Present tense with future meaning
We use the present continuous for:
- Future arrangements already made
‘I’m meeting my sister for lunch.’
‘I’m going away next weekend.’
(‘I am going to go away‘ is also possible, but the present continuous is more natural.)
We use the present continuous ‘I am going to’ for:
- A decision or intention
‘I am going to look for a better job.’
We use the present simple for:
- Timetables, programmes, fixed plans
The ferry leaves at 4 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.
The film starts at 7pm.
I am off work this week. I start nightshifts on Saturday.