Understanding the future simple tense.

The future simple is a tense we use to talk about actions or events that will happen in the future. Nethertheless, the future simple is not the only tense we count on with in English as, depending on how we view the events that are foreseen to happen in the future and the "distance" or "delay as regards the present time in which we state the sentence, we can also rely on the present simple, present continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, "be going to", etc.

With this being said, it is in my interest now to shed some light on the future simple, its construction, syntactic form and its semantic nuances.

A word of warning my dear children... DON'T PANIC!! The future simple tense is pretty much alike as what we call "futuro simple" in Spanish. We basically use it in the very same contexts and attempting to transmit or comment on an event that will happen in the same "time distance" from the present as we do in Spanish.

Formation:

• Subject     +    will      +    bare infinitive  +   complements.

               I         +     will    +            do          +   that tomorrow.

Its main uses are:

• Say something that we are certain will occur in the future.
• The seminar will take place in the main Lecture Hall this evening.


• Say something that we are not so certain whether it will eventually happen.
• I think it will rain later today.


• Make a prediction.
• The rain will stop soon, you'll see!


• State a fact we regard as unmovable through time.
• Oil will float on water.


• Express willingness to do something in the future.
• I will help you out refurbish your new apartment.


• Make a sudden decision at the moment of speaking.
• Ok, now I know you will not get mad at me, I will tell you the plain truth.


• Give a command.
• You will stay here 'till you clean up all this mess!


• Give an invitation, make an order or a threat (in the form of a first conditional).
• The University will invite Professor Phelps for the opening lecture.
• I will have a sparkling water, please.
• I will tell you off severely unless you keep quite.


• Ask questions or make a suggestion or promise.
• Will you open the door?
• Shall we sneak out now the teachers are caught off guard?
• I will never ever, ever, ever let you down.