Essay on futurity in the English language

Ways to express future time in English

In the English language, the topic of the future is a complicated area of grammar. In fact, there are different ways to use verbs to refer to the future, and it is difficult to analyze and describe the differences between the meanings and uses of the structures. English does not have a "future tense", and therefore it has some grammatical forms which express futurity. Some of these expressions, especially those with shall or will, are commonly considered to be future tense. Examples of expressions of future time can be easily found in mission and vision statements of companies, as well as in business presentations.

Simple present

In English, futurity can be expressed by simply using the simple present. It usually has the function of expressing a scheduled and often repeated event. "The Board meets every fourth Tuesday from 6-8:30 pm" (People’s food co-op website). Future expressed with the simple present usually requires an indicator of future time ("every fourth Tuesday").

Present continuous

It is also possible to express future by using the present continuous, especially when describing plans and arrangements because it is clearly about something that will develop in the future. "We are working on extending this package and offering it on desktop PCs too" (saia-pcd.com).

Be to and be about to

The forms "be to" and "be about to" can also be used to express future when referring to something that has already been decided and is in the process of realization. "If we are to meet today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own" (www.iisd.org – business strategy).

Going to, planning to, intending to, expecting to

Some verbs such as "going to", "planning to", "intending to", and "expecting to" already have the meaning of something that has a high probability of happening soon. "We are planning to withdraw from press technology in order to focus on new business lines" (www.kba.com – English site).

Expect to, want to

Other verbs, such as "expect to" or "want to", express a future goal which is not certain because there’s less probability of the facts happening (in comparison to the probability expressed by "going to" or "planning to"). "We expect this business to continue to provide a stable and substantial source of profits" (www.ubs.com).

Hope to, mean to, would like to

Moreover, other verbs such as "hope to", "mean to", "would like to" express a goal which is even more uncertain than the previous expressions. "We hope that along the way, even the youngest participants will be able to...