Sometimes we talk about plans, intentions or obligations that were still in the future at the moment somebody spoke or thought about them — but that moment is now in the past. We call this the future in the past.
The surprising part: we do not use future forms for this. We use past forms. Stand at the past moment and look forward from there.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| past progressive | a scheduled activity | The school was filming her lecture later that day. |
| would + base verb | reporting what was said | I told the team I would be at the meeting. |
| was / were going to + base verb | a plan or intention | I was going to start last night, but I waited. |
| was / were supposed to + base verb | an obligation | We were supposed to read it, but the site was down. |
This is what makes the forms useful. Two of them are neutral, and two of them tell your listener that the thing did not happen.
| Form | What the listener understands |
|---|---|
| was filming / would be | neutral — it may or may not have happened |
| was going to | the plan was dropped or changed |
| was supposed to | the obligation wasn't met |
Both report a future idea from a past moment, and both are often possible. The difference is small but real: would reports the words somebody said; was going to reports the intention behind them.
In reported speech, a future will always becomes would: "I will call you." → He said he would call me.