Simple Future

The term simple future, future simple or future indefinite, as applied to English, generally refers to the combination of the modal auxiliary verb will with the bare infinitive of the main verb.

Sometimes (particularly in more formal or old-fashioned English) shall is preferred to will when the subject is first person (I or we).

The auxiliary is often contracted to _ 'll_.

This construction can be used to indicate what the speaker views as facts about the future, including confident predictions:

• The sun will rise tomorrow at 6:14.
• It will rain later this week.

It may be used to describe future circumstances that are subject to some condition:

• He will go there if he can.

However English also has other ways of referring to future circumstances. For planned or scheduled actions the present progressive or simple present may be used. There is also a going-to future, common in colloquial English, which is often used to express intentions or predictions (I am going to write a book some day; I think that it is going to rain). Use of the will/shall construction when expressing intention often indicates a spontaneous decision:

• I know! I'll use this book as a door stop.

Compare I'm going to use..., which implies that the intention to do so has existed for some time.

Use of present tense rather than future constructions in condition clauses and certain other dependent clauses is described below under and. The modal verbs will and shall also have other uses besides indicating future time reference. For example:

• I will pass this exam. (often expresses determination in addition to futurity)
• You will obey me! (insistence)
• I will not do it! (negative insistence, refusal)
• At this moment I will tolerate no dissent. (strong volition)
• He hasn't eaten all day; he will be hungry now. (confident speculation about the present)
• One of his faults is that he will make trouble unnecessarily. (habit)
• Shall we get to work? (suggestion)

Future Progressive

The future progressive or future continuous combines progressive aspect with future time reference; it is formed with the auxiliary will (or shall in the first person, the bare infinitive be, and the present participle of the main verb.

It is used mainly to indicate that an event will be in progress at a particular point in the future:

• This time tomorrow I will be taking my driving test.
• I imagine we will already be eating when you arrive.

The usual restrictions apply, on the use both of the future and of the progressive: simple rather than progressive aspect is used with some stative verbs, and present rather than future constructions are used in many dependent clauses. The same construction may occur when will or shall is given one of its other uses, for example:

• He will be sitting in his study at this time. (confident speculation about the present)

Future Perfect

The future perfect combines aspect with future time reference.

It consists of the auxiliary will (or sometimes shall in the first person, as above), the bare infinitive have, and the past participle of the main verb.

It indicates an action that is to be completed sometime prior to a future time of perspective, or an ongoing action continuing up to a future time of perspective (compare uses of the present perfect above).

• I shall have finished my essay by Thursday.
• When I finally search him he will have disposed of the evidence.
• By next year we will have lived in this house for half a century.

For the use of the present tense rather than future constructions in certain dependent clauses.

The same construction may occur when will or shall is given one of its other meanings; for example:

• He will have had his tea by now. (confident speculation about the present)
• You will have completed this task by the time I return, is that understood? (giving instruction)

Future Perfect Progressive

The future perfect progressive or future perfect continuous combines perfect progressive aspect with future time reference.

It is formed by combining the auxiliary will (or sometimes shall, as above), the bare infinitive have, the past participle been, and the present participle of the main verb.

Uses of the future perfect progressive are analogous to those of the present perfect progressive, except that the point of reference is in the future. For example:

• He will be very tired because he will have been working all morning.
• By 6 o'clock we will have been drinking for ten hours.

For the use of present tense in place of future constructions in certain dependent clauses.

The same construction may occur when the auxiliary (usually will) has one of its other meanings, particularly expressing a confident assumption about the present:

• No chance of finding him sober now; he*'ll have been drinking* all day.

Verb

A verb is a word that expresses an action, a state, or an occurrence — and it's the engine of every English sentence. Understanding how verbs work is foundational to everything else in English grammar, from forming questions to building complex sentences.

Verb Forms

Most English verbs have five inflected forms:

• Base form (go, write, climb) — used as an infinitive, imperative, present subjunctive, and present indicative in all persons except third-person singular.
• -s form (goes, writes, climbs) — used for the present tense, third-person singular (she writes).
• Past tense (went, wrote, climbed) — also called the preterite.
• Past participle (gone, written, climbed) — identical to the past tense for regular verbs, but often different for irregular verbs.
• -ing form (going, writing, climbing) — serves as the present participle and gerund.

The verb be is a special case with more forms than any other English verb (am, is, are, was, were, been, being). Modal verbs like can, must, and should have fewer forms than typical verbs.

Main Verbs and Auxiliaries

Verbs in English often appear in combinations: one or more auxiliary verbs paired with a main verb.

• The dog was barking very loudly.
• My hat has been cleaned.
• Jane does not really like us.

The first verb in the combination is the finite verb (it carries tense and agrees with the subject). The rest are nonfinite (infinitives or participles). Notice that these verbs don't always sit next to each other — as in does not really like.

Tense, Aspect, and Mood

English expresses tense (time reference), aspect (how an action unfolds over time), and mood (the speaker's attitude toward the action) mostly through verb combinations rather than word endings. That's why you'll encounter labels like "present progressive" or "conditional perfect" — these are specific tense–aspect–mood combinations built with auxiliaries.

Self-check: If you can change the time of a sentence by swapping one word (She runs → She ran), that word is the verb.

Keep Practising

To build your verb skills from the ground up, try these challenges: Basics. "To be" in Present Tense, Basics. Common Uses of Auxiliary Verbs, and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs.

Idiom

An idiom is a common word or phrase with a culturally understood meaning that differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words.

By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.

For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.

C1 | Advanced

C1 is the fifth of six levels in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), sitting between B2 (Upper-Intermediate) and C2 (Proficiency). It's classified as Advanced — the stage where you stop translating in your head and start thinking in English.

What a C1 user can do

At this level, you're expected to handle complex, demanding language across a wide range of situations:

• Reading — You can understand long, complex texts, including specialized articles and technical instructions outside your own field. You pick up on implicit meaning, not just what's stated directly.
• Speaking — You express yourself fluently and spontaneously with minimal searching for words. You use language flexibly for social, academic, and professional purposes.
• Writing — You produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, with controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices.
• Listening — You follow extended speech even when it isn't clearly structured or when relationships between ideas are only implied.

What C1 grammar looks like

C1-level grammar goes well beyond accuracy with tenses and articles. You're expected to use advanced structures naturally, including:

• Inversion for emphasis (Rarely have I seen such dedication.)
• Mixed and advanced conditionals (Had she known, she would never have agreed.)
• Subjunctive forms in formal contexts (It's essential that he be informed.)
• Cleft sentences for focus (What concerns me is the timeline.)
• Complex noun phrases and nominalization (The government's repeated failure to act…)

The difference between B2 and C1 isn't just knowing these structures exist — it's using them appropriately and with control across different registers.

Self-check: If you can read an opinion piece in The Guardian or The Economist and follow the argument without a dictionary, and if you can write a structured response disagreeing with it, you're likely operating at C1.

How C1 fits in the CEFR scale

The CEFR has six levels: A1 → A2 → B1 → B2 → C1 → C2. C1 is where most universities and professional bodies set their language requirements for non-native speakers.

Ready to test yourself? Try Pass the Test to Determine Your English CEFR Level or go straight to the C1/C2-level test. You can also practice key C1 structures like Inversion and Conditional Subjunctive.

Difficulty: Hard

Hard difficulty. Difficulty levels represent author's opinion about how hard a question or challenge is.