What is "future in the past"?
When we talk about the past and refer to something that was going to happen in the future at that past point, we use special structures. These are the "past" forms of normal future expressions.
"She was going to call, but she forgot." (= she planned to call; past of "going to")
"He would later become president." (= this is what happened in his future; past of "will")
"He would later become president." (= this is what happened in his future; past of "will")
Forms and uses
| Form | Meaning / Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| was/were going to + inf | past plan or intention (often not fulfilled) | I was going to call you, but I got busy. · She was going to study law. |
| would + inf | future seen from the past (narrative, often fulfilled) | He would later regret that decision. · Little did she know she would become famous. |
| was/were about to + inf | imminent action at a past moment (= just going to happen) | I was about to leave when the phone rang. · She was about to cry. |
| was/were due to + inf | scheduled or officially planned for a past moment | The flight was due to land at 8pm. · He was due to give a speech. |
| was/were on the point of + -ing | very close to doing something at a past moment (formal) | She was on the point of giving up when help arrived. |
| was/were to + inf | official plan or future known from past perspective (formal/literary) | He was to play a key role in the negotiations. · This discovery was to change everything. |
was going to vs was about to:
"Was going to" = a general past intention or plan. "Was about to" = the action was just going to happen right then — it was imminent: "I was about to give up" (at that very moment).
would for narrative future:
In storytelling and biographies, "would" expresses things that happened later: "She moved to London in 1990. She would spend the next thirty years there."
Exercises
Choose the correct form.
1. I ___ send you an email, but I didn't have your address. (unfulfilled past plan)
2. She ___ leave the building when the alarm went off. (just that moment)
3. The train ___ arrive at 10, but it was delayed by an hour. (scheduled)
4. He was a young teacher in 1985. He ___ later become one of the most respected scientists of his generation. (narrative)
5. We ___ giving up the project when we received unexpected funding.