The English system of times is considered one of the most logical in the world. Of course, there are subtleties and nuances, but in order to correctly use the times, you do not need to graduate from a specialized university. Just read good books on the subject. It is best to use sources from which students of linguistic universities study. The topic “Future Tense in English” is well described in fundamental textbooks. The problem is that these textbooks are often written entirely in English, so I give here a partial translation of the textbook that is used in my Alma Mater.
Although there are 4 "official" forms of Future in the English, in practice, native speakers in 98% of cases use only Future Simple. If you come across any other time, then you can assume that you are lucky with the interlocutor - this is a very educated and competent person. More often “difficult” forms of the future can be found in the press, where very competent people also work. But we will limit ourselves to the consideration of the question “simple future tense in English.”
You can face two tasks - how to recognize the future tense in speech or how to talk about the future yourself.
You can find out the time by the verb shall (in our time it is rare, although in the old texts it is used with “We” or “I”), or the verb will (currently used with absolutely all personal pronouns). One only needs to know that these verbs in modern speech look like the abbreviation 'll be attached to the pronoun or noun-subject. And you can even be more categorical - if you see will and shall in full form - it is very possible, this is not even the future tense, but the ancient meaning of these verbs “want, desire, have intention”. So you have to build guesses based on context. If you see I'll - breathe a sigh of relief: we are definitely talking about the future. Together with the future marker will, the main verb is used, which indicates what will happen. Example: She 'll study modern languages next year. - Translation: Next year she will study modern languages.
So, you can learn the future in speech. But in what cases should you use a simple future tense in English?
- Events that can be predicted and that will occur regardless of one's will. For example: Uncle John will be 45 next week. Uncle John will turn 45 next week. The rain season will begin in 2 days. The rainy season will begin in two days
- In the first case, it was about events caused by natural causes. But the second case, when we use the future tense in the English language, is connected with the predictions that we make for the future. That is, you need to use Future Simple if we consider some event as possible or probable. We think that such an event will happen in the near or distant future. And use our Future Simple. For example: (I think) Manchester United will win it. (I think) Manchester United will win this match.
- We will also use Future Simple if we impulsively make a decision about the near future and bring this to the attention of the interlocutor. For example: - It's stuffy in the room. - I will open the windows. - The room is stuffy. –I will open the windows.
- Future tense is also sometimes used when a person asks for advice on actions at the moment. In this case, only the shall form is used in relation to itself. For example: Shall I buy this ticket? Should I buy this ticket?
- Also, sometimes Future Simple is used in emotionally colored situations, strictly speaking, not related to the future: when something does not work as it should or about annoying human behavior. For example: This program will not work. This program does not work. He will always complain about homework. Forever he complains about homework.
As you can see, the future tense in English is easy to express. Of course, after reading this article, you cannot become English as an “advanced user” - but for solving everyday problems, the information will come in handy. Try to buy at least one good book about the system of times, better published in a Russian-speaking country, this will help you better understand the subtleties.