Not started
Describing what was going to happen from a past viewpoint.
Why you specifically
“Future in the past” dùng khi bạn nhìn một sự việc tương lai từ một mốc ở quá khứ. Nghĩa là ở thời điểm trong quá khứ, việc đó vẫn còn là “sẽ xảy ra”, nhưng khi kể lại bằng tiếng Anh, ta thường lùi thì để cho phù hợp với góc nhìn quá khứ. Các cấu trúc hay gặp là was/were going to, would, was/were about to, và đôi khi là thì quá khứ tiếp diễn. Was/were going to thường dùng cho dự định, kế hoạch hoặc điều được dự tính trong quá khứ. Would thường dùng trong lời kể gián tiếp hoặc khi nói về điều gì đó được dự đoán sẽ xảy ra từ quá khứ. Was/were about to nhấn mạnh rằng sự việc sắp sửa xảy ra ngay lập tức. Thì quá khứ tiếp diễn cũng có thể diễn tả lịch trình hoặc sự sắp xếp từ góc nhìn quá khứ. Điểm dễ sai của người Việt là dùng will/đang/ sẽ trực tiếp trong câu kể lại, trong khi tiếng Anh thường cần lùi thì. Ví dụ: He said he would call me later; She said she was going to leave early; They were about to start when the phone rang. Cần luôn xác định mốc thời gian đang nói là lúc nào: nếu đang nhìn từ quá khứ, thì tương lai của quá khứ phải được diễn tả bằng các dạng lùi thì này.
The rule
Future in the past is used when we describe a future event, plan, promise, or expectation from a past viewpoint. English often uses was/were going to, would, was/were about to, or the past continuous depending on the meaning. In reported speech, present future forms usually shift back: will often becomes would, and am/is/are going to often becomes was/were going to. The key idea is viewpoint. At the later time of speaking, the event may already be finished, changed, or still in the future, but the sentence shows how it looked from the earlier past moment. Use was going to for intention or plan, would for predicted or reported future, was/were about to for something on the point of happening, and sometimes the past continuous for an arranged or scheduled future event from a past reference point.
The trap
She said that she will leave early.
She said that she was going to leave early.
From a past viewpoint, we often use was going to + verb to show a planned or expected future action.
I knew that the train will leave at six.
I knew that the train was leaving at six.
After a past reporting verb, we usually shift the future meaning back to a past form when speaking from that earlier time.
They are about to start when the phone rang.
They were about to start when the phone rang.
Be about to can also be used in the past to show an action that was just about to happen.
He said he will call me later.
He said he would call me later.
Would can express a future action seen from a past point in time.
Prove it
9 drills
You have not fought this one yet.
