future tense

[rj1948]

In response to one of the threads I havementioned that there is no future tense as such in English. Kindly throw light on this topic

[banderas]

Originally Posted by rj1948

In response to one of the threads I havementioned that there is no future tense as such in English. Kindly throw light on this topic

There are no facts but opinions and points of view.
See this:

http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...e-english.html

[David L.]

I recall this. It was with reference to the French language which "has a true future tense" compared to English.
I would be interested in hearing about this. At the time, I tried to envisage this, almost like trying to grasp a dimension of the universe I had been totally oblivious to!
I did grasp that when we use future tense, we are not 'in' the future, merely projecting our intentions forward - 'I am in Italy' - 'I will be in Italy next week'.
I would be fascinated also if someone can try to give us a conception of this whole new state of thinking.
When I was in thailand, it was explained that they do not have tenses. To indicate the present versus the past tense:
I go to the shop
I already go to the shop.

[rj1948]

In one theof UGC lectures which I attended it was extensively discussed
thatthere are two tenses-past and present
present usage of'future tense'is present tense indicating future actions

[Tdol]

As there is no modification to a verb to denote the future in English, unlike the past, it can be argued that there is no future tense. Instead we use the present tense in both the simple and progressive forms and modal verbs. People who disagree with this state that will + verb is the future tense. It is a very contentious issue. Those taking the first position generally believe that there are only two tenses in English: the present and the past, though many favour renaming these as they imply that tense is English is linked to time, which is not an accurate description, so you will see people use terms like remote or second form instead of past.

Personal bias: I think that there are only two tenses in English.

[rj1948]

Thanks Tdol
More discussion will be appreciated

[banderas]

To some ESL students it does not matter if any future tense exists or what it is called. They just want to know how to express future actions and communicate in a foreign language.
To others (especially beginners) it is quite confusing when you say that there is no future tense in English.

[Tdol]

I don't go around trying to force my views down students' throats, but there is an issue with the profusion of competing and conflicting terminology and views- some say present continuous, others progressive or durative. Things might be simpler if certain issues were ironed out, but there is no mechanism for doing so and no agreement on the issue so the problem will continue. Saying that there is no future tense is not the same as saying that there is no way to talk about the future. Many languages don't have future tenses, or any tenses, but we can all talk about the future.