When do I know that the present tense has a future implication not a present one? For instance:
- We are making some changes to the speech and we are losing the ‘ocean’ part.
Does the verb losing here in this context imply the future as in any of “They are going to lose it” or “They will lose it” or “They are to use it”, or does it imply only the present as in “They are right now this moment already in the process of losing it”?
Add to that many other scenarios where with the present tense doesn’t seem to make clear whether it’s by implication referring to the present time or to some future time like in this second example.
Imagine you are at an airport travelling to the USA and you ask about the plane you are supposed to board; now which one should you use?
- Excuse me, which plane goes to the USA?
- Excuse me, which plane is travelling to the USA?
- Excuse me, which plane is going to travel to the USA?
- Excuse me, which plane is going to be travelling to the USA?
My whole point is that I’m very, ᴠᴇʀʏ confused when it comes to the present tense (using the continuous aspect) and its possible time implications, so could someone please point me out to like a fact or something that I can use so that I’m no longer ᴛʜɪꜱ super-confused about it?
Okay guys last one, what about this example:
- I’m placing a new order right now.
I find this sentence in particular even more confusing than the preceding two because even though it has a time adverbial (right now), it’s not obvious whether the speaker is saying they are doing it right now as in they are in the middle of the process, or whether they are going to do it right now as in the immediate future.