English doesn’t have a way to conjugate future tense verbs. Rather, it uses different auxiliary words and tenses to indicate that an event takes place in the future. 

Future Simple Tense

One way to form the future tense is with the modal verb “will.” This is known as the future simple tense. For example:

  • I will go to the store tomorrow.
  • She will finish her homework tonight.

To form the negative form of the future tense with “will,” we add “not” after “will.” For example:

  • I will not go to the store tomorrow.
  • She will not finish her homework tonight.

“Be + going to” 

Another way to form the future tense is with the auxiliary verb “be” and the present participle of the main verb. This is known as the “be going to” construction. It is a form of the present continuous tense used to talk about future actions. For example:

  • I am going to go to the store tomorrow.
  • She is going to finish her homework tonight.

To form the negative form of the “be going to” construction, we add “not” after “be.” For example:

  • I am not going to go to the store tomorrow.
  • She is not going to finish her homework tonight.

Future Continuous Tense

A third way to form the future tense is with the verb “will be” and the present participle of the main verb. This is known as the “future continuous” tense. It is used to talk about actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. For example:

  • I will be going to the store at 3 o’clock tomorrow.
  • She will be finishing her homework at 6 o’clock tonight.

To form the negative form of the “future continuous” tense, we add “not” after “will be.” For example:

  • I will not be going to the store at 3 o’clock tomorrow.
  • She will not be finishing her homework at 6 o’clock tonight. 

    Uses for Each Tense

    There are no hard rules for when to use each future tense. Often more than one way to say something will give the exact same meaning. However, as a general rule:

    • “Will” is generally used for simple, spontaneous, or certain actions.
    • “Be going to” is used for planned or intended actions.
    • The “future continuous” is used for actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.