Present Progressive for Future Events
Remember: We usually use the present progressive to talk about things we are doing now: "I am cooking now". The title "Present Tenses with reference to the Future" may be confusing. The concept is quite simple though: we often use the present tense to talk about planned future events. For example:
- Bill is throwing a party on Friday. (= Bill plans to throw a party on Friday)
You could also say "Bill will throw a party on Friday," but using the present progressive tense implies that the party is a planned event.
Present Simple for Future Events
Remember: We usually use the simple present to talk about things we normally do: "I cook every day". In addition, we often use the simple present tense to talk about future events that are scheduled or "set in stone" in a calendar:
- Bill has an exam on Friday. (= The day of the exam is fixed.)
- Bill has his final physics class on Thursday. (= The day of the class is fixed.)
Unlike "Bill is throwing a party", these sentences in the simple present show that the future events ('exam' and 'physics class') are set by someone else. He has no control over when these events occur. As a result, the present simple is often used to talk about transportation timetables:
- The flight for Berlin leaves at 4 p.m.
- My train arrives in Tokyo at midnight.
Note: Because they refer to planned future events, the present tenses are not used for predictions.
Stores that are not yet open often post a sign like this:
'Coming soon' is short for "The store is coming soon." Notice that the present progressive 'is coming' is used instead of 'will come', because the event is planned.
