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Published: July 8, 2015, 6:19 a.m.

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What is going on with the English language? Is it true that I can use the present continuous tense to express a future action? Yes, it is absolutely true and in this English tip, Gabby explains how that is done and what it can look like. If you want to sound like a native English speaker follow this tip and others presented by Go Natural English.

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A good example of using the present continuous tense for a future action would be along the lines of, \\u201cI am playing with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra next month.\\u201d While appearing as the present tense \\u201cI am playing\\u201d, it actually expresses something that you will be doing next month, and not at the current time. It is always a good idea to add a time frame for this action to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

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Communicating like a native English speaker requires much work, but it should also be fun. Challenge yourself to go beyond textbook English and actually express yourself like a native.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns8cI2cdrm0

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Episode transcript below:

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Hey! What is up, my awesome English learner friend?

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I want to share a great tip for English language fluency with you.

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A member of the Go Natural English audience, Abdelhalim asked the question, \\u201cWhat about using the present continuous tense to talk about the future\\u201d?

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Well, that\\u2019s a great question because native speakers do this all the time but I don\\u2019t think it\\u2019s usually mentioned in your English textbooks or in a traditional English classroom.

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We usually focus on using \\u201cwill\\u201d for the future tense which is actually probably the least used tense to express the future.

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We use \\u201cgoing to\\u201d a lot, and then we use the present continuous.

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So, for example, I might say, \\u201cI\\u2019m traveling to Tahiti \\u2013 I am traveling to Tahiti.\\u201d

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That doesn\\u2019t mean that I\\u2019m traveling right now.

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It could \\u2013 it could mean that right now I\\u2019m on the plane and I\\u2019m traveling to Tahiti.

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That would be amazing.

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I would love that but it could also mean that in the near future I have plans to travel to Tahiti.

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Now, to avoid confusion, most often we will add a time to specify whether we\\u2019re talking about right now or the future.

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So, if I wanted to talk about the future, I would probably say, \\u201cI\\u2019m traveling to Tahiti next month\\u201d just to clarify.

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So, yes, you can absolutely use the present continuous tense to talk about the future but to avoid any confusion I would recommend to add a time to it.

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Maybe next month or next week, or this weekend or later today.

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So, I hope that this was helpful.

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I hope that it helps your confidence in expressing yourself fluently in English.

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If you would like to learn more about learning English naturally in a fun and easy way, to speak more in a native-like, easy way without struggling to find the right words \\u2013 well, that\\u2019s what I\\u2019m here for and that\\u2019s what Go Natural English is here for too.

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Come visit the website and I\\u2019ll give you a free eBook and you can find out more about the Go Natural English premium course which I made just for you to learn in the best way possible.

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So, I hope to see you there and definitely don\\u2019t forget to subscribe to Go Natural English on YouTube.

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Come back for free tips three times a week and you can also come talk to us on Facebook \\u2013 facebook.com/gonaturalenglish and on Twitter at gonaturaleng.

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Thanks so much for watching and I\\u2019ll see you again real soon.

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Bye for now.

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Photo Credit:geralt

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The post How Native Speakers Use the Present Continuous to Express the Future \\u2013 Learn English Grammar appeared first on Go Natural English.

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