Grammar in focus
Form
am / is / are + verb-ing + a future time (tomorrow, tonight, next week, on Friday)
| Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| I'm seeing the dentist tomorrow. | She isn't coming tonight. | Are you working on Saturday? |
Use
- Personal arrangements: plans already organized with other people or with a time and place. We're having dinner with Ana on Friday.
- Appointments and events: I'm meeting Sam at 6. They're getting married in June.
- Questions about plans: What are you doing this weekend? Who are you meeting?
Words used with it
tomorrow, tonight, this evening, next Friday, on Saturday, at 8 p.m., next month.
Arrangement or timetable?
| present continuous | present simple |
|---|---|
| personal plan: I'm leaving at 9 with Ana. | timetable or schedule: The train leaves at 9. |
Watch out
I leaving tomorrow→ I'm leaving tomorrow.She is leave→ She is leaving.- State verbs (know, like, want) are not used in the continuous:
I'm knowing her tomorrow. - Without a future time, it means "now": I'm meeting Sam right now.
En español
Presente continuo + tiempo futuro = planes ya organizados (citas, viajes, eventos): Mañana veo al dentista / I'm seeing the dentist tomorrow. Para horarios fijos se usa el presente simple.
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
Same future form; different preposition.
Misma forma de futuro; distinta preposición.
Americans often drop on before days.
En EE. UU. se omite a menudo on antes de los días.
Fall (US) = autumn (UK).
Fall (EE. UU.) = autumn (Reino Unido).
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.