Video transcript - Teaching Future Forms: Can You Explain WHY?
Here's a question that trips up a lot of English learners – and some teachers.
Someone asks: Do you fancy playing tennis at 12 tomorrow?
And what’s the reply?
I have lunch with Mary
I’m having lunch with Mary
I’m going to have lunch with Mary
I will have lunch with Mary
I’ll be having lunch with Mary
Simple enough, right? But here's the real question: why does I'm having lunch with Mary work so well there... and I will have lunch with Mary feel a bit off?
If you had to explain that to a learner right now, could you?
If you hesitated just then, don't worry you're in good company. This is exactly the kind of grammar question that catches teachers out, especially if you're doing your CELTA or you're relatively new to teaching.
And the frustrating thing is, you probably know these forms. You use them every day. But knowing them as a speaker and being able to explain them to a learner? That's a completely different skill.
Because when someone asks "Why?" saying Because it sounds right just doesn't cut it. They'll still be confused.
So what's actually going on with this example?
I'm having lunch with Mary uses the present continuous - and when we use it to talk about the future, it usually means an arrangement. Something that's already been planned or organised. There's a sense that it's fixed, it's in the diary.
I'm going to have lunch with Mary works too - that suggests a more personal intention or plan.
And I'll be having lunch with Mary - this is also possible, it gives a slightly more matter-of-fact feel.
But I will have lunch with Mary? That sounds like a decision made in the moment, or almost like a declaration. It doesn't fit the context naturally, because the speaker’s talking about something that's already arranged - not something they're deciding on the spot.
So that distinction, form connected to meaning, is what learners really need from us. Not just labels. Actual explanations that help them understand why language works the way it does.
And that’s exactly the kind of thing that Grammar for Language Teachers will help you with.
It's not a dry reference book that will leave you more confused than you already were. It's a video based course designed specifically for teachers and CELTA trainees who want to feel genuinely confident explaining English grammar... well enough to actually help their learners.
If future tenses are one of those areas that still feels a bit murky- or if there are other grammar points where you sometimes think I know this is right, I just can't explain why- then this is for you.
The link is above.
See you on the inside!
