We can talk about future time with different verb forms, for example:

When we talk about events in the future that we expect to happen but that are not in our control, we can use will or be going to:

• Peter will be (or is going to be) 44 next week.
• We probably won’t have (or aren’t going to have) any more snow this year.
• Will you finish (or Are you going to finish) the sales report soon?

When we talk about events in the future that are in our control (i.e. we can decide what will happen), we use will differently from be going to. We use will at the time we decide what to do; we use be going to after we have decided what to do. Look at these examples:

Now compare:

Look at these examples:

• If it snows, I’ll stay (or I’m going to stay) at home.
• We’ll have (or We are going to have) a meal after the film.

When a sentence has two parts that refer to the future, we use the Present Simple after if, when, before, after, as soon as, and until, and in the other part of the sentence we use will or be going to:

We use the Present Continuous to talk about a future arrangement that we have made with someone else:

• A: Would you like to come to the cinema with us this evening?
• B: I’m afraid I can’t. I’m having dinner with Sue.

• Joe can’t come to the cinema tonight because he’s playing tennis with Anita.