Future Tense Chart & Table in English with Definitions, Rules, Practical Usage Examples, and Best Practices for English Learners
Future Tense Table & Chart
A verb tense indicates the time and aspect that an action, event, state, or condition takes place. The future tense, as the name suggests, refers to actions and events that will occur at some point in the future. You can use the future tense to denote both events that you’re certain will happen and events that you predict at a future time of occurrence. While the future tense in all its aspects points at times that haven’t happened yet, they can function in various ways. Depending on the statement, you can use the future tense to talk about a period of time that will start and end in the future, or events transpiring now or in the past, which will continue or happen again in the future.
In this blog, we will delve into a variety of uses of the future tense to improve your speaking and writing fluency. We will explore its many conjugations and look at practical sample sentences to minimize and eventually eliminate common mistakes in using more advanced structures. By the end of this blog, you should have a bigger grasp of using the future tense properly in your language requirements.
Future Tense Types, Formula, and Structure
| Tense | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Subject + Will/shall + Main Verb + Object | I will learn the future tense structure through this article. |
| Future Continuous | Subject + Will be/shall be + Main Verb + ing + Object | We will be visiting my in-laws this weekend. |
| Future Perfect | Subject + Will have/shall have + Past Participle of the Main Verb + Object | Tani will have cooked when we return later. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + Will have been + Main Verb + ing + Object | Shaun will have been studying for an hour by 3 p.m. |
What is Future Tense?
The future tense is the verb tense used to describe an action that hasn’t happened yet or will take place at some future time. The future tense is formed by using the auxiliary or helping verbs will and shall. We use the future tense to express actions and conditions that will begin and end in the future. In addition, we can also use it to ask questions about future happenings or state that one future action will occur before another. Because of its many uses and the different structures needed, it’s crucial to know exactly what are future tense types and how they’re used appropriately.
The Importance of a Tense Chart in English Language Learning
Tense is used to describe past, current, and future events, conditions, or activities. Using the correct one will help to clarify the context of your subject matter. Despite its frequent usage in the English tongue, tense can be very confusing to those who are just beginning to learn English. A tense table or chart of tenses is a useful tool to help students learn verb conjugations. These charts show the various forms of each verb, organized into groups based on common patterns. They also provide examples of usage and explanations of why certain forms are used in specific circumstances. In this context, the future tense, you can see the future tense helping verb chart with a future tense sentence to illustrate how it’s utilized. Charts can be organized according to rules, examples, and concepts for easy memorization and review, especially when you have to do future tense exercises. It’s valuable to know exactly what future tense is.
Future Tense Definition Chart
Below is a chart that shows each different type and definition of future tense.
Types of Future Tense and Description Chart
| Tense | Description |
|---|---|
| Simple Future | Simply put, the simple future is a verb tense that’s used when talking about things that have yet to happen. |
| Future Continuous | The future continuous tense, also known as future progressive tense, shows a progressing action over a future period of time. |
| Future Perfect | The future perfect is used for actions that will certainly finish before another point in the future. |
| Future Perfect Continuous Tense | The future perfect continuous, also called the future perfect progressive, represents actions that will continue to happen until a particular point in the future. |
Future Tense Sentences Examples and Types Table
To give a strong grasp of how future tenses are used, let’s take a look at the future tense chart below that contains each form and its practical usage in authentic contexts.
Types Future Tense and Future Tense Sentences Chart
| Types | Examples |
|---|---|
| Simple Future | Andrew will act as the main lead of our play. My family will travel to Bangkok this weekend. Maria will move to the Old Quarter next month. Benny will open a new restaurant in the summer. The senior class will donate clothes for the victims. |
| Future Continuous | You will be watering the garden plants later. Sheila will be practicing with her group tonight. Donnie will be reporting about future tense rules. They will be watching the parade tomorrow morning. He will be shopping for a month’s supply of groceries. |
| Future Perfect | Mi Ran will have painted the shed before Saturday. He will have studied English for 10 years next year. I will have traveled to Nagoya by this time next year. On Monday, you will have owned the shop for a year. Suresh will have cooked the braised fish by 6 o’clock. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | By 9 o’clock, I will have been eating for an hour. I will have been working in the capital for 4 years in July. Ayesha will have been watching TV for 3 hours by dinner. She will have been trying to call customer service for an hour by 10 a.m. Emmanuel will have been commuting for two hours when he arrives home. |
A Closer Look at the Future Tense Chart
The 4 types of future tense are as follows:
- Simple Future Tense
- Future Continuous Tense
- Future Perfect Tense
- Future Perfect Continuous Tense
1. Simple Future Tense
The simple future is used to represent actions or conditions that will begin and end at some future time.
| Formula for Simple Future Tense Structure |
|---|
| Subject + will/shall + Main Verb + Object |
Examples Based on Simple Future Tense Rules:
- She will continue the tour next year.
- Luke will visit two wineries in the fall.
- You will need a new paintbrush for this.
- Alden will mix the cocktail at the party later.
- I will book the tickets during the dollar sale tonight.
- We will have a yoga session before breakfast tomorrow.
- The team captain will shop for new basketballs at 10 a.m.
- The Gaia Foundation will donate three vans for the school.
- My friend and I will study all our notes by tomorrow morning.
- His dad will wear a scarecrow costume for the Halloween ball.
- The football team will visit the shop in the afternoon for a fitting.
- June’s dad will read her a bedtime story after she brushes her teeth.
2. Future Continuous Tense
Actions that will be in progress at some point in the future use the Future Continuous Tense.
| Formula of Continuous Structure of Future Tense |
|---|
| Subject + will be/shall be + Main Verb + ing + Object |
Continuous Future Tense Example:
- Samson will be wearing his school uniform.
- Grace will be staying with us during the holidays.
- Carl and his son will be fishing at the lake tomorrow.
- She will be taking her pet Pepper to the vet after lunch.
- They will be reading their poetry on stage at the festival.
- The group will be eating on the roof deck if it doesn’t rain.
- Leandro and Andrea will be testing cakes in the afternoon.
- We will be watching the dance rehearsal on Sunday morning.
- The band will be setting up their equipment before we open tonight.
- My sister and I will be finalizing the plan for our mom’s seventieth birthday.
- The teacher will be asking for an example of future tense verbs during the test.
- Her whole family will be going to the spring fair at the White Tree market tomorrow.
3. Future Perfect Tense
When an action will be completed or finished before some point in the future, the future perfect tense is used. There are sometimes two actions involved, whether implied or stated in the sentence.
| Formula Future Perfect Verb Form |
|---|
| Subject + will have/shall have + Past Participle of the Main Verb + Object |
Future Perfect Tense Examples:
- Apeksha will have read the letter by tonight.
- Tommy will have returned home before I finish my shift.
- They will have joined her team for half a year this winter.
- I will have taken the bus if you didn’t arrive to pick me up.
- Justin will have started washing the laundry after we eat.
- Gina will have served as a member of the club by January.
- The shoot will have finished when the catering van arrives.
- Catherine will have opened a gallery if she had enough funding.
- She will have finished writing the novel if she didn’t get hospitalized.
- Our group will have arrived at the bed and breakfast before nightfall.
- You will have slept longer if the children didn’t make too much noise.
- Raja will have constructed the tent by the time we get to the campsite.
4. Future Perfect Continuous
The Future Perfect Continuous tense is used to describe actions that will progress until some time in the future. Like the future perfect tense, sometimes there are two actions with clear distinctions of time.
| Future Perfect Continuous Tense Formula |
|---|
| Subject + will have been + Main Verb + ing + Object |
Future Perfect Continuous Tense Examples:
- By 8 p.m., Jim will have been rehearsing for 2 hours.
- She will have been folding paper for an hour by dinnertime.
- He will have been checking the storyboard for the 6th time today.
- Vivian will have been cooking the whole morning if no one assisted.
- Deco will have been teaching scuba diving for 10 years this summer.
- Clay will have been working at the resort for 3 years on the 3rd of May.
- Come summer, she will have been taking pictures for a living for 2 years.
- Desiree will have been staying with her aunt’s family for a year in August.
- Her team will have been driving in circles the entire afternoon if I didn’t help.
- Trudy will have been making a chart of future tense types for an hour by noon.
- Mary Lois will have been trying on her 12th outfit before her manager stepped in.
- Tomoki’s family will have been maintaining their restaurant for 6 years in January.
Negative Sentences and Questions Table
At this point, we’ve included verb forms in their affirmative or positive verb tense structure. However, there are other sentence structures such as negative and interrogative. Below is a general chart of how the structure appears when using the future tense format across the 4 types.
Chart of Future Tense Forms in Negative and Interrogative Sentences
| Tense | Negative | Interrogative |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Homer will not attend the wedding. | Will Homer attend the wedding? |
| Future Continuous | We will not be traveling in May. | Will we be traveling in May? |
| Future Perfect | Johnny will not have studied. | Will Johnny have studied before I get there? |
| Future Perfect Continuous | David will not have been playing computer games for 2 hours. | Will Greg have been playing computer games for 2 hours? |
Chart for Future Tense Formulas and Examples in Negative and Interrogative Sentences
1. Negative Sentences
Illustrated in the table below are the rules of future tense types and samples of negative sentences.
Negative Sentence Structure Chart
| Future Tense | Formula | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | subject + Will not + Base form of verb + object | Jackson will not come today. Kali will not buy a new house. Kate will not sleep in the tent. Lia and Adam will not wear the costume. The children will not swim in the evening. |
| Future Continuous | Subject + Will not be + Main verb + -ing + Object | I will not be driving during the trip. My parents will not be arriving tonight. Maya will not be feeding the pets. Kendon will not be painting the room. You will not be attending the concert. |
| Future Perfect | Subject + Will not have + Past Participle of the Main Verb + Object | I will not have aced the exams. Crissy will not have baked the cookies. Dad will not have returned from work. Bam will not have received the message by tomorrow. Aviva will not have danced for a time frame of 2 years. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Subject + Will not have been + Main Verb + -ing + Object | We will not have been flying for 12 hours. I will not have been doing laundry since this morning. Echo will not have been swimming for the whole afternoon. By next year, they will not have been completing the course. Yoona will not have been practicing medicine since graduation. |
2. Interrogative Sentences
Illustrated in the table below are the rules of future tense types and samples of interrogative sentences.
Interrogative Sentence Structure Chart
| Future Tense | Formula | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Will + Subject + Base form of the verb + Object | Will Patrick find his cat? Will Tim go to the gym? Will Shaley sing at the party? Will Angelie call the manager? Will Willie receive the endorsement? |
| Future Continuous | Will + Subject + Be + Main Verb + -ing + Object | Will Vickie be hosting the event? Will Ben be pushing my promotion? Will Samson be producing the song? Will they be borrowing the boat tomorrow? Will the staff be following the new email format? |
| Future Perfect | Will + Subject + Have + Past Participle of the Verb + Object | Will Mina have deposited the profits? Will you have caught the burglar by next week? Will Allen have completed the syllabus by then? Will they have informed the dean by Saturday? Will Charles have withdrawn the money by morning? |
| Future Perfect Continuous | Will + Subject + Have been + Main Verb + -ing + Object | Will Moira have been driving for 4 hours? Will she have been cooking for the third time? Will I have been editing this video for 6 hours in a row? Will Clarence have been acting in this drama for a year? Will Steve have been working here for four years this Monday? |
Conclusion
A table with rules and examples is an indispensable tool for anyone learning English. In fact, a majority of learners make their own tense charts by themselves. Apart from the common verb forms used every day, each individual learner faces a completely different set of verbs, so the method of creating a tense table customized to your own personal needs is very important. Tense charts covering all tenses and both regular verbs and irregular verbs are great, but there’s also a chance to learn more about a specific set like the future tense if you have separate charts and sentence examples of future tense for each type.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I will go to work in the afternoon.
2. Will you be joining us this evening?
3. Will Dessa join the trip this weekend?
4. James will start the meeting at 4 p.m.
5. Janice will be using the car from now on.
6. Marco will not attend the conference this year.
7. Will Rolly have lived in the capital for a decade?
8. Will the guys be hanging out at the gazebo after lunch?
9. Editha will have been working here for 7 years by October.
10. The children will have learned the concept of sharing after the lesson.
In the context of tenses, present particles are verbs ending in -ing and are used in continuous or progressive tenses. Present particles are also used with auxiliary verbs derived from different forms of “be” such as be, am, is, are, was, were, and been.
In English Grammar, there are 3 main tenses (the past, the present, and the future tenses) and 4 forms (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous). Based on that the 4 types of future tense are simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.
There are 4 types of future tenses and each one is used in a different way.
Use simple future tense for actions that haven’t taken place yet.
Use future continuous tense for actions ongoing over a future time period.
Use the future perfect tense for actions that will be finished before another point in a future time.
Use the future perfect continuous tense for ongoing events or actions that will progress in the future.
English teaching methodologies differ from country to country. In some countries, English is taught like Math, with structures made to look like formulas such as “S + V + O”. Or V1 for a verb’s base form, V2 for its past tense, and V3 for the past participle. Other countries don’t utilize a technical approach but teach creatively and linguistically. Teaching any concept or principle of the English language depends on how your students respond to the methods. All tenses should be taught according to the roles of time and their aspects or forms. Present, past, and future may have particular time periods, but a simple present tense verb can signify a future action. For instance, the sentence “The plane leaves in 10 minutes.” isn’t all that different from “The plane will leave in 10 minutes.” To teach future tense, you have to first introduce the concept that tenses aren’t exclusive to their typical time designations and that there are many options to choose from when expressing time. English language learners can choose their own way of expressing themselves as long as it’s appropriate and grammatically correct (the rules may be bent as well in informal or conversational situations). After establishing this, teaching future tense should focus on its uses and practical applications in the real world.
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William is a professional English and ESL teacher with over 15 years of experience. He has taught students of all ages, from children to business executives, and has worked with ESL learners from all over the globe. With a degree in English Education, William has developed curriculum for learners of all levels and interests. He is passionate about helping people learn English effectively and shares his knowledge with the LillyPad community. When he’s not teaching or writing, William enjoys spending time with his wife and two young children.
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