English Future Continuous

The future continuous tense, also known as the future progressive tense, emphasizes the ongoing nature of an action that will occur over a period of time and is often used to set the scene for future events, predict future activities or describe planned future actions.

How to Form the Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous tense is formed using the following structure:

[Subject] + will be + [present participle] 

The present participle is the “-ing” form of the verb. Here are some examples:

I will be studying at the library this evening.

She will be working late tomorrow night.

They will be traveling to Paris next week.

In speech and casual writing, the subject pronoun (I, you, we, etc.) and the word “will” are often contracted. Here is how this looks:

I’ll be studying at the library this evening.

She’ll be working late tomorrow night.

They’ll be traveling to Paris next week.

Forming negative sentences

To form negative sentences in the future continuous, just add “not” between the words “will” and “be.” For example:

We will not be going on vacation until next year.

I will not be attending the meeting tomorrow.

The words “will” and “not” are often contracted to “won’t”:

We won’t be going on vacation until next year.

I won’t be attending the meeting tomorrow.

Forming questions

To form questions in the future continuous, just switch the subject and the word “will.” For example:

She will be leaving work early tomorrow. → Will she be leaving work early tomorrow?

Here are some more examples of questions in the future continuous:

Will they be traveling to Paris next week?

Will he be using the car this afternoon?

To ask an open-ended question (where the answer isn’t just “yes” or “no”), add the question word or phrase before this structure. For example:

What time will we be leaving for the event?

How long will you be staying in Portugal for?

How to Use the Future Continuous Tense

To describe ongoing actions at a specific time in the future

The future continuous is often used to describe an action that will be happening at a particular time or during a specific event in the future. For example:

At 8 p.m. tonight, I’ll be watching my favorite TV show.

At this time tomorrow, we’ll be flying to London.

To indicate future plans or arrangements

This tense is useful for expressing planned or arranged future activities, particularly when these activities are seen as a normal course of events. For example:

She’ll be meeting with the client tomorrow morning.

Next week, they’ll be attending the conference in New York.

To make predictions about the present or future

The future continuous can be used to predict what might be happening at the current moment or at a certain point in the future. For example:

Right now, they’ll be discussing the new project.

By this time tomorrow, he’ll be driving to the airport.

To politely inquire about someone’s plans

The future continuous is often used to make polite inquiries about someone’s future plans, making the question sound less direct or demanding. For example:

Will you be coming home late tonight?

Will they be joining us for dinner tonight?