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Which ones of the following could be correct:

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

I am learning English because I need it when I go abroad.

What I imply is that I am not abroad now but I am likely to go abroad in the future.

If both are correct, is there any difference in terms of meaning?

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They are both correct. It depends on what you want to say.

I am about to go to a place where I will be expected to speak English. So,...

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

I go abroad to work often. My English is passable but could be better. So, ...

I am learning English because I need it when I go abroad.

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As you correctly noticed it (your being abroad) will happen in the future, that means that you should put the verb - need - in the future tense, i.e.

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

The second sentence can be fixed like this:

I am learning English because I need it at work.

But you cannot do something in the present (I need) and in the future (when I go abroad) simultaneously.

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  • Thank you for your answer. When we say "I am learning English because I need it at work." Can I suppose I already a job which requires English skills or I own an company that I did not use to work with other companies which are from abroad but I just started.So I need it now.
    – Mrt
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 22:46
  • I think if somebody does not a job now but a job they are looking for is likely to require English skill, for example travel agent,I would say " I am learning English because I will need it at work."
    – Mrt
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 22:48
  • Correct, if you need it for any reason in the future, you should say I will need it. You might want to start with some more basic English teaching websites before posting questions here, that will save you much time.
    – Arsen Y.M.
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 22:56
  • You could say, though, "I am learning English because I need it for going/traveling abroad."
    – Jim
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 23:05
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    "I will need it" and "when I go abroad" are both referring to the future.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 23:58

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