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Use present tense for statements that describe general behavior that's not associated with
a particular time.
Recommended: Send a query to the service.
The server sends an acknowledgment.
Not recommended: Send a query to the
service. The server will send an acknowledgment.
However, it's fine to use future tense (will) to distinguish an action that will occur in
the future.
Recommended: Add the filename to the
backup list. The file will be archived the next time the backup process runs.
In the following example, future tense is appropriate because Pub/Sub sends
messages asynchronously; messages are not received immediately by subscribers.
Recommended: A message is sent that
will notify any Pub/Sub subscribers.
Not recommended: A message is sent
that notifies any Pub/Sub subscribers.
Don't use future tense to describe how a product or feature will work after the next release
or update. For more information, seeDocument future features.
Also avoid the hypothetical futurewould—for example:
Recommended: If you send an unsubscribe
message, the server removes you from the mailing list.
Not recommended: You can send an
unsubscribe message. The server would then remove you from the mailing list.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2024-10-15 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eUse the present tense to describe general behaviors or actions not tied to a specific time.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUtilize the future tense (\u003cem\u003ewill\u003c/em\u003e) to indicate actions that will occur at a later point in time.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe future tense is appropriate when describing asynchronous processes, like Pub/Sub message delivery.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAvoid using future tense when describing how a product will work after future updates or releases.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eRefrain from using the hypothetical future tense (\u003cem\u003ewould\u003c/em\u003e) in describing actions and their results.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Describing general behaviors should use present tense. Servers send acknowledgments after receiving queries. Future tense (*will*) is appropriate for actions occurring later, such as a file being archived or a message being sent asynchronously. Avoid using future tense to describe product updates. Hypothetical future tense (*would*) should also be avoided; instead, describe actions in the present tense, such as how a server handles unsubscribe messages.\n"],null,["# Present tense\n\nUse present tense for statements that describe general behavior that's not associated with\na particular time.\n\nRecommended: Send a query to the service.\nThe server sends an acknowledgment.\n\nNot recommended: Send a query to the\nservice. The server will send an acknowledgment.\n\nHowever, it's fine to use future tense (*will*) to distinguish an action that will occur in\nthe future.\n\nRecommended: Add the filename to the\nbackup list. The file will be archived the next time the backup process runs.\n\nIn the following example, future tense is appropriate because Pub/Sub sends\nmessages asynchronously; messages are not received immediately by subscribers.\n\nRecommended: A message is sent that\nwill notify any Pub/Sub subscribers.\n\nNot recommended: A message is sent\nthat notifies any Pub/Sub subscribers.\n\nDon't use future tense to describe how a product or feature will work after the next release\nor update. For more information, see [Document future features](/style/future).\n\nAlso avoid the hypothetical future *would*---for example:\n\nRecommended: If you send an unsubscribe\nmessage, the server removes you from the mailing list.\n\nNot recommended: You can send an\nunsubscribe message. The server would then remove you from the mailing list."]]
