The Future Continuous is used to describe an event or action that will be in progress at a given time in the future.
Meaning
The Future Continuous expresses the events that will last for a duration of time at some point in the future. These events or actions will start before the given time and may continue after it.
- Right now Daniel is working in a cafe. (Present Continuous)
- In 3 years’ time he hopes he will be running his own restaurant. (Future Continuous)
Here’s an illustration of what the Future Continuous (Progressive) expresses.
![Future Continuous illustration](https://writingexplained.org/wp-content/uploads/future-progressive-tense-of-prepare.png)
![Future Continuous illustration](https://writingexplained.org/wp-content/uploads/future-progressive-tense-of-prepare.png)
![Future Continuous illustration](https://writingexplained.org/wp-content/uploads/future-progressive-tense-of-prepare.png)
How to form Future Continuous
To make the Future Continuous, we use:
will be + “-ing” form of the verb (Present Participle)
Singular | Plural |
I will (’ll) be waiting You’ll be waiting He/she/it’ll be waiting | We’ll be waiting You’ll be waiting They’ll be waiting |
- This time next week I’ll be walking in the parks of Versailles.
- Tom will be starting school in September.
Negative forms of Future Continuous
To make a negative form of Future Continuous, just insert ‘not‘ between ‘will’ and ‘be (you can also use ‘won’t’).
- When Jack gets home, I won’t be working.
- He won’t be waiting for you tomorrow.
Questions in Future Continuous
To ask a question in Future Continuous, just swap ‘will’ and the subject of the sentence:
will + [subject] + be + -ing verb
- Will you be flying across India this time next year?
- Will he be eating lunch at 2pm?
When to use Future Continuous
Action in progress at a time in the future
- I will be meeting Tom this Saturday.
Interrupted action in the future
Here, the point of time in future is usually expressed by the word ‘when‘.
- She will be waiting for you when you arrive.
Parallel actions in the future
Here, the words ‘while‘ or ‘and‘ are usually used.
- Sam will be dancing while Paul will be singing.
Neutral questions
The Future Continuous is also used in neutral questions — to ask for information, but not to make a request.
Consider the following examples:
Neutral question | Request |
Will you be passing by the new grocery store? They have a wide selection of tea on sale. | Will you pass by the new grocery store, please? We’ve run out of tea. |
Will you be attending the meeting this afternoon? Several interesting speakers are expected. | Will you attend the meeting this afternoon, please? They’ll discuss the topics of your interest. |
The Future Continuous can sometimes be formed with ‘going to’ instead of ‘will’, but this is less common.
Use am/is/are + going to be + the “-ing” form of the verb:
- I’m going to be studying all day long.
- Do you want to go to a concert tonight? My wife’s going to be performing.
- Shall we have lunch together on Friday? Peter and Jessica are going to be visiting our city.
Here’s a good video from AMES 836 explaining the structure and meaning of Future Continuous with examples:
See also: