In the English language, there are several ways to talk about the future using different tenses and auxiliaries. However, some grammarians believe that the future is not a tense, but a modality. Let's see how we can talk about the future in English:

When we want to talk about plans, we can use the Present Continuous tense. The 'present continuous' tense is mostly used to talk about what is happening now. However, when we want to talk about the future instead of the present we should use a future time expression. Compare these examples:

You can also use 'be going to' to talk about plans without any difference in the meaning of the sentence.

While the future simple tense is not commonly used in this case, the future continuous tense is used to talk about future plans and decisions. It indicates our intention or commitment to an ongoing action or event at some point in the future. Look at the examples:

We use 'will' to talk about spontaneous decisions made at the moment of speaking. For example:

We do not use 'be going to' and the present continuous tense to talk about decisions. Similarly, 'will' should not be used to talk about plans and arranged actions. Let's compare these sentences:

When we want to talk about timetables and schedules, we use the Simple Present tense, for example when we want to talk about the time something starts or happens.

Keep in mind that present simple is used when referring to an officially decided and announced schedule. However, when talking about a more flexible and personal arrangement, we can use 'be going to.'

We use the future continuous tense to talk about planned or scheduled events in the future, often as a reminder or warning. For example:

When making subjective, personal predictions based on our intuition or what we believe rather than objective facts, we use 'will.' Check out the examples:

On the other hand, when we are predicting something based on evidence and facts, we use 'be going to.' For example:

The future continuous tense is also used to predict future events. It is commonly used when we are not completely sure that something will happen, but we think it is likely.

We can also use 'will' when making a promise or commitment to do something in very near future. Look at the examples:

We use 'will' when we are making offers or suggestions. For example:

We also use 'will' to make polite requests in the form of questions. Look at the examples below:

The future continuous is a form of the verb that shows the action will be in progress at a certain point in the future. Look at the examples:

While stative verbs are not typically used progressively, a few of them, such as 'live,' 'love,' 'expect,' 'stay,' 'enjoy,' 'feel,' and 'have' (in the sense of experiencing) can be used in continuous tenses to show a temporary state. The difference between future continuous and future perfect continuous in this case is that the future perfect continuous tense focuses on how long the state was experienced.

We use the future perfect tense to talk about an action that will be completed before a certain time in the future. In this case, the exact time of completion of action is not specified, just a deadline before which the action will be complete. Look at the examples:

The future perfect can also be used when you want to predict the things you will have or hope you will have done or experienced by the end of a certain period. Here are the examples:

Both future perfect and future perfect continuous tenses can show the duration of an action that starts before and continues up to another action or time in the future. Their difference lies in their focus. While future perfect focuses on duration of a completed action before the moment in future, the future perfect continuous emphasizes the ongoing nature and continuity of the action. Compare the examples: