Present Continuous for Future Arrangements (Common Verbs, 50+ Examples)

How to Use the Present Continuous for Future Plans and Arrangements.

Level: intermediate (B1)

Quick Summary

• The present continuous is usually used for actions that are in progress in the present, but it can be used for future plans and arrangements that are 99% certain.

• The future arrangements with the present continuous are usually made with at least one other person, but this is not always the case.

• The present continuous is stronger than will and be going to.

• Not all future arrangements sound natural with the present continuous. Some verbs and situations are much more common and natural.

• Common verbs and phrases with the present continuous include: going to, meeting, visiting, getting together with, working, seeing, meeting, and many more, which you can find below.

  
  

How to Use the Present Continuous for Future Plans and Arrangements

"What are you doing?" is one of the most common question in the English language. Usually, it refers to the present moment, as in, "What are you doing right now?", but it can refer to the future as well. Just add a future time marker, and you have questions like "What are you doing this afternoon?", "What are you doing tomorrow?" and so on.

Yes. You can use the present continuous to talk about future arrangements that are 99% certain. This means that unless something unexpected happens, you fully intend to commit to the arrangement. It is a clear, fixed plan in your mind. Usually, at least one other person knows about the arrangement, but this isn't always the case.

Maybe this is not new information to you. However, I want to give you a clearer, more complete picture of this usage. Why? So that you can go beyond a basic understanding, and you can actually use this tense with confidence in real English conversations. So, let's start with a simple dialogue between two friends, Tim and Dave.

Tim: Are you doing anything this weekend?

Dave: Yeah. My family and I are going to the zoo.

Tim: Oh, nice. I haven't been to the zoo in years. It's so far away!

Dave: That's why we're leaving the house at seven in the morning.

Tim: Wow! What time are you going to bed tonight?

Dave: I want to be in bed by ten at the latest, but we'll see what happens.

Tim: Well, I hope you have a good time!

All of the present continuous uses in this dialogue refer to future arrangements. When Tim asks, "Are you doing anything this weekend?" he means, "Do you have any solid plans for this weekend?" When Dave says he and his family are going to the zoo, he fully intends to go to the zoo. This is something he has already talked about with his family, and it is a fixed arrangement in his mind. Because the zoo is so far away, he has even decided on the time that he and his family will leave the house.

"Alex, you said will leave, not are leaving." Yes, I did. There is more than one way to talk about the future. You can use will to talk about future facts, or what a person intends, hopes, or promises to do. In this case, "We will leave at seven" is possible, but "We're leaving at seven" is stronger and more certain.

Getting back to Tim, he asks, "What time are you leaving?" because at this point in the conversation, he is fully aware of Dave's weekend plans. He is quite certain that Dave has thought about the time that he and his family are leaving the house, so he is matching Dave's certainty of "We're going to the zoo" with his own certainty of "What time are you leaving?"

Near the end of the conversation, Tim asks, "What time are you going to bed?" and Dave's answer doesn't have a high level of certainty. He says, "I want to be in bed by ten at the latest, but we'll see what happens." If he were very confident about his bedtime, he would say, "I'm going to bed at ten." But he's not very confident. Maybe he wants to clean the kitchen in the evening, and he isn't sure how long it will take. That's something many of us can probably relate to.

Okay, I think I have talked enough about Tim and Dave. So, now that we have clarified that the present continuous can be used to talk about future arrangements that are 99% certain, let's talk about some of the most common verbs with this usage, and a couple of other interesting details.

Common Verbs with the Present Continuous for Future Arrangements

Get together with someone means to meet with someone socially after you have made plans with them.

I have mentioned that usually one other person knows about a future arrangement that you make with the present continuous. This is because we usually make plans and arrangements with other people. So, which verbs do we use for future arrangements with others? Here are a bunch of verbs and phrases for for social arrangements, and some example sentences:

• visiting - I'm visiting my grandma in the hospital tomorrow.

• meeting - I'm meeting my sister for coffee.

• seeing - We're seeing my cousins for lunch.

• going out with - I'm going out with a friend tonight.

• having [breakfast/lunch/dinner] with - Tim is having breakfast with Dave tomorrow.

• getting together with - We're getting together with some friends on Saturday.

• hanging out with - Are you hanging out with Anna this weekend?

• spending [the day/the afternoon/etc.] with - She's spending the day with her dad.

• spending time with - I'm spending time with my brother this afternoon.

• catching up with - I'm catching up with my best friend on Sunday.

Next, let's take a look at some common movement and action verbs and phrases that you can use for future arrangements:

• going to - I'm going to the library this evening.

• coming (over) to - My boyfriend is coming over to my place tonight.

• driving to - We're driving to the mountains this weekend.

• flying to - My parents are flying to Iceland on Thursday.

• taking a trip to - They're taking a trip to Australia next week.

• traveling to - Are you traveling there by yourself?

• moving to - Linda is moving to Brazil next month.

• visiting - We're visiting my old hometown on Sunday.

• leaving - What time are you leaving?

• heading over to - He's heading over to his uncle's house this afternoon.

It is also common to make arrangements related to our jobs and studies. With that in mind, here are some common work and study verbs and phrases that you can use with the present continuous for future arrangements:

• working - Are you working tomorrow?

• working on - I'm working on a major project starting next week.

• starting [a new job/a course] - She's starting a new job in two weeks.

• studying - Sorry. I can't go with you guys. I'm studying for an exam tomorrow.

• giving [a speech/a presentation] - Who's giving the presentation this afternoon?

• interviewing - Doug is interviewing someone for the position today.

• attending - Are you attending the conference in November?

• finishing - She's finishing her degree in three months.

• getting [a promotion/a degree/a diploma] - Are you getting the promotion or not?

Finally, here are some other common verbs and phrases that are used to talk about future arrangements:

• joining - I'm joining a gym. Want to join with me?

• doing [housework] - I'm doing the laundry this evening.

• watching - We're watching a movie with my mom and dad tomorrow.

• taking - I'm taking my dog to the vet tomorrow morning.

• making - My kids are making Valentine's Day cards for the homeless this weekend.

• going [+an activity] - Are you going shopping with your mom this weekend?

• playing - A bunch of us are playing soccer tomorrow afternoon. Want to come?

• hosting - We're hosting a dinner party on Friday night.

• getting married - Don and Dina are getting married in two weeks!

• staying - Which hotel are you staying at on your vacation?

• going back to - I'm going back to the garage tomorrow. They need to do some more work on my car.

I hope these lists give you a stronger sense of which verbs and phrases are usually used to talk about future arrangements with the present continuous. Now, let's quickly address two more common questions.

Can You Make Arrangements WITHOUT Other People?

He has decided this by himself, and he's probably not going to tell anyone about it.

Now, remember how I said that one other person usually knows about the arrangement, but that this isn't always the case? This is because you can make arrangements without telling other people. You might tell yourself, "I'm staying home tonight" after a long week at work, and no one has to know about this arrangement except you. Of course, you can always tell another person who is not involved in your arrangement about your plans, but they are still not technically involved in the arrangement. Here are a few more examples of solo arrangements. Imagine that you are talking to yourself. (Don't worry. I won't judge you.)

• I'm buying a ticket to Japan and no one can stop me.

• That's it. I'm quitting this job next week.

• I don't care who calls me. I'm staying home and playing video games all weekend.

• After I finish these chores, I'm going to bed and reading all afternoon.

What's Stronger? The Present Continuous or Be Going to?

In short, when talking about the future, the present continuous and be going to are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference. You can say, "I'm going to visit my cousin tomorrow" and "I'm visiting my cousin tomorrow." Both express solid plans, but the present continuous is just a bit stronger. When you use the present continuous, your plans are confirmed, decided, and scheduled. They are fixed in your mind and on your calendar. On the other hand, your plans with be going to are decided, and you intend to commit to them, but the feeling is not as strong as the present continuous. With that in mind, both are used for future plans, so if you use one or the other to talk about your future plans, you're going to be just fine.

What Mistakes Do English Learners Make When They Use the Present Continuous for Future Arrangements?

Everyone makes mistakes. You can limit mistakes by studying the common verbs and phrases above this section.

It's normal to experiment and to try to make your own sentences when you learn a new grammar point. It's just part of the learning process. However, there is a reason that I gave you a list of common verbs and phrases on this page: It's because some verbs and phrases sound strange when you try to use them for future arrangements. Take a look at these awkward examples:

• I'm looking at my phone this afternoon. (This sounds weird. You made an arrangement to look at your phone?)

• She's brushing her teeth at 8:30. (This isn't an arrangement. It's a routine. It's better to say "She usually brushes her teeth at 8:30" or "She's going to brush her teeth at 8:30," since this can just be something she plans to do, but isn't an arrangement.)

• I'm eating lunch at 12. (This is possible, but it sounds a bit awkward. It's more common to make an arrangement with others, so it would be okay to say something like, "I'm eating lunch with Marissa today.")

• I'm swimming after lunch. (This sounds strange unless it's a swimming class. If you just intend to go swimming at a public pool after lunch, it's better to say, "I'm going swimming after lunch.")

My advice is to practice using the verbs and phrases on this page. If you do, you will definitely sound more natural in English conversations. Once you have a good sense of the examples in this post, you can try experimenting a bit more.

That's it! I hope you now have a better understanding of how to use the present continuous for future arrangements. After studying so many common examples, you should feel more confident and comfortable when you use this tense in the future.

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