I have a simple question. How often do English native speakers use future tenses like Future Perfect, Future Perfect Countinous. Generaly ppl learn them at school but I'd like to know if they are really commonly used or if English people use more often Future Simple, Present Simple or Present Simple Countinous instead.
Future tenses
There is actually no such thing as a future tense in English.
You are refering to the use of the construction "will/shall+infinitive(base verb form)" to express future time as in:
I will go
I will be going
These are quite commonly used. But, as you point out, the present tense is often employed to indicate future action - but it must have some additional qualifier to do so:
I'm going (present time)
I'm going tomorrow (future time)
You are refering to the use of the construction "will/shall+infinitive(base verb form)" to express future time as in:
I will go
I will be going
These are quite commonly used. But, as you point out, the present tense is often employed to indicate future action - but it must have some additional qualifier to do so:
I'm going (present time)
I'm going tomorrow (future time)
"Generaly ppl learn them at school"
People aren't taught any tenses at school in the US, at least... Everyone already knows all of them.
People aren't taught any tenses at school in the US, at least... Everyone already knows all of them.
""Generaly ppl learn them at school"
People aren't taught any tenses at school in the US, at least... Everyone already knows all of them. "
Of course I thought about ppl who learn English not as a native language.
The point is we're tought the constructions like :
By the year 2050 ppl will have had a flying cars - here is e.g. Future Perfect
According to this example - how often do you use such tenses or are they replaced by a future use of present tenses?
People aren't taught any tenses at school in the US, at least... Everyone already knows all of them. "
Of course I thought about ppl who learn English not as a native language.
The point is we're tought the constructions like :
By the year 2050 ppl will have had a flying cars - here is e.g. Future Perfect
According to this example - how often do you use such tenses or are they replaced by a future use of present tenses?
"By the year 2050 ppl will have had a flying cars - here is e.g. Future Perfect "
It would be better to say "By 2050, people will have flying cars."
This is a better example of when to use the future perfect tense.
"By tomorrow, the criminal will have already been executed."
The difference between the two situations is the completion of the action. In the first case, the action is not completed. People still have flying cars in 2050, presumably. In the second case, the action is completed. He is no longer being executed, and is now dead. That is why you use a perfect tense.
It would be better to say "By 2050, people will have flying cars."
This is a better example of when to use the future perfect tense.
"By tomorrow, the criminal will have already been executed."
The difference between the two situations is the completion of the action. In the first case, the action is not completed. People still have flying cars in 2050, presumably. In the second case, the action is completed. He is no longer being executed, and is now dead. That is why you use a perfect tense.
Well, in real life, yes, we use all of our tenses. Did you think we didn't? It's not like some are more popular or common than others, some are just more appropriate to a given situation than others. But none are falling out of use that I know of.
C6269LA writes "There is actually no such thing as a future tense in English." Guess what (s)he's right.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/verbs/tense.htm
http://www.gabrielatos.com/TTA.htm
How often do we use future perfect, future perfect countinous, etc.? As often as we need them. Uriel's right to write "It's not like some are more popular or common than others, some are just more appropriate to a given situation than others." However, you might find that certain situations are less likely to arise. A situation in which you'd need future perfect countinous, for example, would not be all that common.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/verbs/tense.htm
http://www.gabrielatos.com/TTA.htm
How often do we use future perfect, future perfect countinous, etc.? As often as we need them. Uriel's right to write "It's not like some are more popular or common than others, some are just more appropriate to a given situation than others." However, you might find that certain situations are less likely to arise. A situation in which you'd need future perfect countinous, for example, would not be all that common.
The problem is, how will you define the future time?
Must Tomorrow be a future?
How about Next Minute?
How about Next Second?
How about Next Millisecond?
If I can say in Simple Present "Tomorrow I see my boss", does this prove Tomorrow is not a future time?
If you depend on Will/Shall, does "He will be in his office now" prove Now is a future time?
English users don't know how to define the future, so they conclude there is no future tense. Or can you tell us how to define the future?
Must Tomorrow be a future?
How about Next Minute?
How about Next Second?
How about Next Millisecond?
If I can say in Simple Present "Tomorrow I see my boss", does this prove Tomorrow is not a future time?
If you depend on Will/Shall, does "He will be in his office now" prove Now is a future time?
English users don't know how to define the future, so they conclude there is no future tense. Or can you tell us how to define the future?
We define future just fine. The future is any time that is not in the present or the past. That DOES include tomorrow, the next minute, the next second, and the next millisecond.
The fact that we can, in some tenses, use the same verbs to talk about the future that we also use for the present doesn't mean that we have no concept of the future, or that we do not contextually understand when the action is taking place. English adjectives don't make the gender distinctions that other languages like French or Spanish do; that doesn't mean that we don't have any concept of masculinity or femininity. The same applies to our tenses.
The fact that we can, in some tenses, use the same verbs to talk about the future that we also use for the present doesn't mean that we have no concept of the future, or that we do not contextually understand when the action is taking place. English adjectives don't make the gender distinctions that other languages like French or Spanish do; that doesn't mean that we don't have any concept of masculinity or femininity. The same applies to our tenses.
Uriel : « English adjectives don't make the gender distinctions that other languages like French or Spanish do »
Pas si vite !
salesman — saleswoman
hunter — huntress
Pas si vite !
salesman — saleswoman
hunter — huntress
Salesman/salesmen and hunter/huntress are nouns, not adjectives. Allez, oust, vite !
<< We define future just fine. The future is any time that is not in the present or the past. That DOES include tomorrow, the next minute, the next second, and the next millisecond.>>
Got you! If next millisecond is future, where is the present time?
Got you! If next millisecond is future, where is the present time?
>>....<<English adjectives don't make the gender distinctions that other languages like French or Spanish do>>
Pas si vite !
salesman — saleswoman
hunter — huntress...<<
But those aren't adjectives :)
Pas si vite !
salesman — saleswoman
hunter — huntress...<<
But those aren't adjectives :)
Got me, what? Present time is now. THIS millisecond, not the next one. It's like a mathematical point; one dimensional, with a location but no size.
Can you tell me how to write a good composion ?If you know ,please tell me Iwould thank you .thouk you very much.