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Future tenses: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Levels A2 to C1 20 lesson plans · 10 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

English talks about the future with several forms, each for its own situation: I'll help, It's going to rain, We're meeting at six, The bus leaves at noon. This page groups 20 ready-made lessons on future tenses from the edio.ai library, levels A2 to C1, all interactive and in American English. Work through a few of their exercises, compare the forms in the lessons' grammar schemes, from going to and will to the future perfect, and choose a lesson for your class by level. The practice in every lesson checks itself as students work.

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Future tenses lesson plans and drills

20 lesson plans and 10 drill lessons, A2 to C1. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 44 to 46 self-checking exercises with no new words.

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One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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Future tenses explained

Which future form we use depends on how the speaker sees the event. A plan or a prediction we can see coming takes going to; an arrangement with a time and other people takes the present continuous; a decision made while speaking, an offer or a prediction based on opinion takes will. Timetables use the present simple: The train leaves at 7:40.

Going to: plans and what we can see coming

Am, is or are + going to + verb has two uses: a plan, I'm going to learn flag football, and a prediction from something we can see now, Look at those clouds: it's going to rain.

The form

am / is / aregoing toverb

I'm going to learn flag football.

It isn't going to rain.

Are you going to watch the swimming?

Two uses

A plan 📅

  • I'm going to learn flag football.
  • We're going to come back in 2028.
  • The plan is: athletes are going to compete at the Coliseum.

A prediction: we can see it now 👀

  • Look at that blue sky! It isn't going to rain.
  • Biscuit is looking at the hot dog. He's going to steal it!
  • The stadium is full of people. It's going to be loud!

From the lesson What's going to happen at LA 2028? (English A2.1)

Present continuous: arrangements with a ticket or a time

With a ticket, a reservation or a time agreed with others, English often uses the present continuous: We're leaving Chicago at two. A plan that exists only in your head takes going to: We're going to take lots of photos.

Arrangement → present continuous

  • You have a ticket, a reservation, an appointment or a time with other people.
  • We're leaving Chicago at two. (We have tickets.)
  • I'm meeting Earl at the station at six.

Plan → going to

  • You decided. It's your plan or idea: no ticket, no time with others.
  • We're going to take lots of photos.
  • Marco is going to sleep in the lounge car tonight.

From the lesson Across America by train (English A2.1)

Will: the same form for every person

Will + the base verb never changes: I'll wake up, He'll pass the test. The negative is won't, questions start with Will, and a yes answer keeps the full form: Yes, I will, not Yes, I'll.

will and won't: every person

Whowill (+)Short formwon't = will not (–)
II will wake up at seven.I'll wake up at seven.I won't wake up late.
youYou will love homeroom.You'll love homeroom.You won't be late.
heHe will pass the test.He'll pass the test.He won't yawn in class.
sheShe will come with us.She'll come with us.She won't forget.
itIt will rain today.It'll rain today.It won't be easy.
weWe will sleep more.We'll sleep more.We won't be tired.
theyThey will be busy.They'll be busy.They won't take a nap.

Questions and short answers

QuestionShort answer
Will you come to homeroom?Yes, I will. / No, I won't.
Will Ethan pass the test?Yes, he will. / No, he won't.
Will they be tired?Yes, they will. / No, they won't.
What time will you wake up?I'll wake up at seven.

From the lesson Why does school start later in California? (English A2.2)

Will or going to?

Going to is for a decision made before now or a prediction from what you can see; will is for a decision made on the spot, an offer or a prediction from opinion. The phone rings: I'll get it!

FormWhen?Example
going toa plan: you decided before nowWe're going to watch Phil tomorrow.
going toa prediction: you can see it comingLook at those clouds! It's going to snow.
willa quick decision: you decide right nowThe phone's ringing. I'll get it!
willan offer: you want to helpYou're cold! I'll get you a hot chocolate.
willa prediction: what you thinkI think spring will come early.

From the lesson Is spring going to come early? (English A2.2)

Time clauses: no will after when or as soon as

After when, before, after, as soon as, once and until, the verb stays in the present simple even about the future, and any will belongs in the main clause: When the call ends, I'll create a ticket.

time word + present simplemain clause (present simple or will)

As soon as the browser gets the IP address, it sends a request.

When the call ends, I'll create a ticket.

From the lesson What happens when you type a URL? (English for IT B1)

Future continuous and future perfect

Picture a moment ahead. Will be + -ing shows an action still in progress then: At nine, Claire will be serving the first customer. Will have + past participle shows it done by then: By ten, she will already have served fifty customers.

will be + -ing: in the middle of it then

  • At nine, Claire will be serving the first customer.
  • This time next week, we'll be training the baristas.

will have + past participle: done by then

  • By ten, Claire will already have served fifty customers.
  • By the end of the month, we'll have trained all the baristas.

From the lesson The Road Ahead (Business English B2)

Questions about future tenses

How many future tenses are there in English?
There is no single future tense, but several future forms. In the lessons on this page, A2 covers going to, the present continuous for arrangements and will; B1 adds the present simple for timetables and time clauses. B2 brings the future continuous (will be working) and the future perfect (will have finished), and C1 phrases such as be due to and be about to.
What's the difference between will and going to?
Plans and evidence take going to; instant decisions take will. We're going to visit Phil means we bought the tickets last week, while The phone's ringing. I'll get it! is decided right now. For predictions, going to fits what you can see coming (Careful, you're going to fall!), and will fits what you think: I think spring will come early.
When do we use the present continuous for the future?
For arrangements: plans fixed with a time and other people. I'm meeting Tessa at seven, We're flying to Denver on Friday. A ticket, a reservation or an entry in the calendar is a good clue. The time word shows it's the future, since the same form also describes now: Shh, the choir is singing.
How do you form the future simple with will?
Will + the base verb, the same for every person. I will help, often I'll help; she will help, never she wills or will to help. The negative is won't (It won't be easy), questions start with Will (Will you come?), and a yes answer has no short form: Yes, I will.
Do we use will after when, as soon as and until?
No: after these words, use the present simple. I'll call you when I land, not when I will land; We won't start until everyone arrives. The will in the main clause already marks the future. The same goes for before, after, once and by the time: By the time you log on, I'll have pushed the fix.
What's the difference between the future continuous and the future perfect?
In progress at a future moment, or finished by then. This time next week, we'll be training the baristas puts you in the middle of the work; By the end of the month, we'll have trained them all looks back from a deadline. With the future perfect, use by (no later than), not until (all the time up to then).
How do I teach future tenses to A2 students?
Teach each form on its own before comparing them. In English A2.1, going to comes first (lesson 18), then the present continuous for arrangements (lesson 22), and lesson 30 contrasts the two. English A2.2 brings in will for predictions, decisions and offers in lesson 13, then sets it against going to in lesson 30, on Groundhog Day.
What are good activities for will and going to?
Activities that make students plan, predict and react. Pairs can plan a weekend trip with going to, play fortune-tellers making funny predictions with will, or answer problem cards with quick offers: I'm cold! – I'll close the window. The lessons' speaking chapters add a chat and a game, either Spin the wheel or Open the box.
Are there interactive future tense exercises?
Yes, starting with the ones above. The lessons below supply them, on will, going to, the present continuous for arrangements, time clauses and the future perfect, and each has more drills: drag-and-drop, gap-fills, tables to complete and quizzes. Students work in their own accounts, and every answer is checked on the spot. Every future lesson here, and the rest of the library, opens with a free trial.
Can I set these lessons as homework?
Yes, and you can teach them one-to-one as well. Set as homework, the drills mark themselves in the student's own account, and any writing or recording task comes to you for review. In a live class, the two of you move through the lesson in sync, and a chat or a speaking game needs no one else.

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