Future in the Past

We use future in the past to talk about a future action or situation from a past point of view.
In other words:

• something was in the future at that time
• but now we are talking about it from the past

This structure is very common in:

• reported speech: “The spokesperson said the company would respond soon.”
• stories and biographies: “Few people knew she would later win the prize.”
• news reports: “The airline announced that flights would resume the next day.”

1. The Core Idea

Imagine this timeline:

• Past moment → someone thinks about the future
• Later → we describe that past situation

Example:

• “In 2018, she thought she would become a doctor.”

At that time, becoming a doctor was still in the future.

2. Using “would” for Future in the Past

The most common structure is:

Structure

would + base verb

Examples:

• “I knew he would call.”
• “She said she would help us.”
• “They believed the project would succeed.”

Why do we use it?

The action was future from a past point of view.
Compare:

• Present viewpoint: “He will call.”
• Past viewpoint: “I knew he would call.”

Future in the past or a conditional?

Not every use of would is future in the past. Check whether the action was future from an earlier past viewpoint or depends on a condition.

• Future in the past: “She said she would help.” Her help was in the future when she spoke; there is no condition.
• Conditional: “If she had time, she would help.” Her help depends on the condition if she had time and is hypothetical.

3. Future in the Past with Reported Speech

Future forms often change in reported speech.

When the reporting verb is past (said/told/thought), English often backshifts (will → would). We may keep "will" if the speaker still sees it as true or still in the future now.

Direct Speech

• “I will help you.”

Reported Speech

• “She said she would help me.”

More examples:

• “They will arrive soon.”
  → “He said they would arrive soon.”
• “I will never forget this.”
  → “She said she would never forget it.”

Compare a completed past prediction with one that is still future now:

• “In 2022, he said he would retire the following year.” (The retirement is now in the past.)
• “This morning, she said the new course will start next month.” (The course is still in the future now.)

4. Other future-in-the-past forms

Besides would, English can use other forms to express similar meanings from a past point of view (intention/plan vs imminence vs preparation).

was/were going to (past plan or prediction)

We can use this for:

• past plans
• past intentions
• predictions from the past

Structure: was/were going to + base verb

Examples:

• “I was going to call you.”
• “They were going to move to Canada.”
• “She said it was going to rain.”

Important meaning:

"was/were going to" describes a past intention/plan. Often (especially with "but") it suggests the plan did not happen, but it can also be neutral.

Examples:

• “I was going to call you later.” (intention)
• “I was going to study, but I fell asleep.” (plan didn’t happen)

was/were about to (immediate future)

We use this for actions that were going to happen very soon.

Structure: was/were about to + base verb

Examples:

• “The train was about to leave.”
• “I was about to call you.”
• “She was about to say something when he interrupted her.”

Meaning:

The action was very close to happening.

was/were planning to (intention or preparation)

We use this to emphasize intention or preparation.

Structure: was/were planning to + base verb

Examples:

• “They were planning to start a business.”
• “She was planning to travel abroad.”
• “I was planning to speak to him later.”

Past continuous for a planned arrangement

The past continuous can describe an arrangement that was future from a past viewpoint.

Structure: was/were + -ing

• “He was leaving the next day.”
• “The train was leaving at six.”

Would be + -ing (future continuous in the past)

Use this form for an action that was expected to be in progress at a later past time.

Structure: would be + -ing

• “She knew she would be working late that night.”
• “They expected that we would be travelling by then.”

was/were to (formal plan or later development)

This structure is more formal and is common in reports, biographies and literary narratives. It can describe an official arrangement or an event that happened later and became important.

Structure:

was/were to + base verb

Examples:

• “The minister was to address the conference at noon.” (formal arrangement)
• “He was to become the company’s first president.” (important later development)

For an arrangement that did not happen, use was/were to have + past participle:

• “He was to have addressed the conference, but the flight was cancelled.”

5. Future in the Past in Stories and Narratives

This structure is very common in storytelling.
Examples:

• “At that moment, he didn’t realize his life would change forever.”
• “She believed they would meet again someday.”
• “Nobody knew the company was about to collapse.”

6. Compare the Structures

Structure	Meaning
would + verb	future from a past viewpoint
would be + -ing	action expected to be in progress later
was/were going to	past plan or prediction
was/were about to	immediate future in the past
was/were planning to	intention/preparation
was/were + -ing	planned arrangement in the past
was/were to	formal arrangement or important later development

7. Easy Way to Remember

Think:

• will → future from now
• would → future from the past

Ask:

1. Was it still in the future at that past time? If yes, it is a future-in-the-past meaning.
2. Which form matches the meaning: a prediction/expectation (→ would), an action in progress later (→ would be + -ing), an intention/plan (→ was/were going to / planning to), an arrangement (→ was/were + -ing), an immediate next action (→ was/were about to), or a formal arrangement/later development (→ was/were to)?

Final check: choose the form according to meaning, and do not label would as future in the past automatically when its result depends on an if-condition.