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DIALOG:

Ben: Did you have your son yesterday?

Ken: I did.

Ben: How did it go?

Ken: Not good. I messed up, so...

...I'm not seeing him again anytime soon. (1)

...I'm not going to see him again anytime soon. (2)

...I'm not going to be seeing him again anytime soon. (3)

...I won't see him again anytime soon. (4)

...I won't be seeing him again anytime soon. (5)

...I'll not see him again anytime soon. (6)

...I'll not be seeing him again anytime soon. (7)

Ben: Your ex-wife decided that?

Ken: Yes.

Question: Which one of the suggestions is more natural in the context? (It shouldn't sound like Ken doesn't want to see his son again anytime soon; it's his ex-wife who has decided that.)

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  • For me, 2) would be just fine - more colloquial than "will" in this case.
    – Alex TheBN
    Commented Sep 8, 2020 at 19:26
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    5&7 have more of a “not my decision” feeling to me.
    – StephenS
    Commented Sep 8, 2020 at 19:27
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    Sorry, but "Did you have your son yesterday"??
    – Lambie
    Commented Sep 8, 2020 at 20:12

3 Answers 3

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You have 7 natural and possible expressions to talk about a future fact.

There are differences in nuance, which may or may not be intentional. The obvious choice here is "I'm not going to see". It is a future that is a consequence of the present conditions. But all the others are correct and could be used.

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All 7 are valid grammar and mean pretty much the same thing. #6 and #7 sound a little more formal to me, and probably not what someone would say in a casual conversation.

None really clearly indicates whether it is his choice or his ex-wife's choice.

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What bothers me is using both "again" and "anytime soon" next to each other. If I strip away the other words and just describe what I mean, "...again...", meaning "never", and "...anytime soon...", meaning "not for a long time."

I'd like to suggest a modified #5: "...I won't be seeing him anytime soon."

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