Future & conditional
English has no future tense — no endings like -rai or -ré. Instead it chooses between three futures by how the future feels: will (decided now / predicted), going to (already intended / visibly coming), and the present continuous (arranged). Would is the same machine pointed at hypotheticals.
The three futures
| form | flavour | example |
|---|---|---|
| will + base | decision made at the moment of speaking; predictions, promises, offers | I*'ll** get the phone.* · It will rain eventually. · I*'ll** help you.* |
| be going to + base | intention formed earlier; prediction from present evidence | We*'re going to** move house.* · Look at those clouds — it*'s going to** rain.* |
| present continuous | fixed arrangement with time/place | I*'m seeing** the dentist at ten.* |
Same event, different framing: I'll call him (just decided) vs I'm going to call him (been meaning to) vs I'm calling him at six (it's in the diary).
- Contractions rule speech: I'll, you'll, he'll, won't.
- Shall survives in British offers and suggestions: Shall we go? Shall I open the window? — otherwise use will.
- Timetables take the present simple: The train leaves at six.
- Spoken going to = gonna (don't write it in formal text).
The trap: no future after when/if
Time and condition clauses use the present, even though the meaning is future — where Romance languages use a future:
| they say | English |
|---|---|
| Quand il arrivera… / Cuando llegue… | When he arrives, I'll tell him. |
| Si tu viendras… (learner error) | If you come, we'll eat. |
✗ When he will arrive, I will tell him. · ✗ If it will rain, we stay home.
Would — the conditional
would + base for all persons: I would go, she would go → contracted 'd: I*'d** go.*
- Hypothetical present/future: I would buy it if I had the money.
- Polite forms: I*'d** like a coffee. Would you mind…?*
- Future-in-the-past (reported speech): He said he would come.
The if-sentences
| type | if-clause | main clause | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 — always true | present | present | If you heat ice, it melts. |
| 1 — real future | present | will | If it rains, we**'ll stay** home. |
| 2 — unreal now | past simple | would | If I had time, I**'d help**. |
| 3 — unreal past | past perfect | would have + participle | If you**'d asked**, I**'d have said** yes. |
Two rules cover most errors:
- Never will or would inside the if-clause: ✗ If I would have time… (a German würde-import) → If I had time…
- Type 2 uses were for all persons in careful style: If I were you…
Other conditional-adjacent verbs
- could = would be able: I could help tomorrow.
- might = will maybe: It might rain.
- should = advice: You should rest.
These modals never take to or -s: she might go (✗ mights, ✗ might to go).
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