How To Talk About Future

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.

We usually associate the word will with the future: – We will sign the contract next week. – I will call him tomorrow for 1._ details. – They won’t get another 2._ to negotiate with the investors. However, this is not the only way to talk about the future. Take a look at the following conversation:

| Lana | Are you going to the conference next week? Peter | Yes, I am. Lana | When are you leaving? What time is your plane? Peter | I don’t know yet. Is there an early morning flight on Tuesday? Lana | Yes, there is. The earliest flight to London leaves at 6.15. Peter | Then I’ll take that one. I don’t know yet how long I am going to stay. Maybe I’ll have to attend a few more meetings. I’ll call you. Lana | All right. You do know that the President is visiting your office today at 3 p.m., don’t you? Peter | Oh yes, I do. If I don’t leave right away, I’m going to be late. See you later, Lana. Lana | Oh, I won’t be here in the afternoon. I’m having lunch with a client. Peter | OK. I’ll see you tomorrow then!

When Lana asks Peter ‘Are you going…?’, she knows that he is supposed to go to the conference next week. Peter is most 3._ going to the conference for which arrangements have been made days in 4._. So he should know exactly when he is leaving. But he doesn’t know that. He will take the 6.15 flight because he has only just decided to do that, after Lana informed him that there is a flight at 6.15. The flight to London leaves the airport 5._ to a schedule, always at the same precise time which you can check on the Internet or 6._ the phone. Peter doesn’t know whether he will have to stay longer in London, maybe he will and maybe he won’t – he is 7._ about the future and promises that he will call Lana about it. Neither does he have any definite plans about how long he is going to stay there, that has not yet been arranged. But one thing is sure, he is meeting the President today at 3 p.m. and he is going to be late as it is already 2.45! Lana won’t be in the office later in the afternoon and that is a fact about the future as she is having lunch at an 8._ time.

Now let’s sum up:

| Tense | Example | Function | |——-|———|———-| | Present Continuous | I am meeting him at the airport in the afternoon. We are having lunch with a client at 10 o’clock. | • arrangement • appointment • 9._ plan for near future | | will + verb | I’ll visit the trade fair in the afternoon. He’s not here? Never mind, I’ll call later. Prices will be lower next year. | • 10._ decision • promise • prediction | | be going to + verb | I am going to discuss it with my boss tomorrow. We’re going to visit our partners. Hurry up! We’re going to be late. | • planned events and intentions, decided on before the moment of speaking; • 11.___ based on present situation | | Present Simple | The plane / train / bus leaves at 9 o’clock. The exhibition closes on 15 May. | • scheduled public event (train/course schedules/)

GLOSSARY

| further details | daljnji; dodatni detalji | | opportunity | prilika | | most likely | najvjerojatnije | | in advance | unaprijed | | according to | u skladu s(a); prema | | over the phone | telefonski | | to speculate | nagadati | | at an arranged time | u dogovoreno vrijeme | | definite plan | točan, određen | | instant decision | trenutačna odluka | | prediction | predviđanje |

PRACTICE

Exercise 1 Complete the sentences with the right future form:

1. I ___ (make) a presentation tomorrow morning.; 2. I don’t think we __ (sign) another contract next year.; 3. What would you like to drink? I _ (have) a glass of wine, please.; 4. She _ (visit) us next weekend. We must book a hotel.; 5. Oh no, it _ (rain) again.; 6. I’m sure we ____ (succeed) in finding new partners.