Future Continuous Tense

Used to describe actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future

The Future Continuous Tense expresses:

  • An action that will be in progress at a certain point in the future
  • Planned or expected future activities
  • Polite inquiries or soft future questions

Structure: will be + present participle (verb + -ing)

Core Characteristics

  • Time-based: Focuses on *what will be happening at a future moment*
  • Ongoing nature: Emphasizes that the action will be in progress
  • Formality and politeness: Can make questions sound more polite

Formation Rules - Future Continuous

1. Affirmative Sentences

Rule: Subject + will be + verb+ing

  • I will be studying at 9 p.m.
  • They will be working on the project.

2. Negative Sentences

Rule: Subject + will not be + verb+ing

  • She won’t be attending the meeting.
  • We will not be driving in the morning.

3. Yes/No Questions

Rule: Will + subject + be + verb+ing?

  • Will you be working late?
  • Will they be coming with us?

4. Wh- Questions

Rule: Wh- word + will + subject + be + verb+ing?

  • What will she be doing tomorrow at 3?
  • Where will they be staying?

Key Uses with Examples

1. Action in Progress at a Future Time

  • This time tomorrow, I will be flying to New York.
  • At 8 p.m., she will be practicing piano.

2. Parallel Future Actions

  • While I’m working, John will be cooking.
  • They will be watching TV while you are studying.

3. Polite or Formal Future Questions

  • Will you be joining us for dinner?
  • Will she be needing assistance?

Common Errors & Corrections

1. Forgetting “be”
  • ❌ I will working on that. → ✅ I will be working on that.
2. Using base verb instead of “-ing”
  • ❌ She will be cook. → ✅ She will be cooking.
3. Confusing with Simple Future
  • ❌ I will go to work at 9. (if the focus is on ongoing action) → ✅ I will be going to work at 9.

Practice Exercises

1. Complete the Sentences

  1. At 10 a.m., I (have) _____ a meeting. → will be having
  2. She (not travel) _____ next week. → will not be traveling

2. Create Questions

  1. You will be working. → Will you be working?
  2. They will be studying. → Will they be studying?

3. Rewrite in Future Continuous

  1. She writes emails at 2 p.m. → She will be writing emails at 2 p.m.
  2. We eat dinner at 7 p.m. → We will be eating dinner at 7 p.m.

Advanced Notes

1. Time Markers

Common expressions used:

  • this time tomorrow, at 5 p.m., all day tomorrow, by next week

2. Use with Other Future Tenses

You can use it with Simple Future and Future Perfect for complex ideas:

  • When you arrive, I will be sleeping.
  • By the time they come, we will have been waiting for hours.

3. No Short Forms for “Will Be”

We contract “will” with the subject, but “be” always stays separate:

  • I’ll be working, not I’ll working ❌