Английского

§ 5. In analysing the English future tenses, the modal factor, natu-
rally, should be thoroughly taken into consideration. A certain mo-
dal colouring of the meaning of the English future cannot be de-
nied, especially in the verbal form of the first person. But then, as 
is widely known, the expression of the future in other languages is 
not disconnected from modal semantics either; and this is condi-
tioned by the mere fact that the future action, as different from the 
present or past action, cannot be looked upon as a genuine feature 
of reality. Indeed, it is only foreseen, or anticipated, or planned, or 
desired, or otherwise prospected for the time to come. In this qual-
ity, the Russian future tense does not differ in principle 

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from the verbal future of other languages, including English, Suf-
fice it to give a couple of examples chosen at random: 
Я буду рассказывать тебе интересные истории. Расскажу о 
страшных кометах, о битве воздушных кораблей, о гибели 
прекрасной страны по ту сторону гор. Тебе не будет скучно 
любить меня (А. Толстой). Немедленно на берег. Найдешь ге-
нерала Иолшина, скажешь: путь свободен. Пусть строит до-
рогу для артиллерии (Б. Васильев). 
The future forms of the verbs in the first of the above Russian ex-
amples clearly express promise (i. e. a future action conveyed as a 
promise); those in the second example render a command. 
Moreover, in the system of the Russian tenses there is a specialised 
modal form of analytical future expressing intention (the combina-
tion of the verb стать with the imperfective infinitive). E. g.: Что 
же вы теперь хотите делать? — Тебя это не касается, что я 
стану делать. Я план обдумываю. (А. Толстой). 
Within the framework of the universal meaningful features of the 
verbal future, the future of the English verb is highly specific in so 
far as its auxiliaries in their very immediate etymology are words 
of obligation and volition, and the survival of the respective conno-
tations in them is backed by the inherent quality of the future as 
such. Still, on the whole, the English categorial future differs dis-
tinctly from the modal constructions with the same predicator 
verbs.