Is "will" only used to talk about the future? Yes. But there are many different contexts and uses of "will" that you might not be familiar with. Do you know what the difference is between "will" and "be going to"? These two are often confused, but you can learn how to use them correctly by watching this lesson. I will teach you six different ways you can use "will": future intentions, promises, predictions, confirmations of place and time, order of events, and goodbyes. Take this essential lesson, and never be confused between "will" and "be going to" again.
http://www.engvid.com/grammar-6-ways-to-use-will/

TRANSCRIPT

Hey, everyone. I'm Alex. Thanks for clicking, and welcome to this lesson on the many uses of "will". "Will" is one of the most difficult English grammar words to master because there is a lot of confusion about whether or not it can be used to talk about future plans. Now, number 1, if you are going to talk about a plan that you have for the future, "be going to" or the present continuous are much more common in English. So you won't say -- if someone asks you," "What are you doing this weekend?" -- you don't say, "I will visit my grandma" or, "I'm visit is my grandma." "I'm going to see a movie"; not, "I will see a movie." So now that we have that out of the way. Let's look at the other ways -- and there are many -- that we can use "will". Number one, you can state your intention with "will". Now, this isn't a plan; it's an intention. So for example, if someone asks you, "What are you doing this weekend?", you usually modify "will" with "I will probably", "I will maybe", "I will likely", "I will definitely be at the show." So this is similar to making a promise, which you can also use with "will", and we'll talk about later. And you can say, "Yeah, I will be at the show" or, "I will probably be at the show this weekend." Okay? Now, you can use it to confirm plans and to confirm orders of events. So if you and your friends made plans and you want to get the plans straight in your mind, you can say, "Okay, wait. Wait. So first, I will call you. And then, we will meet at the theater." So if you have a future order of events and you want to get it clear, you can say, "Okay. Number one, you will do this. Number two, I will do this. Number three, we'll do this. Yeah? Okay." So this means -- again, you're confirming plans. You're confirming the orders of events. You're not actually saying "I'm doing this". You're saying, "This is what will happen. I just want to have it clear in my mind."

Number three, decisions made in the moment. So if you're at a restaurant, at a store -- if you're buying shoes, and you make a decision in the moment, you use "will". So for example, you're making a decision. "Do I want the red shoes or the blue shoes? I'll take the blue ones." Okay? So, "I will take the blue ones." You can also say, you know -- if you're ordering at a restaurant, "I will have the chicken and fries", for example. So for decisions in the moment, use "will".

Next, predictions. Now, again, predictions, you can use "be going to" as well, if you have evidence. "Be going to" is stronger for predictions. Or you can use "will" where you can give your opinions, your thoughts. For example, you're talking about your friend who's doing a test. Your friend has one hour to do the test. He didn't study. He's very nervous. And you say, "There is no way he will finish on time." So you can say, "He won't finish on time. This is my prediction." Okay? So you can make a prediction using "will".

You can also use it, like I mentioned, to make a promise. So, "I will never disappoint you" or, "I will always love you." Think of the Whitney Houston song from the 1990s, The Bodyguard. Depending on what year you're watching this, that is already very dated, and you have no idea what I'm talking about. But that's okay. The Bodyguard -- "I will always love you", Whitney Houston.

And number six, you can confirm a future time or place. So you can say, "Okay. I will be there at eight". "Where are you going to be at eight o'clock?" "I will be at home. I will be at the mall. I'll be having dinner" -- in that situation. So if you want to talk about what you will be doing at a future time or future place, you can use "will" in this context.

And finally, you can also use "will" for goodbyes. So, "Yeah. I will see you later. We will get together soon." This is similar to making a promise, right? Like, "I will see you later. I promise you." But a specific context of promise because it's goodbyes.