The future expression of the present tense

EnglishCafe

4.1.1. The future expression of the present tense
The present tense can express the future event. In the case of this, the future time adverbials are often co-occurred. If they are not put, it may be treated as the usual present tense.

(3)
a. The train leaves from Tokyo at 5:30 tomorrow.
b. We arrive tomorrow morning.

We can see that the present tense as the future expression has the plan in the present and "According to the timetable" can be put before the two examples. That is to say, these are not changed, the deterministic future.

Now, the figure of the present tense is as follows.

(4)

It is expressed as the future expression.

(5)

The red circle in the present of (4) moves to the future like (5). Although the event is in the future, the speaker treats it as the present.

And that means the cause or the plan of the event is found in the present. For example in (3), the two are considered plans which are determined with the time table or the other factors. This speaker's feeling is expressed with the blue line in the above.

previous page

EnglishCafe Top

following page

Copyright (c) EnglishCafe : Unapproved printing of the text and figure in this site is forbidden.