Future Simple Formula in English: Rules and Uses

In English, there are twelve main types of temporary forms, each of which has its own formula of education. Like any other language that lends itself to logical explanation and has a clear structure for writing sentences, English is able to describe actions that occur in three tenses: past, present and future.

This together means that for each time there are four types of temporary forms: Simple, Continuous / Progressive (this is the same thing), Perfect and Perfect Continuous / Progressive. How to remember such a number of formulas? At first glance, this seems like an impossible task, however, in fact, you can wield all four forms in each time quite easily, if you start with the basics, namely from the simplest time - Future Simple.

What is Future Simple and what can be described using it?

The definition from textbooks and self-instruction books of the English language, which I will probably recall first of all, because it is familiar from the school bench, sounds like this: a simple future tense. However, the most concise description is not always the most correct and complete, because the Future Simple formula is much more specific and at the same time multifaceted. With its help, events can be described in the following chronological frames:

1. Actions that will occur in the uncertain future. The author / speaker knows for sure that something is about to happen, but does not know exactly when.
2. Actions in the future, the time of which is well defined, but so far that it is not connected with the present. For example: the next day (so far that it is not connected with today), in a week, in a year.

And not only the framework. The actions themselves also vary:

1. We can say about an event that will begin and end at a certain point in time.
2. Describe the action that will be repeated over and over again for some (not always certain) time in the future.
3. Talk about successive events. A similar phenomenon can be observed when studying Past Simple, which also serves to describe the chain of actions, but in the past, and not in the future.

Having become convinced of the multifunctionality of the Future Simple formula, hardly anyone will find it necessary to study in detail its structure. Start with the base.

Approval in Future Simple

The general formula for the Future Simple affirmative sentence is as follows:

This structure is quite flexible. You may come across offers:

• with several circumstances or additions;
• with short circumstances between the subject and the auxiliary verb;
• with definitions and other "decorations."

However, the grammatical basis of a sentence always remains unchanged.

Denial in Future Simple

The formula for Future Simple in this case remains almost unchanged. But what does she look like? Those who have already studied other English tenses will probably recall auxiliary verbs in Present, Past and Future Simple, which add the not particle to themselves, which, in fact, makes the sentence a negation. It looks like this:

The auxiliary verbs Future Simple are no different from other verbs in this category of tenses. The word order has not changed; only a particle meaning negation has been added. Like the previous one, this formula allows changes, additions, but is flexible enough for experiments with the style and form of presentation. Its foundation must remain unchanged.

Question in Future Simple

This formula is a bit more complicated than the previous ones, but still repeats the structure common to all times of the Simple category.

As you can see from the table, the word order has been significantly changed: the auxiliary verb now faces the subject. This formula is worth remembering, especially for those who began to study English times with Future Simple. A similar verbal “castling” can be observed in almost all other types of temporary forms. Actually, exceptions are only some modal verbs.

Conditional offers

There are three types of conditional sentences in English. The Future Simple formula affects only one of them: a real action in the future tense. In Russian, it may look like this:

1. If he has the opportunity to come, I will be happy.
2. When the rain ends, the children will play in the yard.

And the main thing, and the subordinate clause at first glance require Future Simple, as they relate to the future tense. However, in the English language, the Simple part of the sentence uses Present Simple. It looks like this:

1. If he is able to come, I will be happy. (Will not be, but is).
2. When it stops to rain, children will start playing out home. (Not it will stop, but it stops).

It is very important not to confuse conditional sentences with explanatory sentences containing the word “if” or “when”. For instance:

1. “I do not know if she will come” - this is not a conditional sentence, since none of the actions is a condition for the other. In English, this phrase sounds like this: I don't know if she will come.
2. “They told me when the show starts” is also not a conditional offer. His English version is as follows: They told when the show will begin.

For any student of English this information is enough to speak freely about events in the future tense.