Subordinate conjunctions and agreement in the future tense: How and When to Use in English
Quick and simple lesson to help you understand grammar better.
Test your English and learn even more with Gymglish.
TEST YOUR ENGLISH
Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,7 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 8 million learners worldwide
Subordinate conjunctions and agreement in the future tense
In a sentence where the main clause is in the future, the subordinate sentence introduced by a time conjunction (when, while, by the time...) must remain in the present tense:
I will call you when I get to the office. I will call you when I have arrived at the office.
By the time we reach the age of 40, we'll have a house in the Hamptons. When we are 40, we will already have a house in the Hamptons. (region of Long Island, New York State)
Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I am 64 years old? (Beatles song)
Be careful not to confuse these constructions with interrogative sentences, or with sentences in the present tense which have a subordinate sentence in the future:
Do you know when Susie will come back from England?
I wonder when Susie will come back from England.
Exercise 1
I will call you as soon as I for sure.
I will call you as soon as I know for sure.
know: When the main clause of a sentence is in the future tense and the subordinate clause is introduced by 'as soon as', the verb of the subordinate clause must stay in the present tense.
will know: In this type of construction, the verb of the subordinate clause must stay in the present tense, and not in the future.
knew: When the main clause of a sentence is in the future tense and the subordinate clause is introduced by 'as soon as', the verb must stay in the present tense, and not in the past.
am knowing: 'To know' is a stative verb, meaning that it can't be used in the 'BE + ING' form.
Exercise 2
Conjugate the verbs in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb.
Bob: Do you when Luna will be coming back to work? She's been out sick for a week now.
Susie: Well, I you as soon as I see her. Everyone's wondering when she .
Bob: I'm afraid that by the time she back, my birthday will be over.
Bob: Do you when Luna will be coming back to work? She's been out sick for a week now.
Susie: Well, I you as soon as I see her. Everyone's wondering when she .
Bob: I'm afraid that by the time she back, my birthday will be over.
Conjugate the verbs in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb.
Bob: Do you [not done] know 1 when Luna will be coming back to work? She's been out sick for a week now.
Susie: Well, I [not done] will tell 2 you as soon as I see her. Everyone's wondering when she [not done] will return 3.
Bob: I'm afraid that by the time she [not done] gets 4 back, my birthday will be over.
Bob: Do you [not done] know 1 when Luna will be coming back to work? She's been out sick for a week now.
Susie: Well, I [not done] will tell 2 you as soon as I see her. Everyone's wondering when she [not done] will return 3.
Bob: I'm afraid that by the time she [not done] gets 4 back, my birthday will be over.
1 know: An ordinary verb (to know) preceded by an auxiliary (do) is always conjugated in its infinitive form without 'to' (do you know...). This is true for interrogative constructions as well (Did you see, Will you go, etc.). Bob is asking Susie if she knows when Luna will return to work.
2 will tell: In this sentence, 'as soon as' is used like 'when'. 'Will' + 'when' constructions are used to indicate something that is sure, for example: 'I will visit you when (or 'as soon as') I am in Paris'. In the dialogue, Susie is making Bob a promise that she will certainly tell him when Luna arrives. Note: 'Will' is often used for promises ('I'll pay you tomorrow') and also for on-the-spot or new decisions ('I'll have a coke please').
3 will return: 'Everyone is wondering...' uses the present progressive tense, and indicates that people are 'currently' or 'now' wondering when Luna will return (in the future). When the principal clause of a sentence uses a present tense verb form ('everyone is wondering'), and the subordinate clause is introduced by 'when,' the verb of the subordinate clause must be put in the future tense.
4 gets: Although the phrase 'by the time she gets back' describes Luna's eventual return to the office, an action which will take place in the future (if at all), a present tense verb (gets) is used here because the principal clause 'my birthday will be over' uses a future tense verb. Even though the main clause uses a future tense verb, the subordinate clause takes a present tense verb because it is introduced by a conjunction of time (by the time). Bob is expressing his concern that Luna won't get back to the office in time to celebrate his birthday.
Exercise 3
Polly back to work only after Bruno apologizes for yelling at her. Kevin already proposed candidates for her replacement, though nobody in the office taking him seriously.
Polly will come 1 back to work only after Bruno apologizes for yelling at her. Kevin has 2 already proposed candidates for her replacement, though nobody in the office is 3 taking him seriously.
1 will come: Although the subordinate clause ('only after Bruno apologizes') uses a present tense verb, it refers to a future event: 'Polly will come back when Bruno apologizes'. Note that this action is conditional as well, it is uncertain whether Bruno will apologize or not. Generally, when a subordinate clause is introduced by a conjunction of time and uses a present tense verb, the principal clause will take a future tense verb.
1 comes: Because the subordinate clause ('only after Bruno apologizes...') is in the present tense, we cannot use the present tense as the main verb as well.
1 came: We cannot use the preterit form of the verb 'to come' in this sentence.
2 has: The past participle 'proposed' follows the auxiliary 'has' to create the present perfect tense. The present perfect is used to describe an action which occurred at an unspecified time in the past.
2 is: 'Kevin is already proposed' is not a valid grammatical construction. The present tense verb 'is' doesn't agree with the past participle 'proposed'.
2 was: We cannot use 'was' here because it would form a passive verb construction, and the sentence requires an active verb.
3 is: The present progressive is used to describe an action in progress. It is formed with the auxiliary 'be' + the 'ING' form of the main verb. 'To take something seriously' is to treat something solemnly or with respect for it.
3 will: 'Nobody will taking him seriously' is grammatically incorrect. The auxiliary 'will' doesn't agree with the verb 'taking'.
3 is going to: 'Nobody is going to taking him' is grammatically incorrect. However, we could say 'Nobody is going to take him...'.
Exercise 4
Conjugate the verbs below appropriately, if necessary. At least one of the verbs MUST be conjugated. If you think a verb should not be conjugated, write it again in the infinitive.
Horatio at Delavigne for more than thirty years, and he intends until he .
Horatio at Delavigne for more than thirty years, and he intends until he .
Conjugate the verbs below appropriately, if necessary. At least one of the verbs MUST be conjugated. If you think a verb should not be conjugated, write it again in the infinitive.
Horatio [not done] has been working 1 at Delavigne for more than thirty years, and he intends [not done] to stay 2 until he [not done] retires 3.
Horatio [not done] has been working 1 at Delavigne for more than thirty years, and he intends [not done] to stay 2 until he [not done] retires 3.
1 has been working: We use the present perfect continuous tense to describe a past action which continues into the present. The present perfect tense is formed with 'has/have' + past participle. Note that the present perfect tense is also acceptable here: Horatio has worked...
2 to stay: This verb should remain in its full infinitive form, no conjugation is necessary. Certain verbs in English can or must be followed by verbs in the progressive or gerundive form however in this case, no change is necessary.
3 retires: The action of 'retiring', although it refers to a future event, is conjugated in the simple present tense. This is because when a subordinate clause is introduced by a time conjunction (until, when, by the time, etc.) we use the simple present tense. Another example: "I will sit here until you agree to cook dinner for me".
Exercise 5
Conjugate the verbs below appropriately. Watch out for irregular verbs!
Last week, I skydiving for the first time in my life. It an amazing experience. When I next time, however, I a parachute.
Last week, I skydiving for the first time in my life. It an amazing experience. When I next time, however, I a parachute.
Conjugate the verbs below appropriately. Watch out for irregular verbs!
Last week, I [not done] went 1 skydiving for the first time in my life. It [not done] was 2 an amazing experience. When I [not done] go 3 next time, however, I [not done] will bring 4 a parachute.
Last week, I [not done] went 1 skydiving for the first time in my life. It [not done] was 2 an amazing experience. When I [not done] go 3 next time, however, I [not done] will bring 4 a parachute.
1 went: Using the simple past tense here is the best choice to describe a single, completed past action. Phrases like 'last week' or 'yesterday' often signal the need for the simple past tense.
2 was: Using the simple past tense here is the best choice to describe a single, completed past action. Phrases like 'last week' or 'yesterday' often signal the need for the simple past tense. The experience described in this sentence took place 'last week', as indicated in the preceding sentence.
3 go: The simple present tense is the best choice in this sentence. In a sentence where the main clause is in the future, the subordinate clause introduced by a time conjunction (when, while, by the time...), must remain in the present tense! For example: By the time they arrive, the food will be eaten (or will have been eaten).
4 will bring: The main clause of this sentence takes a future tense verb (either simple or progressive) because not only does this action take place in the future, but also because the first clause (the subordinate clause) was introduced by a conjunction of time (when)! Another example: (subordinate clause + present tense verb: Until you apologize, I will not speak to you (main clause + future tense verb).
Still facing difficulties with 'Subordinate conjunctions and agreement in the future tense'? Improve your English with Gymglish's English lessons - try our online English course for free now and receive a free level assessment!
What our users say:
Find out about other grammar rules. Improve your English further and test Gymglish, online English lessons.
Tips for learning 'Subordinate conjunctions and agreement in the future tense'? Share them with us!
