Future simple tense: rules, formula and examples

In this article, we break down the rules of Future Simple — the tense that helps you talk about spontaneous decisions, promise your boss to finish the report (and maybe even do it), or simply dream about a bright future. Ready? Let’s go!

Contents

1. What is Future Simple tense
2. The formula of the tense
3. When to use Future Simple: rules
4. Signal words
5. Using “shall” to talk about the future
6. Common mistakes
7. Future Simple: practice exercises
8. FAQs

What is Future Simple tense

Future Simple is the tense in English, used to express actions, events, or states that will happen in the future. It is often used for spontaneous decisions, promises, predictions, offers of help and general assumptions about the future.

This is one of students' favorite tenses because it’s as easy as making a sandwich: take a verb, add “will” before it — and voilà! Let’s look at some examples:

• I will call you tomorrow. 
• She will finish the project next week.

The formula of the tense

The main verb doesn’t change depending on the subject, you simply use “will” with the base form of the verb everywhere. However, there are some nuances when forming affirmative sentences, negatives, and questions. Let’s break it all down step by step.

When to use Future Simple: rules 

The formula for Future Simple is much easier than its usage rules. That’s why it’s important to examine the specific cases where this tense is appropriate, as it doesn’t fit all future actions. For example, Future Simple is not the best choice for fixed plans or schedules for the next week.

Let’s take a closer look at when to use Future Simple with examples:

✓ Predictions and forecasts about the future (especially when you’re not 100% sure). These are usually opinions about the future without concrete evidence. Such sentences often begin with phrases like:

• I think;
• I believe;
• I hope;
• I assume.
   
• I think it will rain this afternoon.
• I assume people will use flying cars one day.

For more accurate predictions or assumptions, words like the following are often used:

• definitely, certainly — 99%;
• probably, possibly — 50/50 and less%.

These words are placed before the main verb:

• She will definitely come to the party.
• They will probably be late.

Or before “won't” in negative sentences:

• I certainly won’t forget this moment.
• He possibly won’t agree with that.

These words can also be used at the beginning or end of a sentence, followed by a comma.

• Probably, she will call you later.
• He will come back tomorrow, certainly.

✓ Decisions made on the spot. This tense is used when a decision is made right during the conversation:

• I’m hungry. I will order pizza!
• It’s late. We will take a taxi.

✓ Promises and threats (dangerous promises automatically become threats):

• I will do it tomorrow, I promise!
• If you don’t stop, I won’t talk to you!

✓ Facts about the future (something that will definitely happen). This refers to the laws of nature, science, and common sense. We understand that the action is inevitable — it’s a fact:

• The sun will rise at 7 a.m.
• I will be 30 next year. 

Signal words

When talking about the future, you often encounter so-called signal words in examples of Future Simple. According to the rules, they indicate when exactly the future action will happen and correspond to the cases we discussed in the previous section:

• tomorrow;
• next week/month/year;
• in an hour/minute;
• soon;
• one day.

Let’s look at some examples:

• I will visit my parents next weekend.
•  She will call you soon.
• I will go to the gym tomorrow.
• She will finish her work in an hour.
• We will meet again soon.
• One day, he will become a famous actor.

Using “shall” to talk about the future

“Shall” is an auxiliary verb that was widely used in the 20th century, especially in formal speech and writing. However, in modern English, its use has significantly decreased and today it is less common than “will”, which is now the standard choice for expressing the future.

The traditional rule:

• “Shall” was used with “I” and “we” (I shall, we shall);
• “Will” was used with all other pronouns (you, he, she, it, they).

Now, “will” has replaced “shall” in all cases, and even with “I” and “we”, people use “will”.

For example:

• I shall call you tomorrow. = I will call you tomorrow. 
• We shall see what happens. = We will see what happens. 

However, “shall” can still be found in literary works from past centuries, classic plays, and in films and TV series depicting those historical periods. Additionally, “shall” is sometimes used in formal and official contexts:

✓ For polite suggestions or advice in questions:

• Shall I open the window?
• Shall we go for a walk?

With the word “will”, the sentence becomes a direct question, so in such cases, the use of “shall” is more appropriate.

However, in affirmative Future Simple examples, “will” is used for suggestions:

• I will help you with your bags.
• We will bring some snacks to the party.

✓ For official obligations or instructions (especially in documents, laws and contracts):

• The tenant shall pay the rent on the first of each month.
• Candidates shall submit their applications by June 1st.

For everything else, if you want to sound natural in everyday conversation, it's better to use “will”.

Common mistakes

Although, as mentioned earlier, this tense is one of the simplest in English, students often encounter common mistakes. To minimize them in speech, let’s take a look at the most frequent ones:

1. “Will” is never used with modal verbs.

✗ You will can call me later
✓ You will be able to call me later. or You can call me later.

2. “Will” is never used next to auxiliary verbs like “don't”, “doesn't” or “didn't”.

✗ She doesn’t will help you
✓ She won’t help you

3. If we are not asking but rather giving a recommendation or making a suggestion, it is better to use “should” instead of “will”.

✗ — I have a fever.
— You will go to the doctor!

✓ — I have a fever.
— You should go to the doctor!

If you are not tired yet, we suggest you deepen your knowledge of the future tenses in English even further:

• Future Perfect
• Future Continuous
• Future tenses

Future Simple: practice exercises

The rules of Future Simple are your ticket to the world of promises, plans and spontaneous decisions in English. To master this tense well, you need to practice using new constructions in everyday life. For example, joke with your friends by making funny predictions (You will become a millionaire someday!).

The future may be uncertain, but after completing a few exercises to reinforce Future Simple, you will definitely be able to talk about it with confidence!

Correct the mistakes in the sentences (click on the corresponding sentence for a hint):

Fill in the gaps with the correct form of “will”:

FAQs

1. Can “shall” be used in Future Simple examples?

In modern English, “shall” is rarely used, but it can still be heard in formal statements, official documents, or contracts.

• Shall we go for a walk?
• The tenant shall pay the rent on the first of each month.

However, in everyday conversation, the auxiliary verb “will” has completely replaced “shall”.

2. When to use the Future Simple rules?

The Future Simple formula is used in examples when referring to:

• Predictions and forecasts without 100% certainty:
  I think it will rain this afternoon.

• Spontaneous decisions:
  I’m hungry. I will order pizza!

• Promises and threats:
  I will do it tomorrow, I promise!

• Future facts:
  The sun will rise at 7 a.m.

3. How to shorten “will”?

Feel free to shorten it to sound more natural like a native speaker:

• I will = I’ll;
• She will = she’ll,
• and so on.

In spoken language, native speakers almost always use contractions, so the phrase “I'll call you” sounds more natural than “I will call you”. However, in formal texts and academic writing, it's better to use the full form.

It’s also important to know that contractions can only be used with pronouns (I, you, he, she, they). For other subjects (nouns), contractions are not used. For example:

✓ I’ll go to the store.
✓ She’ll help us with the project.

✗ John’ll go to the store.
✓John will go to the store.

4. Where to use definitely, certainly, probably, possibly in Future Simple examples according to the rules?

• Before the main verb: 

She will definitely come to the party.

• Before “won’t” in negative sentences:

I certainly won’t forget this moment.

• At the beginning or end of the sentence with a comma: 

Probably, she will call you later.

5. What are the time markers for Future Simple?

Typical time markers include:

• tomorrow;
• next week/month/year;
• in the future;
• soon.

6. Is Future Simple used in spoken language?

Yes, this tense is very common in spoken language, especially for promises, decisions, and predictions.