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Future with Will

1 min
A1

Use will for predictions, promises, offers, and decisions you make at the moment of speaking — not for plans you already made before now.

CEFR A1·tenses
Time frame
predicted / decided now
PastNowFuture

Formula

I / You / He / She / It / We / They
will

Examples

Positive
I will call you tomorrow.
Negative
He will not come to the meeting.
Question
Will you help me with this?

Common Time Markers

tomorrow
next week
in the future
later
soon

Usage

  • •Decisions made at the moment of speaking
  • •Predictions and beliefs about the future
  • •Promises and offers

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When do we use will?

Will is for predictions about the future ("It will probably rain this afternoon"), promises ("I promise I won't be late"), offers ("I'll carry that bag for you"), and decisions you make right now, while you're speaking ("The phone is ringing — I'll get it!").

What all of these share is that there was no plan before this moment — the prediction is a belief, and the promise, offer, or decision is made on the spot.

Will or going to?

Will is for the on-the-spot decisions and predictions described above. "Going to" is for things you already planned before now: "I'm meeting John tomorrow" (the plan already exists) uses going to, not will.

A simple test: if you decided it before this conversation, use going to. If you're deciding it right now, use will.

How do you make negatives and questions with will?

For negatives, add not after will: "He will not come to the meeting," usually shortened to won't: "He won't come."

For questions, put will before the subject: "Will you help me with this?" The main verb after will always stays in its base form — never add -s, -ed, or -ing to it.

Conjugation Table

Future with Will — form doesn't change by pronoun
PronounPositiveNegativeQuestion
I / You / He / She / It / We / Theywill workwon't work (will not)Will I work?
Save this conjugation chart
Future with Will conjugation table: Future with Will — form doesn't change by pronounDownload PNG

When to Use Future with Will

Predictions

It will probably rain this afternoon.

Promises

I promise I won't be late.

Offers and spontaneous decisions

The phone is ringing — I'll get it!

Save this timeline chart
Future with Will use cases on a Past-Now-Future timeline: Predictions, Promises, Offers and spontaneous decisionsDownload PNG

More Examples

  • I'll carry that bag for you.

    Offer you make right now, without planning

  • It will probably rain this afternoon.

    Prediction based on belief

  • I promise I won't be late.

    Promise using will

  • Will you help me with this exercise?

    Request using will

Common Mistakes

  • ✗Using "will" for pre-planned events: "I will meet John tomorrow" (pre-planned) should use "going to".
  • ✗Double auxiliary: "I will can help" is wrong — use "I will be able to help".

Tips

  • ✓"Will" is used for on-the-spot decisions; "going to" is for plans already made.
  • ✓The contraction "I'll" is very common in spoken English.

Advanced Notes

The will/going-to distinction trips up even B2 learners. Will is neutral about how certain the prediction is; "going to" implies evidence or prior intention. In conversational English, "'ll" carries a warmer, more personal tone — "I'll help you" sounds more willing than "I am going to help you". Will is also the default for conditionals ("If it rains, I'll stay in") and polite written offers ("We will be happy to assist").

FAQ

Will or going to — which one do I use?

Use going to for something you already planned before now: "I'm going to meet John tomorrow" (the plan exists already). Use will for a decision you make at the moment of speaking, or for a prediction: "I'll meet John tomorrow" only sounds right if you're deciding that right now.

Can will go together with another verb like can?

No — will already is a modal verb, so it can't stack with another one like can. "I will can help" is wrong. To say the same thing, use "be able to" after will: "I will be able to help."

How do you make a negative sentence with will?

Add not after will: "He will not come to the meeting." In speech and informal writing, this shortens to won't: "He won't come to the meeting."

How do you make a question with will?

Put will before the subject: "Will you help me with this?" The main verb stays in its base form, just like in the positive sentence.

What is the short form of will and will not?

Will shortens to 'll after a pronoun: I'll, you'll, she'll. Will not shortens to won't. Both are very common in spoken English: "I'll call you tomorrow." "He won't be there."

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Compare With

Future with Going to(A2)