Conjugation & verb forms of the future simple

(Formation of the simple future tense with ‘will’ in English)

Table of contents – formation future simple

On this page you will find the following:

  1. Formation of the future simple
  2. Particularities of the future simple
  3. Verb forms of the future simple
  4. Further explanations and exercises

Formation of the future simple (will-future)

The future simple (also called will-future) is formed by using the auxiliary verb ‘will’ together with the infinitive (base form) of the corresponding verb without ‘to’.

  • Examples of forming the will-future in sentences:
    • “Peter and Tom will both buy a new car.”
    • “I think it won’t rain today.”
  • Note: The auxiliary verb ‘will’ remains unchanged for all grammatical persons, which means no ‘s’ is appended in the third person either.

Particularities of the will-future – substitute forms

When using the will-future in combination with modal auxiliary verbs (see modal verbs for details), a particular aspect needs to be considered: These verbs cannot be combined with ‘will’ because they do not have a proper verb form for the future. Therefore, the following alternatives or substitute forms are employed instead:

  • ‘be able to’ substitutes ‘can’:
    • “Soon, he will be able to do it on his own.”
    • “I won’t be able to make it in time.”
  • ‘have to’ substitutes ‘must’:
    • “I will have to do what my boss says.”
    • “I’m sure we won’t have to stay until 9 o’clock.”
  • ‘be allowed to’ substitutes ‘may’:
    • “Will I be allowed to leave a bit earlier?”
    • “The kids won’t be allowed to play in the garden.”

Verb forms of the future simple (will)

Example verb: ‘to say’

Positive/affirmative sentences

Person/​pronoun Positive Short form Interrogative form Short form of question
I He will say. He’ll say. Will he say? –
we/​you/​they
he/​she/​it

Negative sentences

Person/​pronoun Negative Short form Interrogative form Short form of question
I She will not say. She won’t say.
or
She’ll not say.		 Will she not say? Won’t she say?
we/​you/​they
he/​she/​it

Further explanations relating to the ‘Formation of the simple future tense with ‘will’’

The following explanations are related to the topic ‘Conjugation and verb forms of the future simple (will-future)’ and could help you as well: