Grammar: A2 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: ⏳ Past & Future Tenses (Basics) - Lesson 7: Present Continuous for future arrangements (I am meeting a friend tonight.)

✨ Lesson 7: Present Continuous for Future Arrangements

In our last lesson, we learned to use the Present Continuous for actions happening right now. But this tense has another very common and important job: to talk about the future¹!

We use the Present Continuous to talk about definite arrangements² and fixed plans³. These are things you have already decided and organized, often with other people.

Same Grammar, Different Time

The grammar structure is exactly the same: Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing. The only difference is that we use a future time expression to show we are talking about the future.

Common Future Time Expressions:

• tonight
• tomorrow / tomorrow morning / tomorrow evening
• on Friday / on the weekend
• next week / next month

Example Sentences:

• I am meeting my friends for dinner tonight. (This is a fixed plan).
• She is flying to Phnom Penh next week. (She has a ticket).
• We are visiting the Landmine Museum tomorrow. (We decided this yesterday).

"Now" vs. "Future" Comparison

The time expression tells you the meaning of the sentence.

Sentence	Meaning
He is working.	He is working right now.
He is working on Saturday.	He has a future plan to work on Saturday.
What are you doing?	What are you doing right now?
What are you doing tonight?	What is your plan for tonight?

🧠 Practice Quiz: Action Now or Future Plan?

Read each sentence and decide if the meaning is "Happening Now" or a "Future Arrangement".

1. Listen! The monks are chanting.
   → Happening Now
2. I'm visiting my grandparents on Sunday.
   → Future Arrangement
3. She can't talk at the moment, she's driving.
   → Happening Now
4. We're taking the first bus to Bangkok tomorrow morning.
   → Future Arrangement

📝 Homework: What Are Your Plans?

Write three sentences about your own definite plans for this week or this weekend. Use the Present Continuous tense.

Example: I am meeting my friend on Friday evening. I am not working on Saturday.

---

1: ___________________________________

2: ___________________________________

3: ___________________________________

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Future: (Noun) - អនាគត (â'nĕa'kôt) - The time that will come after the present. ↩
2. Arrangement: (Noun) - ការរៀបចំ (kaa riəp'châm) - A plan or preparation for a future event. ↩
3. Plan: (Noun) - ផែនការ (phaen'kaa) - A decision about what you are going to do in the future. ↩