.
Ejemplos:
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I am about to leave.(Estoy a punto de irme.)
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The concert is about to begin.(El concierto está a punto de comenzar.)
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Uses (Usos)
Las formas “will” y “going to” se utilizan para expresar el futuro. La diferencia entre “going to” y “will” es el sentido de planificación y probabilidad de que suceda una acción. En general, se usa “going to” para planes concretos, cuando estamos seguros de que algo va a suceder.
1. Se usa “will” con acciones voluntarias.
Ejemplos:
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Will you help me move?(¿Me ayudarás a mudarme?)
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They will clean their rooms.(Limpiarán sus habitaciones.)
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She won’t work with Paul.(No trabajará con Paul.)
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2. Se utiliza “will” para expresar una promesa.
Ejemplos:
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When I am president, I will lower taxes.(Cuando sea presidente, bajaré los impuestos.)
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He promises he will call when he arrives.(Promete que llamará cuando llegue.)
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3. Se usa “going to” para planes. Se indica la intención de hacer algo.
Ejemplos:
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We are going to have a party tonight.(Vamos a dar una fiesta esta noche.)
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Richard is going to take an English class.(Richard va a realizar un clase de inglés.)
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Are they going to play football later?(¿Van a jugar a fútbol luego?)
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4. Se puede usar “will” o “going to” para hacer predicciones. Cuando hay evidencia de que algo va a pasar usamos “going to”.
Ejemplos:
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It will be a great party. / It is going to be a great party.(Será una fiesta genial.)
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It won’t rain. / It is not going to rain.(No va a llover.)
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Nota: Existen algunas situaciones en las que usamos el presente continuo o el presente simple para expresar acciones en el futuro.
1. Se puede usar el presente continuo para acciones seguras en el futuro cercano.
Ejemplos:
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Sarah is arriving tonight.(Sarah llega esta noche.)
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I am going to the doctor this afternoon.(Voy al médico esta tarde.)
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2. Se usa el presente simple para eventos programados en un futuro próximo y horarios de tren, vuelos, etc.
Ejemplos:
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The party starts at 9pm.(La fiesta empieza a las 21h.)
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The train leaves at 10am.(El tren sale a las 10h.)
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