Yesterday’s lesson explained that we can make a present tense verb into future tense by using the helping verb will.
Present tense: I run.
Future tense: I will run.
By adding the helping verb will, we push the action into the future.
Today we’ll talk about two other ways to show future tense in English.
Sometimes we use the words am going to, is going to, or are going to in front of a verb.
I am going to help my dad.
My sister is going to learn Spanish next year.
Bob and Sam are going to act in a play.
Each of these sentences tells about something that will happen in the future. Notice that there must be a verb after the phrase am going to, is going to, and are going to in order for it to be a future tense verb.
We also show future tense when we use a present tense verb and specify a time in the future when that action will take place.
The store opens in three hours.
Our basketball season starts next week.
Our foreign exchange student arrives tomorrow.
The verb in each sentence is present tense, but other words in the sentence dictate that the action happens in the future.
Usually we show future tense by adding the helping verb will to a main verb, but we can also show future tense by using the verb phrase going to or by adding words about the future to a present tense verb.