The Future

Question

Hello,Could you tell me please if there is any difference between these two sentences:1.Tom is going to lend me some money.2.Tom is lending me some money.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

I have taken care of this here:

Avangi · Answer

ninania1.Tom is going to lend me some money.
2.Tom is lending me some money.

To me, without any context at all, #1 definitely refers to a future act. You do not yet have the money.
In #2, it could refer to future time, or it could be present continuous.
"To be lending someone money" is often used to describe a situation in which the initial transaction occured a year ago, and the loan is to be repaid a year hence.

My father is paying my tuition.

This could describe a future plan to begin a year from now,
or it could describe an ongoing process which is currently in midstream.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you very much. I decided to rewrite everything that refers to the second sentence and to your sentence too in this way. Is my list correct? I hope I understood everything in the right way.

A future plan

An action in the present continuous

An ongoing process which is currently midstream.

But I still have some questions.

If I say My father is going to pay my tuition too? In this case it would refer to a future plan only, am I right?

In #2, it could refer to future time. Could you tell me please what is meant under 'future time' here? I understood it as a plan in future.

Avangi · Answer

ninaniaA future plan
An action in the present continuous
An ongoing process which is currently midstream.

Okay. These three descriptions are all meant to apply to the second construction (without "going to"),
of which we have two example sentences.
Subject + "is" + verb-ing + object.
This tense is typically called "present continuous," but can sometimes refer to a future plan.

The first description (a future plan) refers to one interpretation of both example sentences.
The second and third descriptions BOTH refer to another interpretation of these same examples.

Your list of three items might be taken to imply that we're talking about three different interpretations.
But we need to be clear that the second and third items on your list are both about the same meaning.

ninaniaMy father is going to pay my tuition too

Yes, this can only refer to a future event or condition.

ninaniawhat is meant under 'future time' here?

The sentence is describing something which is going to happen in the future.

We have standard names for specific tense constructions, which include words like "past," "present," and "future."
The problem is that sometimes these tenses have alternative uses,
in time periods which are different than their "names" imply/suggest.

In this thread, we have "I'm going to X," which is called "future tense," and is only used to describe future time.

And we also have "I'm doing X," which is called "present continuous (progressive) tense,"
and is used to describe present time. But it's also sometimes used to describe future time.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you.

The Future

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