# 2 ways to form the future tense in English

Your *future* looks bright—now that you’ve found this guide!

From predicting a snow storm to discussing your next vacation abroad, the future tense has many important uses. But with more than one way to talk about the future in English, it can be confusing! With this guide, you’ll feel ready to talk about all your exciting future plans!

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### In this post:

- [The future with _will_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#the-future-with-will)
  - [When to use _will_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#when-to-use-the-future-with-will)
  - [How to negate _will_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#negation-of-the-future-with-will)
  - [How to form questions with _will_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#questions-in-the-future-with-will)

- [The future with _going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#the-future-with-going-to)
  - [When to use _going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#when-to-use-the-future-with-going-to)
  - [How to negate _going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#negation-of-the-future-with-going-to)
  - [How to form questions with _going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#questions-in-the-future-with-going-to)

- [When to use _will_ vs. _going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#when-to-use-will-vs-when-to-use-going-to)

💡

English has two ways to talk about events that will happen in the future: the future with _**will**_ and the future with _**going to**_.

## The future with _will_

The future with will is formed with the [modal verb](https://blog.duolingo.com/types-of-verbs#modal-verbs) _will_ followed by the bare form of the main verb:

The modal verb _will_ stays the same no matter the subject, and the main verb always appears in its base form without any changes.

You’ll often see and hear _will_ shortened to **_’ll_**—a form known as a [contraction](https://blog.duolingo.com/do-other-languages-have-contractions/), which is a shorter form that [uses an apostrophe](https://blog.duolingo.com/apostrophes-in-english/) and the last sound of _will_. Compare the two forms in the table below:

| SUBJECT | EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM      | EXAMPLE WITH CONTRACTION    |
| ------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| I      | I will bring chips.        | I’ll bring chips.           |
| you    | You will be great.        | You’ll be great.           |
| he/she/it | He will see you later.   | He’ll see you later.       |
| we     | We will visit next week.   | We’ll visit next week.     |
| you (plural) | You will need warm coats. | You’ll need warm coats.     |
| they   | They will lend you their car.| They’ll lend you their car. |

### When to use the future with _will_

While their meanings are similar, the future with _will_ and the future with [_going to_](https://blog.duolingo.com/future-will-going-to/#when-to-use-the-future-with-going-to) tend to be used in different situations.

The future with _will_ is more commonly used for:

**1\. Decisions made in the moment**

Hmm…what should I bring to the party? Oh, I know! I’ll bring cake!

**2\. Promises**

I will love you forever!

**3\. Requests**

Lily, will you bring me my purse, please?

**4\. Commands**

You will put down that chair now!

### Negation of the future with _will_

To negate sentences using the future with _will_, use not between _will_ and the base verb:

While _will_ contracts to _’ll_, the contracted form of _will not_ is won’t. Here’s how the two forms look in sentences:

| SUBJECT | EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM        | EXAMPLE WITH CONTRACTION     |
| ------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| I      | I will not go to school.     | I won’t go to school.        |
| you    | You will not be late.        | You won’t be late.          |
| he/she/it | He will not lose the key.   | He won’t lose the key.      |
| we     | We will not drive fast.      | We won’t drive fast.        |
| you (plural) | You will not be hungry.    | You won’t be hungry.         |
| they   | They will not stop.          | They won’t stop.            |

### Questions in the future with _will_

In questions with _will_, _will_ takes the place that is occupied by a form of the verb _be_ or _do_ in [present tense](https://blog.duolingo.com/simple-present) questions. Unlike _be_ and _do_, _will_ does not change its form depending on the subject. It remains the same for all pronouns in all types of questions:

In [yes/no questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/english-yes-or-no-questions/), _will_ is followed by the subject and the base verb:

| QUESTION                  | Will Junior be excited?         |
|--------------------------|---------------------------------|
| ANSWER                   | Yes, Junior will be excited.    |

[Wh-questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-wh-questions/) begin with a question word, followed by _will_, the subject, and finally the base verb:

| QUESTION                                   | When will they come home from work? |
|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| ANSWER                                    | They will come home from work at 6 pm. |

For [tag questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-tag-questions/), the question tag is made up of _will_ or _won’t_ followed by the subject pronoun:

| QUESTION                                   | Eddy won’t be tired after the race, will he?  |
|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
| QUESTION                                   | You will bring your kids, won’t you?          |

## The future with _going to_

You can also talk about future events using the phrase going to. This structure looks a little different from sentences with _will_:

While _will_ stays the same for all pronouns, the verb _to be_ must be conjugated [according to the subject](https://blog.duolingo.com/first-person-second-person-third-person/) for talking about the future with _going to_. Similar to _will_, the future with _going to_ often uses a contraction where the subject and [the verb _to be_](https://blog.duolingo.com/how-to-use-the-verb-to-be-in-english/) are written together:

| SUBJECT | EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM            | EXAMPLE WITH CONTRACTION          |
| ------- | ---------------------------------| --------------------------------- |
| I      | I am going to watch TV.         | I’m going to watch TV.           |
| you    | You are going to stay here.     | You’re going to stay here.       |
| he/she/it | He is going to take the train. | He’s going to take the train.    |
| we     | We are going to buy a car.      | We’re going to buy a car.        |
| you (plural) | You are going to be quiet.   | You’re going to be quiet.        |
| they   | They are going to study.        | They’re going to study.          |

### When to use the future with _going to_

The future with _going to_ is commonly used for:

**1\. Decisions that have already been made**

I signed up for the potluck yesterday. I’m going to bring cookies!

**2\. Predictions that are almost certain or are based on evidence**

Look at the sky! It’s going to rain.

### Negation of the future with _going to_

For negating sentences with _going to_, use not between the form of _to be_ and _going to_:

As with affirmative sentences, the verb _be_ must be conjugated according to the subject.

Also, notice in the table below that there are two ways to form contractions for negative sentences with _going to_. You can either contract the subject and _to be_, or _to be_ and _not_:

| SUBJECT | EXAMPLE WITH FULL FORM                               | EXAMPLE WITH CONTRACTION                     |
| ------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| I      | I am not going to do any work.                      | I’m not going to do any work.              |
| you    | You are not going to play golf.                     | You’re not going to play golf.<br>You aren’t going to play golf. |
| he/she/it | He is not going to come.                          | He’s not going to come.<br>He isn’t going to come. |
| we     | We are not going to eat lunch.                       | We’re not going to eat lunch.<br>We aren’t going to eat lunch. |
| you (plural) | You are not going to be cold.                     | You’re not going to be cold.<br>You aren’t going to be cold. |
| they   | They are not going to visit.                         | They’re not going to visit.<br>They aren’t going to visit. |

Note that the first person singular ( _I_) has only one possible contraction: _I am not_ becomes I’m not. However, in [Irish English](https://blog.duolingo.com/irish-slang/), you might hear _I amn’t_ for _I am not_!

You will also hear another contraction for _going to_ in spoken English: gonna! For example, instead of saying I’m going to wash the dishes, in informal situations you can also use I’m gonna wash the dishes.

### Questions in the future with _going to_

To ask questions about the future with _going to_, focus on the form of the verb _to be_: It’s the part that will be moved to form questions! But *where* it moves depends on the kind of question you want to ask:

In [yes/no questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/english-yes-or-no-questions/), the form of _to be_ is followed by the subject, _going to_, and the base verb:

| QUESTION                | Is she going to visit?                |
|------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| ANSWER                 | Yes, she’s going to visit.           |

[Wh](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-wh-questions/) [‑](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-wh-questions/) [questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-wh-questions/) begin with a question word, followed by the form of _to be_, the subject, _going to_, and the base verb:

| QUESTION                                       | When is Junior going to do his homework? |
|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| ANSWER                                        | He’s going to do his homework after dinner. |

For [tag questions](https://blog.duolingo.com/what-are-tag-questions/), the question tag begins with _aren’t_ or _isn’t_, followed by the subject pronoun:

| QUESTION                                     | You are going to bring your kids, aren’t you?  |
|---------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| QUESTION                                     | Lucy is going to attend another secret meeting, isn’t she? |

## When to use _will_ vs. when to use _going to_

While their meanings are similar, the future with _will_ and the future with _going to_ tend to be used in different situations:

## Your _future_ is bright!

With two ways to talk about the future in English, this tense is _going to_ feel a little tricky at first! But after a little practice, you _will be_ great! 😉

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