Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"

Thanksgiving American English how to talk about future plans

Today is Wednesday November 22nd and it’s the day before Thanksgiving.

I am probably at home or headed home by now to help my mom cook Pumpkin Pie.

Do you like pumpkin pie or apple pie better?

So today we’re talking about naming your plans for the future- using “will be +ing.”

 

We’ll start today with a question from a listener.

Is there any difference between ” I will see you tomorrow.” and ” I will be seeing you tomorrow” ?  I feel like Americans prefer to use continuous form more than simple one in most situations. Do I understand correctly?

I am happy that I found you! Thank you again for everything.Have a wonderful weekend!!

Pat

 

Yes we can use the future continuous tense to talk about future plans.

This can sound a bit more polite or formal or pre-planned.

 

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Examples:

Q: “Will you be staying here for long?”

A: “No, I will be leaving in a couple of days.” (More polite than ‘Are you staying here for long?’)

 

To answer Pat’s question:

Pat asked about the difference between ” I will see you tomorrow” and ” I will be seeing you tomorrow.”

Is there any difference between these two phrases?

Sometimes with this particular phrase “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow” it can sound casual and friendly.

It can also sound very formal and polite, depending on the tone of voice and the situation.

 

More polite examples:

  •  “Tomorrow I will be picking you up at 7 am when your flight gets in.”
  • “After we drop off the bags at the hotel we’ll be dining at the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan.”

 

These examples sound more like you are discussing an itinerary for a guided trip.

This makes sense to sound formal in this case and to use the “be +ing.”

However, other times it can sound more casual.

 

TAKEAWAY:

There are a lot of ways to talk about the future and this is only one of them.

You could say,  “I am going to pick you up tomorrow” or just the future, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”

The point is we can use all of them.

None of them are wrong, but at your level it’s time to start paying attention to context.

Pay attention to which forms native use.

What is the context?

What is the content of their message? What is their tone?

Then try it yourself. Choose the form that feels right in each situation.

 

What questions do you have today?

Let us know below.

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