ALL English Future Tenses Explained in 12 Minutes [including GOING TO]
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English with Aga
Learn all about English future tenses in 12 minutes: how and when to use them, and the differences b...
Video Transcript:
Hi everyone it's Agnieszka Murdoch welcome to 5-Minute Language. Today we're going to talk about future tenses in english but first leave me a comment to let me know which english future tense is the most difficult to learn i'm curious to find out what you think okay so let's get started we're going to talk about all the future tenses in english and also some phrases and expressions that you can use to talk about the future so we're going to talk about the phrase going to about using the present continuous tense to talk about the future using the present simple to talk about the future we're also going to talk about the future simple the future continuous the future perfect and the future perfect continuous we're also going to cover the verbs may and might to talk about the future are you ready let's talk about my garden i'm going to give you a story to illustrate how to use those different future tenses in english so this weekend i'm going to do some gardening i'm going to do some gardening it's my plan and i'm using the phrase going to to talk about it so when you're talking about plans that you have for the future you need to use the phrase going to so i'm going to do some gardening i'm going to plant some flowers and i'm going to do some weeding as well you can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future so for example i'm playing football this weekend i'm playing football is a plan that is most definitely going to happen so you can use the present continuous to talk about something that you're certain is going to happen usually it's because you've arranged with another person to do it so for example i have already agreed with my friends that we will play football and that's why i'm saying i'm playing football it's a plan and it's an arrangement with other people so i'm in my garden right now and i have just seen my neighbor my neighbor is trying to open her gate but she is struggling she can't open it so i will help her i will help her is the future simple so i have just decided to help her it's not a plan it's a spontaneous decision and when you talk about spontaneous decisions in english you need to use the future simple say will i will help her will is also something you can use to talk about predictions so when you're not sure something's gonna happen but you're just guessing so i'm going to plant some roses in my garden and i think they will do really well i am guessing and i am making a prediction so i think the roses will do really well i think they will grow very big so this is the future simple tense now this afternoon between the hours of 1 p. m and 2 p.
m i will be working in my garden i will not be having my lunch i will be busy i will be working in my garden so i will be working is the future continuous tense it's used to talk about actions which are continuous and they're happening over a period of time so between the hours of 1pm and 2pm i will be working in my garden by the time it's 6 00 p. m this afternoon i will have finished planting my flowers i will have finished so this is the future perfect tense and i'm using it to talk about something that will be completed at a particular point in the future so by the time it's 6 pm i will have finished the action of planting my flowers will be completed and that's what the future perfect is for now by the time it's 7 pm i will have been working in my garden for hours it's the future perfect continuous tense in english i will have been working for hours so i'm talking about a particular point in the future seven and an action which started before that and is still happening at that point in the future so i will have been working for hours working in the garden is really tiring and my garden is really big so i can't do it all by myself but fortunately i do have a friend who knows a lot about gardening he doesn't live in london where i live he lives in a different town but he is going to help me with my garden he is going to that is the plan he is actually coming to london tomorrow to help me he's coming to london that's the present continuous to talk about the future and i'm using the present continuous because it's a plan we have made together it's an arrangement with my friend so he's coming to london his train arrives at 10 tomorrow morning now i'm using the present simple to talk about the future yes you can do that and we do that when we talk about planes or trains arriving at a particular time we use it to talk about timetables and schedules so his train arrives at 10 tomorrow it's in the future and i'm talking about the timetable when the garden is finished i might have a drink it's quite a hot day and working in the garden is really tiring so i might have a cold drink afterwards but i'm not sure that's why i'm using the phrase might so i might have a drink it's just a possibility it's an option it's not a plan it's just something that i possibly can do i might have a drink but i might have ice cream instead i'm not sure yet so what's the difference between i'm going to help my neighbor open her gate and i will help my neighbor open her gate i'm going to is something i say when i talk about plans so if i've been planning it if i've been thinking about it that's when i need to say i'm going to help her i will help her is a spontaneous decision it's a decision i have just made i have literally just seen my neighbor she is struggling with the gate she can't open it and i will help her i have just decided so going to is for plans and will is for spontaneous decisions what's the difference between my friend arrives at 10 tomorrow and my friend is going to arrive at 10 at my house so the first one i'm talking about his train really i'm talking about the timetable the train is following a schedule a timetable it arrives at 10 and that's why my friend arrives at 10 is in the present simple my friend is going to arrive at 10 at my house it's just a plan that my friend has made this is what he's planning to do he's going to arrive at 10.