Look at these examples to see how will, going to and the present continuous are used.
Oh great! That meeting after work's been cancelled. I'll go to that yoga class instead.
I'm going to try to visit my relatives in Australia this year.
The restaurant is reserved for 8. We're having a drink at Beale's first.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Grammar explanation
We use different verb forms to talk about our plans for the future, depending on what kind of plan it is: a spontaneous plan, a pre-decided plan or an arrangement.
will
We use will to talk about spontaneous plans decided at the moment of speaking.
Oops, I forgot to phone Mum! I'll do it after dinner.
I can't decide what to wear tonight. I know! I'll wear my green shirt.
There's no milk. I'll buy some when I go to the shops.
going to
We use going to to talk about plans decided before the moment of speaking.
I'm going to phone Mum after dinner. I told her I'd call at 8 o'clock.
I'm going to wear my black dress tonight.
I'm going to go to the supermarket after work. What do we need?
Present continuous
We usually use the present continuous when the plan is an arrangement – already confirmed with at least one other person and we know the time and place.
I'm meeting Jane at 8 o'clock on Saturday.
We're having a party next Saturday. Would you like to come?
We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans.
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello again,
Please help with the following:
Why in _______________ in a car! They've accepted my offer today.
the suggested answer is Present Cont. Would it be possible to use Future Simple here? Actually we have no time nor place and no information that it is arranged.
Thanks in advance.
Adam
Hello Adam,
In many cases more than one form can be used for talking about the future in English but I think here the context heavily points to one form - the present continuous. This is because of the second sentence: They've accepted my offer. This tells us that buying a car is not a spontaneous decision at the moment of speaking but something that has already been set in motion (the speaker's offer has been accepted). Thus the present continuous is appropriate rather than the modal verb 'will'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
Could you please justify your choice in
What _____ when you finish university?
?
Why do you think it should require Present Continuous? Is Future Simple out of question here?
Regards,
Adam
As the website states: "We often use the present continuous to ask about people's future plans."
In light of the context, the student has already developed a plan for the end of the course.
Hello Adam,
The idea was that the university graduate already had a plan, but you're right to point out that this is not very clear.
For this reason, I've changed the wording of this question to:
This clearly shows that the graduate has a plan and so only the present continuous (or possibly 'going to' form) works here.
Does that make sense?
Thanks for taking the time to point this out to us.
Best wishes,
Kirk
LearnEnglish team
Hi Jonathan,
On this page, it is said that we usually use the present continuous when the plan is an arrangement – already confirmed with at least one other person and we know the time and place.
However, the example cited in my grammar book reads as follows :
[1] Do you think the use of the present continuous in the answer "I'm washing my hair" is grammatically correct ?
The answer doesn't indicate that I've made an arrangement with anybody. Washing my hair this evening is just my personal plan. It doesn't conform to the definition on this page anyway.
[2] Or, can we use the present continuous for our personal fixed plans that don't involve an arrangement with another person, such as : I'm writing letters tonight ?
I would appreciate your explanation.
Best regards,
Hello melvinthio,
Generally, arrangements involve other people. However, we also use present continuous for plans which we see as already fixed and which we do not expect to change. That is the case with your example. The answer to your questions, therefore, is 1. yes and 2. yes.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Peter i have read the example of Mr melvinthio and i think it is meant to express the present not the future because the question is " what are you doing tonight" not "tomorrow night " so using the present continous is the correct form i guess ; so there is no need to compare it with making arrangement in the future .
Hello Rofi,
'What are you doing tonight?' is a question we would ask before the time. For example, we might ask it in the morning or the afternoon. If it were already evening or night we would ask 'What are you doing now?' or "What are you doing at the moment?'. The question is about the future and about the other person's plans or arrangements.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello there...
What is the difference between two sentences below?
1.I am missing you.
2.I miss you.
Please make this clear sir.