Future in the past in English: conjugation and examples

future in the past

What You Need to Remember

  • Definition: the future in the past expresses an action that, from a past point of view, was envisaged as future.
  • Would: main form, equivalent of will in a past context. Used in reported speech and predictions formulated in the past.
  • Was/were going to: past intention or plan, often unrealized.
  • Was about to: imminent action in the past, often interrupted.
  • Was to: formal arrangement or past obligation.
  • Past continuous: past arrangement with another person, interrupted or not.

The future in the past is a concept that designates any way of expressing, from a point anchored in the past, what was then envisaged as future. In French, it is the present conditional that fulfills this role: “il avait dit qu’il viendrait“. In English, several structures exist depending on the nuance to express: intention, prediction, imminence, obligation, or simple arrangement.

Why This Concept Exists in English

When telling something that happened in the past, you may need to mention what was planned or anticipated at that time. This “future seen from the past” poses a simple question: how do you translate the future when the point of reference is itself in the past?

In English, will cannot be used directly after a past tense verb in a subordinate clause. Tense agreement requires a change. This mechanism produces the different forms of the future in the past.

Direct: She said: “I will call you.” (She said, “I will call you.”)
Indirect: She said she would call me.

Direct: He thought: “It is going to rain.” (He thought, “It is going to rain.”)
Indirect: He thought it was going to rain.

Would: The Main Form

Would is the past of will in tense agreement. It is the most frequent form of the future in the past. It is used in three main situations.

1. Reported Speech

When reporting someone’s words or thoughts expressed with will, that will becomes would in the reported clause in the past.

Direct Speech Reported Speech
“I will be there at 8.” He said he would be there at 8.
“We will finish by Friday.” They promised they would finish by Friday.
“It will take two hours.” She told me it would take two hours.
“I won’t say anything.” He said he wouldn’t say anything.

2. Predictions and Thoughts Formulated in the Past

Would is used to report what you thought, believed, or predicted at a past moment, whether the prediction came true or not.

Nobody knew the war would last four years.
She hoped she would get the job.
I always thought he would become a writer.
They expected prices would fall.

3. Future Events Seen From a Narrative Past

In a past narrative, would can serve to evoke what was going to happen next, from a narrative perspective.

That morning, he had no idea what would happen next.
It was 1989. The wall would fall in a matter of months.
She boarded the train that would change her life.

Was/were going to: The Past Intention

Was/were going to is the past of be going to. It expresses an intention or plan that had been formed in the past. This structure often contains a nuance of non-realization: something had been planned but ultimately did not happen.

I was going to call you but I forgot.
She was going to apply for the position.
We were going to leave early, but the meeting ran late.
He was going to tell her the truth.

The nuance of failure or interruption is not mandatory. Was going to can simply describe a past intention without judgment on its realization.

I knew she was going to be late. (observation, no interruption)
They were going to announce it on Monday.

Was about to: Imminence in the Past

Was/were about to expresses that an action was about to occur at the past moment being discussed. It is often interrupted by another event, but can also have occurred normally.

I was about to leave when the phone rang.
She was about to say something when he interrupted her.
The plane was about to land.
We were about to give up when we found the solution.

The difference with was going to lies in imminence: was about to indicates that the action was very close, within seconds or minutes. Was going to designates an intention without necessarily implying this immediate temporal proximity.

Structure Nuance Example
was going to leave Intention formed, not necessarily imminent I was going to leave that evening.
was about to leave Imminent departure, within seconds following I was about to leave when you arrived.

Was to: The Formal Arrangement or Obligation

Was/were to expresses an official arrangement, an obligation, or an event planned within a formal framework. This structure is more written and narrative than the previous ones.

The president was to address the nation that evening.
The two sides were to meet on neutral ground.
She was to become one of the most influential scientists of her generation.
The summit was to take place in Geneva.

Was to is frequent in historical narratives, past tense newspaper articles, and literature. It gives a more formal and distanced tone than was going to.

Past Continuous: The Past Arrangement With Another Person

The past continuous is used for a past arrangement that had been agreed upon with someone else, the same way the present continuous is used for confirmed future arrangements.

I was meeting the client at 3 but she cancelled.
They were flying to Berlin the next day.
We were having dinner with them that Saturday.

Summary Table of the Five Forms

Form Meaning Example
would + base verb Reported speech, past prediction, narrative future She said she would come.
was/were going to Past intention or plan He was going to quit his job.
was/were about to Imminent action in the past We were about to leave.
was/were to Formal arrangement or past obligation She was to speak first.
Past continuous Arrangement agreed upon with another person They were flying the next day.

Reported Speech: Complete Tense Agreement Table

When reporting someone’s words in reported speech after a past tense verb, several tenses change. Here is the table of transformations for future forms.

Direct Speech Reported Speech (after past tense verb)
will + base verb would + base verb
am/is/are going to was/were going to
shall would / should
am/is/are about to was/were about to
Present continuous (future) Past continuous
Present simple (timetable) Past simple
“I’m flying to Rome on Monday.” → She said she was flying to Rome on Monday.
“The train leaves at 9.” → He told me the train left at 9.
“I’m going to resign.” → She said she was going to resign.
“I shall be there.” → He promised he would be there.

Would: Future in the Past or Conditional?

This is the point that generates the most confusion. Would serves both as a future in the past and as a present conditional. The distinction rests on context and the presence or absence of a condition.

Future in the Past (would) Conditional (would)
She said she would call.
(past promise)		 She would call if she had time.
(hypothesis)
I knew he would be late.
(past prediction)		 He would be late if he missed the bus.
(condition)
Nobody thought it would end this way. It would end this way if nobody intervened.

The main criterion: if a condition introduced by if (or implicit) accompanies the sentence, it is a conditional. If the would follows a past tense verb of speech or thought (said, told, thought, hoped, expected, believed), it is a future in the past.

Common Error: Confusing would-conditional and would-future in the past
She said she would come if she would have time. ✗
She said she would come if she had time. ✓
In the conditional subordinate clause, would is not used. The correct structure is if + past simple for a present hypothetical condition.

Time Markers That Accompany the Future in the Past

Certain time markers also transform when moving from direct speech to reported speech.

Direct Speech Reported Speech
tomorrow the next day / the following day
next week / month / year the following week / month / year
tonight that night
now then / at that point
in two days two days later
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” → He said he would see me the next day.
“We’re leaving tonight.” → They told us they were leaving that night.
“It will be ready in two days.” → She said it would be ready two days later.

For a complete overview of all future forms in English, including the future perfect and future continuous, see the complete guide on the future in English.

Practical Exercise

Test your knowledge on the future in the past:

Question 1. What is the correct form of reported speech? Direct: “I will call you tomorrow,” she said.




Two changes are necessary: will becomes would (tense agreement after a past verb), and tomorrow becomes the next day (time marker in reported speech). Option B is incorrect because tomorrow remains in direct speech.

Question 2. Which sentence expresses an action that was imminent and was interrupted?




Was about to expresses immediate imminence in the past, often interrupted by another event. Option A (was going to) indicates an intention without immediate imminence. Option D (was to) marks a formal arrangement. Option C (would) is a narrative prediction.

Question 3. How do you know that would is a future in the past and not a conditional in this sentence: “I knew she would succeed”?




The presence of a past tense verb of thought or speech (knew, said, thought, believed, hoped) followed by would is the signature of the future in the past. Without a condition introduced by if or implied, would expresses what was anticipated from a past perspective.

Question 4. Which structure best suits expressing a past official arrangement in a formal narrative?




Was to is the formal structure for an official arrangement, a pre-established schedule, or an obligation in an institutional context. It is the typical form in historical narratives and past tense newspaper articles. The other options are grammatically possible but less suited to the formal register of this situation.

Question 5. Transform this sentence into reported speech: “We are going to renovate the office,” the CEO announced.




Am/is/are going to becomes was/were going to in reported speech after a past tense verb. Option A keeps will instead of shifting it to the past. Option C uses the past conditional which does not correspond to this structure. Option D retains the present, which is incorrect after a past introductory verb.

Question 6. Which sentence uses the past continuous to express a past future arrangement (booked ticket, appointment made)?




The past continuous (was flying) indicates a confirmed arrangement with other people, booked ticket, appointment made. It is the past mirror of the present continuous used for confirmed future arrangements. Was going to indicates personal intention, was to a formal arrangement, was about to imminence.

Question 7. Which sentence contains an error?




In a conditional subordinate clause (if), would is not used. Option A is incorrect: if he would be free must become if he was free (or if he were free in formal register). Option B is the correct version of the same sentence. Options C and D are both correct.


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