Looking Ahead: Talking about Future Accomplishments

Looking Ahead: Talking about Future Accomplishments

This is the third in a series of newsletters talking about expressing the future in English. Readers can review the previous two newsletters here:

One of the most important aspects of business is planning for the future and setting targets. Companies plan months and years in advance in order to achieve their goals for growth and market share. From hitting quarterly targets to launching new products, every milestone is tied to a specific deadline. But how do we express these future achievements clearly, in English?

Let’s start with an example. This week Apple launched the iPhone 16. Apple tends to launch an iPhone every year around the same time. So, I can say with confidence:

I am thinking about a future date or time, and looking back (from the future) to describe what will have happened by then. The language I am using, highlighted in bold text, is the future perfect.

What is the Future Perfect?

The future perfect is used to describe an action that will be completed by a specific point in the future. In other words, we use it to express what will have happened by a certain time. This is different from using "will" alone, which focuses on a future action, rather than its completion (please see the newsletter from 4th September 2024).

Let’s break it down. The structure of the future perfect is simple: will have + past participle.

Here are some more examples to show how it works:

In both cases, the action (increasing market share, finishing the report) is projected to be completed at a specific point in the future (the end of the year, this time next week).

My goals or future accomplishments

• By the end of September, I will have started promoting my newsletters on LinkedIn.

• By the end of 2025, I will have completed my classic car driving event in Provence (an event I am project managing)

What are your goals or future accomplishments?

Complete the following sentences to describe your future goals:

• By the end of September, I will have………

• By the end of 2025, I will have……..

What happens if the thing you are describing is still in progress at the time you are referring to?

The structure of the future perfect is simple: will be + past participle. Let’s look at another example:

I am thinking about a future time or date (this time next week) and imagining what I will be doing. I use ‘this time’ and not ‘by this time’. This is the future continuous.

What is the Future Continuous?

The future continuous is used to describe an action that will be ongoing at a specific point in the future.

The form of the future continuous is: will be + present participle (-ing form of the verb).

Let’s look at another example:

Do you have any events planned in October? If so, complete this sentence to make it true for you:

• On the ** October, I will be…….

Finally, if we want to emphasise how long we have been doing something rather than the action we use the future perfect continuous.

What is the Future Perfect Continuous? 

While the future continuous emphasises an action at a certain point in the future, we use the future perfect continuous to emphasise how long the action has been happening at that point in the future. Again, let’s look at an example.

We are looking forward to a point in the future (a plane landing) and working out how long we have been doing something (travelling).

The form of the future perfect continuous is: will have been + present participle (-ing form of the verb).

Let’s look at another example:

Complete this sentence to make it true for you:

• By 5 pm, I will have been…………

I hope that you have enjoyed and benefitted from this series of newsletters on how to express the future in English. Please send me your feedback by completing this survey below:

Trump - Harris Presidential Debate

By the time you read this newsletter, the latest debate between the main candidates for the US presidential election will have taken place (this newsletter was written the evening before the debate).

The previous presidential debate marked a significant turning point in the race, with Joe Biden stepping down and Vice-President Kamala Harris taking his place as the Democratic nominee. This historic shift has set the stage for a unique election cycle.

It remains to be seen how much impact this most recent debate will have on the upcoming election in November. Much of the outcome may hinge on Vice-President Harris’s performance, as she is relatively less familiar to the general public compared to former President Trump, who has had years in the political spotlight.

By the time you read this, voters will have been watching closely to see how each candidate presented their vision for the future. Has Harris successfully connected with undecided voters? How did Trump’s well-established public persona influence the electorate this time around?

How do you think the outcome of the US presidential election might impact your life or business, if at all?

Word of the Day: Tend (be likely)

Tend - verb - to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic

Do you have any Business English Questions?

Please email me and I will do my best to answer them in future newsletters.

Until next Wednesday - have a great week!

Iain.

www.communicateenglish.com