Talk about Future Hopes in English [Advanced English Grammar & Vocabulary]

Hey, it's Annemarie with Speak Confident English.

This is exactly where you want to be every week to get the confidence you want

for your life and work in English.

When you think ahead to this time next year,

what do you hope will happen?

Or what do you hope to have accomplished by this time next

year? Maybe you'll be thinking things like,

hopefully we'll have the opportunity to travel abroad,

or I hope we'll be able to travel abroad next summer.

I'm hoping to travel to Japan.

I'm sure that you've noticed in all three of those sentences,

I'm using the word hope, which is perfectly fine.

But did you know that we can talk about hopes,

desires and things that we expect to happen in the future

without using the word hope? Like my students,

I know that you are here to boost your confidence in English,

improve your fluency and reach a higher level in your English language,

communication skills.

Doing all of that and doing it well requires an understanding

and the ability to use nuance or subtlety when you speak.

And that is exactly what you're going to learn today.

Instead of always using the word hope to talk about future hopes,

you're going to learn other structures and phrases that we can use to

help you communicate that nuance.

Things that you hope for in the future. Things that you hope will happen,

but you're not feeling very certain about or things that you feel should

happen in the future.

All of this leads to a higher level of skill and the ability to be

more flexible when you communicate in English so that you can say

precisely what you want.

And this lesson I'll share with you four alternatives that you can use when you

want to talk about things that you hope for in the future.

I'll give you examples along the way and the opportunity to practice and perfect

your skills at the end.

All right,

let's get started and talk about things that we hope for in the future without

using that word hope. The first one is a common sentence starter.

With any luck.

We use this when we want to express that we hope a particular thing will

happen in the future. For example, with any luck,

we'll have a vaccine for COVID-19 by the end of the year. With any luck,

my son's soccer team will win their tournament this year.

With any luck we'll succeed in getting the contract.

Take a careful look at those three example sentences.

As I mentioned with any luck is a sentence starter.

And of course it comes at the beginning of all three of those sentences.

After I use with any luck I highlight the thing that

I want or hope will happen in the future.

So let's pause here for a moment.

Think about one thing you really want to have happen in the future.

Something you're hoping for.

Try using an example and share it with me in the comment section below.

Our second example is very similar. It's also a sentence starter,

but there's just a slight difference in meaning some

nuance or subtlety.

This sentence starter is I trust that when I start a sentence

with I trust that not only am I expressing something that I

hope, but I also expect it to be true.

So there's a little bit more certainty to these statements.

Here are a few examples.

I trust that the airlines will be at full capacity by next summer.

I trust that our hard work will pay off again.

Not only do I want or hope for these things,

but I truly feel certain that they will happen. That they're true.

Now, in that second example, I trust that our hard work will pay off.

I'm using a phrasal verb, the phrasal verb to pay off.

When something pays off, it yields results, or it leads to success.

Typically when someone works hard at something,

when they're committed and they consistently give their effort,

it leads to a successful result. It pays off in the end.

I mentioned that this sentence starter is used for not only things that you hope

for, but things you expect to be true.

And we have a second way that we can express that same level of nuance

or subtlety we could also use, I should think.

Or I would think. For example, if I ask you,

will you travel to see your family over the holiday you might respond with?

I should think so, or I would think so.

Not only do you hope it's true, but you expect it to happen.

It should happen in the future.

Here's another example by this time, next year,

I should think that the airlines will be back at full

capacity by this time next year.

So in one year from now, I should think that,

or I would think that the airlines will be back at full capacity

because I'm using this structure that says, I think this is true,

or I expect it to happen.

I should have some kind of proof or evidence for that

belief. Once again, let's pause here for a moment.

I want you to try using the same stuff structure in your own example by

this time next year. So think about one year from now,

by this time next year, I would think that,

or I should think that how would you finish that sentence?

What is something you hope will happen and expect to be true?

And now let's move on to the fourth way to talk about what we hope for in the

future, without using the word hope.

We've talked about how to express our hopes for the future in general,

using the sentence starter with any luck.

We also looked at two different ways that we can talk about the things that we

hope for and expect to be true or expect that they

should happen.

And now we're going to add another level of nuance or subtlety

this time. We're going to talk about things that we hope for,

but we're not feeling very certain about another way to think about

that is when you want to express something,

you wish would be true in the future,

but you're not sure it is.

And this one is so similar to our last example

we talked about, I would think,

or I should think when we add the word, like.

I would like to think,

or I should like to think we add that layer

of uncertainty. That little change in the structure,

changes the meaning of what you want to say.

Let's compare these side-by-side by this time next

year, I should think the airlines will be back at full capacity.

Not only do I hope it's true, but I expect it to be true.

I could also say by this time, next year, I would,

I like to think that the airlines will be back at full capacity.

When I use this structure, it expresses some doubt,

some uncertainty. I definitely want it to be true,

but I'm not sure it will be.

Another example by the end of this year,

I would like to think, but we'll have a vaccine for COVID-19.

I used almost the same sentence since with our first example,

with any luck, we'll have a vaccine for COVID-19 by the end of the year,

I'm just expressing a hope in general.

But if I say by the end of the year,

I would like to think that we'll have a vaccine for COVID-19,

I'm expressing a hope, but again, there's some doubt,

some uncertainty there.

Let's try one last example.

Our team has worked so hard on this proposal,

and I would like to think that we'll be successful,

but there's a lot of competition for this contract. In that example,

I'm expressing that hope to win something that I've worked hard on.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed,

but I also recognize that there's a lot of competition and we may not be

the winner. I'm being careful about those expectations.

With that you have four new ways to talk about things you hope for in the

future, without using that word hope.

And you're adding layers of nuance or subtlety to what you're

saying. So to practice, I've got a challenge for you.

I want you to try using all four of these structures in your own

example, sentence, try using the sentence starters with any luck.

And I trust that and then try using,

I would think or should think versus I would like to think,

or I should like to think.

You can share all those examples with me in the comments below.

It's a fantastic way to get practice and learn from others in the Confident

English community. Now, before we finish,

if you found this lesson useful to you, I would love to know,

and you can let me know in two simple ways. Number one,

give this video a thumbs up here on YouTube and number two,

subscribe to this channel.

So you never miss one of my Confident English lessons. And finally,

in this lesson, when we talk about hope,

we're definitely talking about the future.

If you want to know more about the different grammar structures,

native speakers use for talking about the future,

I've got a lesson on that topic for you, and it might surprise you.

I'll leave a link to that just below this video with that.

Thank you so much for joining me,

have a fantastic week and I'll see you next time for your Confident English

lesson.