Promises, promises!

All right, deeeeeep breath. 

Nothing scary will happen here, so relax, and just listen to me. I am going to ask easy questions, and all will be ok.

This will be easy, I promise. 

Hi you! Did you come back for more English, or is it your first time here? Either way, welcome! I am Parya, that English teacher based in Tokyo, and this is English Airs, the podcast that will give you effortless accuracy. 

In this episode, we are going to close the topic of major uses of “will”. We know that we use will to talk about regular future events and things that we believe will happen in the future. It’s not for fixed plans, or things that we know are going to happen because of something that we can see now. Here, the idea is the same, but we will look at a few new names. So basically, we are just going to get better at using what we already know. Easy, right? So come with me! 

Today’s episode is a story. The story of the time when two of your friends from another country visit you, and you take them to a restaurant. Where do you want to take them? Create a clear picture in your head. Aren’t you excited to have them try the food from your country? Oh, but they can’t read the menu! So, you offer to help. What do you say? Give me your answer out loud if you can.

That’s right. You can say “I will explain“, among many other possibilities. Why can we use will here? I am sure you know because I already told you: It is an offer!

So, now all of you can decide what you will have. Remember that this was not a plan; your friends didn’t decide before coming to the restaurant, right? So, what do you tell the server?

Right again! You can say “They’ll have the steak“, or maybe the vegetable gratin if they are vegetarians. Why use will? You’re right: because it’s a decision made right now.

The food arrives! Are your friends enjoying it? I hope they are! So you chat and eat and drink, and now it’s time to get the check. You want to treat your friends and pay for the meal. They thank you and promise they will take you for a wonderful meal when you visit their country. What do they say? You know, don’t you? They say ” We will take you for a wonderful meal when you visit us!”

Why do they use “will”? Because it is a promise!

Let’s think about our examples for a minute: I will explain. I will have the steak. we will take you for a meal. Aren’t these future facts? Things that you believe will be true in the future? So, offers, decisions at the moment, and promises are just reasons for why you believe so. Simple, isn’t it?

Ok, before moving on to the next part, I would like to hear you give me a few examples. Have you offered to do something for anyone this week? What did you say? what promises have you made? Tell me; I’m listening.

Great job!

Moving on, tell me about one plan you have for this week. If you said anything that started with “I’m going to…”, well done! Now, about that plan, you are sure, right? Of course you are! Well, what if you are not sure? Maybe it’s not 100% fixed. Maybe it’s 80% sure, or maybe it’s just an idea. How do you talk about those potential plans? Let’s ask ourselves this question: if it is in the future, and it is not a plan, what is it then? Did you say fact? Well done! Now, if this fact is not 100% certain, all we need to do is add some words that show that percentage. What words? See if you can spot them when I tell you about my plans for dinner:

“I haven’t decided what to eat for dinner. I will probably make something myself. Maybe I will make some rice and chicken. Or perhaps I can grill some meat. I might just have a salad if I’m not hungry. I definitely will not eat out; I have lessons until late this evening.”

Did you notice the words? That’s right: you can use words like probably or maybe, or you can use might instead of will. Using definitely shows you are really, really sure!

Now you! Tell me about some decisions you have not made yet. Weekend plans? Buying a birthday present for someone? What you want to wear tomorrow? Anything is OK. Go ahead. I am listening.

Yay! See? Easy, wasn’t it?

So, how do we practice this? We are going to use a few different things this time. First, the reminder: Set it for the morning with these prompts:

“Decide to do something for yourself today! “

“What’s for dinner?”

“Who will you help today? What will you do for them?”

Finally, when you see an advertisement, try to say what they are promising you. Use your imagination and make funny promises if you can! It helps!

As always, if you visit my website, English Airs, you’ll find the transcript of this episode, plus Garfield and two other cute cats! I have also added some examples of promises in advertisements. We might as well use them to speak English, right? There are also links to extra material there. Check them out! And don’t forget to take a look at the Instagram page for more.

Ok. Pat yourself on the back, because we covered the most common, most important ways to talk about the future. Take another deep breath, and see you next time! Until then, please let me know your opinions and questions in the comments on the website, or wherever you get your podcasts, and as before it would be really nice of you if you could introduce this podcast to your friends! You know that I wish to help as many people as I can, with your help. 

Parya out!