Guide to the Future with 'Will' – TOEIC® Preparation

Mastering the future with 'will' is a fundamental prerequisite for excelling in the TOEIC®. This structure represents the most direct and universal way to express an event or action that will happen later. Although other constructions (such as 'be going to') also allow us to talk about the future, you must absolutely know how to use 'will' precisely: this form appears constantly in the professional documents, business exchanges, company communications, and forecasts you will encounter in the exam.

1. Grammatical Construction of the Future with 'Will'

The table below presents the complete formation of the future with 'will' in the three types of sentences: affirmative, negative, and interrogative.

2. Contexts for Using the Future with 'Will'

The modal 'will' is used in different communicative situations:

A. 'Will' for Formulating Predictions and Assumptions

We use 'will' to refer to future events, especially when basing it on an intuition, a personal analysis, or a conviction.

• The market will grow significantly next quarter. (Le marché connaîtra une croissance importante le trimestre prochain.)
• I believe she will succeed in her new role. (Je crois qu'elle réussira dans son nouveau poste.)
• The client will approve the proposal by Monday. (Le client approuvera la proposition d'ici lundi.)

B. 'Will' for Expressing Instant Decisions

We use 'will' to communicate a decision made immediately, without prior thought or planning.

• Context: The phone rings in the office.
  • I'll answer it! (Je réponds ! / Je m'en charge !)
• Context: You spontaneously decide to order a meal instead of cooking.
  • I'll order takeout tonight! (Je commanderai à emporter ce soir !)

C. 'Will' for Formulating Offers, Commitments, and Requests

We use 'will' to make a commitment, offer assistance, or formulate a polite request.

• I will assist you with the presentation. (Je t'aiderai avec la présentation.)
• We will forward the documents by the end of the day. (Nous transmettrons les documents d'ici la fin de journée.)
• Will you kindly review this draft? (Pourrais-tu examiner ce brouillon, s'il te plaît ?)

D. 'Will' for Issuing Threats or Warnings

We use 'will' to communicate a serious warning or an explicit threat.

• If you miss the deadline, you will face consequences. (Si tu rates l'échéance, tu subiras des conséquences.)
• She will lose her position if performance doesn't improve. (Elle perdra son poste si les performances ne s'améliorent pas.)

E. 'Won't' to Indicate Impossibility or Refusal

We use 'won't' (contracted form of 'will not') to express:

• a future impossibility (something that will not happen)
• a categorical refusal or resistance to performing an action.
• This outdated software won't run on modern systems. (Ce logiciel obsolète ne fonctionnera pas sur les systèmes modernes.)
• He won't participate in the meeting this afternoon. (Il ne participera pas à la réunion cet après-midi.)
• The system won't process requests without proper authentication. (Le système ne traitera pas les demandes sans authentification appropriée.)

Point of Attention: We generally avoid 'won't' after opinion verbs, condition verbs, or probability verbs (think, hope, believe, looks like, imagine, suppose, expect, be sure). We prefer structures with the present tense or an indirect negation.❌ I think I won't complete this assignment today.✅ I don't think I'll complete this assignment today. (Je ne pense pas que je terminerai ce devoir aujourd'hui.)❌ I hope it won't be cancelled tomorrow.✅ I hope it isn't cancelled tomorrow. (J'espère que ce ne sera pas annulé demain.)❌ It looks like the deal won't go through.✅ It doesn't look like the deal will go through. (Il ne semble pas que l'accord se concrétisera.)❌ We expect they won't meet the target by December.✅ We don't expect them to meet the target by December. (Nous ne nous attendons pas à ce qu'ils atteignent l'objectif d'ici décembre.)❌ I'm sure he won't contact us again.✅ I'm not sure he will contact us again. (Je ne suis pas sûr qu'il nous recontactera.)

F. Combining 'Will' with Opinion Verbs

The modal 'will' is frequently combined with verbs expressing an opinion or judgment such as think, expect, guess, wonder, doubt, believe, assume, and be sure.

• I expect she will deliver the presentation flawlessly. (Je m'attends à ce qu'elle fasse la présentation parfaitement.)
• He thinks the negotiations will conclude successfully. (Il pense que les négociations se concluront avec succès.)
• I wonder if the board will approve the budget increase. (Je me demande si le conseil approuvera l'augmentation du budget.)

G. Combining 'Will' with Adverbs of Probability

'Will' is commonly used with adverbs indicating the degree of certainty:

• Strong Certainty: definitely, certainly, surely, undoubtedly
  • The team will definitely appreciate the new workspace design. (L'équipe appréciera certainement le nouveau design de l'espace de travail.)
• Moderate Probability: probably, likely, presumably
  • She will probably request an extension due to unforeseen circumstances. (Elle demandera probablement un délai supplémentaire en raison de circonstances imprévues.)
• Low Probability: possibly, maybe, perhaps, unlikely, doubtfully
  • Perhaps the supplier will offer a better price next quarter. (Peut-être que le fournisseur proposera un meilleur prix le trimestre prochain.)

3. Situations Where 'Will' Is Not Used

Certain specific contexts completely exclude the use of 'will', even when referring to future events. Here are the main cases you absolutely must remember:

A. After Temporal and Conditional Conjunctions (when, if, as soon as, before, until, unless)

In a subordinate clause introduced by these conjunctions, the simple present is used (never 'will') to express a future action. This rule is a fundamental principle of English grammar and appears regularly in the TOEIC®.

• ❌ I'll contact you when I will have the information.✅ I'll contact you when I have the information. (Je te contacterai quand j'aurai l'information.)
• ❌ We won't proceed until she will approve the plan.✅ We won't proceed until she approves the plan. (Nous ne procéderons pas tant qu'elle n'aura pas approuvé le plan.)

B. For Universal Truths and Scientific Laws

To express universal facts and scientific laws, even if they concern the future, the simple present is preferred.

• ❌ The conference will start at 9:00 AM tomorrow.✅ The conference starts at 9:00 AM tomorrow. (La conférence commence à 9h00 demain.)
• ❌ Ice will melt at 0°C.✅ Ice melts at 0°C. (La glace fond à 0°C.)

Conclusion

The future with 'will' represents an essential grammatical structure in professional English and for the TOEIC®. However, other constructions also allow expressing the future depending on the context. Here are complementary resources to master all forms of the future:

• 🔗 Overview of the Future in English for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 The Guide to Future Modals – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future with 'be going to' – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future with the Present Continuous – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future with the Simple Present – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to Future Modals – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future Continuous – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future Perfect – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future Perfect Continuous – TOEIC® Preparation
• 🔗 The Guide to the Future in the Past – TOEIC® Preparation

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