TENSES

PRESENT CONTINUOUS FOR FUTURE EVENTS

1. Present continuous for the future, form
See notes on form in section on Present Continuous.

Subject	+ to be	+ base-ing
She	is	meeting

2. Future: Present continuous for the future, function
The present continuous is used to talk about arrangements for events at a time later than now.
There is a suggestion that more than one person is aware of the event, and that some preparation has already happened. e.g.

a. I'm meeting Jim at the airport = and both Jim and I have discussed this.
b. I am leaving tomorrow. = and I've already bought my train ticket.
c. We're having a staff meeting next Monday = and all members of staff have been told about it.

More examples:

a. Is she seeing him tomorrow?
b. He isn't working next week.
c. They aren't leaving until the end of next year.
d. We are staying with friends when we get to Boston.

Note: in example (a), seeing is used in a continuous form because it means meeting.

BE CAREFUL! The simple present is used when a future event is part of a programme or time-table. Notice the difference between:

a. We're having a staff meeting next Monday.
b. We have a staff meeting next Monday.(= we have a meeting every Monday, it's on the time-table.)