Have a go — no notes, and don't worry about getting it perfect.
You already know one way to talk about the future. Complete this sentence:
"I've decided — I start learning Spanish next year."
Have a go out loud: say one thing you're going to do this weekend, and one thing you think will happen in the news this year. Notice — do both sentences feel the same, or different?
Sam: What time does the train leave?
Priya: It departs at 9:15. I'm meeting my cousin at the station first, though — we already arranged it. Oh, and look at that sky — it's going to pour down before we even get there.
Sam: Don't worry, I'll bring an umbrella.
Look again at what Priya and Sam say. They talk about four different future things — a timetable, an arrangement, something they can already see coming, and a decision made right there on the spot — and they use four different forms. Why not just one? Say your idea out loud before you check.
For decisions made right now, as you speak, and for opinions and predictions with no hard evidence behind them.
Three things you might say without planning them in advance:
Before you check: what do all three have in common, and when do you reach for this form?
Type only the missing verb phrase.
1. The phone starts ringing and nobody else moves.
Say: "Don't worry, I it."
2. You've just tasted a spoonful of your friend's homemade soup — no evidence beyond your own opinion.
Say: "I think this a hit at the party tonight."
3. The waiter still hasn't brought your bill, and you only just noticed.
Say: "It's fine — I him over now."
Say three spontaneous decisions out loud, starting each one with "I'll..." — things you could genuinely decide right now, like what to eat, what to watch, or who to call.
One form, two very different jobs: a plan you already decided on, or a prediction based on evidence right in front of you.
What's the shared structure — and what are the two different reasons for using it?
1. You already told your boss weeks ago that you want two weeks off in August — it's settled.
Say: "I two weeks off in August."
2. The sky has turned bright orange and the wind just picked up violently.
Say: "There a storm."
3. Your friend says: "I've already downloaded the tickets — our train ___ at 6:45 tomorrow." Which fits best?
Say two things you're going to do because you've already decided (an intention), then two things you're going to predict because of evidence you can see right now — a look out the window works well for this.
For plans fixed with another person, for official schedules, and for asking about someone's plans without sounding pushy.
What's different about "The film starts at eight" compared with the other two?
1. You booked a table for 8pm on Saturday with your sister a week ago.
Say: "I dinner with my sister on Saturday."
2. According to the timetable, buses to the airport run every 20 minutes, with the next one at 7:40.
Say: "The next bus at 7:40."
3. You want to borrow your flatmate's laptop later, so you ask casually rather than making it sound like a favour.
Say: "Will you your laptop tonight?"
Say one personal arrangement you already have this week, one thing you know from a timetable (a bus, a train, a class), and then ask someone out loud a polite question with "will you be...ing".
Time to use several of today's forms in one real account of your week. You do the talking.
Think about the next seven days of your life — real or invented if nothing comes to mind.
Talk about it out loud for one minute. Try to include:
Write a short message (3–5 sentences) to a friend about your coming week. Use at least three different future forms from today — the checker will tell you which ones it finds.
Real life doesn't tell you which form to use. Here everything is mixed — you decide.
Each sentence has one mistake with a future form. Rewrite the whole sentence correctly.
1. Said while checking a diary with an appointment already fixed for tonight: "I will meet Ana at 6 tonight."
2. Said the moment a waiter appears at the table and you suddenly decide: "OK, I have the soup, please."
3. "Call me when I will get home."
4. "She's going to meets us at the station tomorrow."
5. The shop's website lists its opening hours as 9am to 6pm every day. You tell a friend: "The shop ___ at 9."
6. You look outside and see thick black smoke pouring from the neighbour's kitchen window. "There ___ a fire!"
7. Your phone rings mid-dinner. It's the dentist confirming an appointment you booked weeks ago for next Tuesday. You tell your friends: "Sorry — I ___ the dentist Tuesday."
One-minute challenge: plan a friend's visit to your town out loud. Mention one arrangement, one timetable detail, one thing you predict from evidence, and one decision you make on the spot when they ask you a question. Use the timer above if you like the pressure.
1. The simplest way to talk about a personal plan you already know — complete it: "I visit my grandmother this weekend — it's already arranged with her."
2. Say it out loud: what's the real difference between "It will rain" and "It's going to rain" when you're already staring at dark clouds?
3. Someone knocks at the door while you're in the middle of a conversation, and you decide right then to answer it.
Say: "I that."
4. You open the fridge and the milk carton smells strange the moment you lift it out.
Say: "Ugh — this off."
5. You agreed with your neighbour last week to help her move furniture on Saturday morning — it's already settled between you.
Say: "I my neighbour move furniture on Saturday."
Which practice helped you most today — fixing the mistakes, choosing the right form, or the speaking tasks? Say why you think that one worked for you.
At the start we said: five ways to talk about the future so you can pick the right one for the situation. Tick what's true: