The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Future continuous

Form: future continuous

Future continuous for actions in progress at a specific point in the future

Future continuous for actions happening over a period of time in the future

Future continuous for temporary habitual actions in the future

Future continuous for future arrangements

Form: future continuous

WILL + BE + PRESENT PARTICIPLE (VERB-ING)

The future continuous (also called the future progressive) is formed with the modal will + continuous infinitive without to (be + the present participle -ing form of the verb) in all persons.

Affirmative

Subject

Auxiliary

Verb (continuous infinitive)

I

will

be coming

back soon.

You

He/She/It

We

You

They

The following contracted forms are often used in spoken and in informal written language:

I will

»

I'll

you will

»

you'll

he/she/it will

»

he'll/she'll/it'll

we will

»

we'll

you will

»

you'll

they will

»

they'll

Negative

Subject

Auxiliary

not

Verb (continuous infinitive)

I

will

not

be coming

back soon.

You

He/She/It

We

You

They

The contracted form won't is often used instead of will not in spoken and in informal written language.

Interrogative

(Question word)

Auxiliary

Subject

Verb (continuous infinitive)

(When)

will

I

be coming

back?

you

he/she/it

we

you

they

Related topics:

The forms of the infinitive

The forms of the participle

Subject-auxiliary inversion in questions

Future continuous for actions in progress at a specific point in the future

The future continuous tense is used to refer to actions that will be in progress at or around a specific point in time in the future. This point can be implied or expressed with a time expression or a clause with a verb in the present simple tense:

At seven? I'

ll be bathing

the baby then.

When you arrive, I'

ll be waiting

for you outside the station.

This time next year, he

will be living

in India.

Related topics:

Past continuous for actions in progress at a specific point in the past

Present continuous for actions in progress at the time of speaking

Future continuous for actions happening over a period of time in the future

The future continuous is used to describe actions which will continue over a period of time in the future. This period can be expressed with a time expression or a clause with a verb in the present continuous tense. In this case, the two actions will be happening simultaneously:

Sorry, I can't go on the trip. I

will be working

the whole weekend.

While you're studying, I'

ll be practising

yoga.

Related topics:

Past continuous for actions happening over a period of time in the past

Future continuous for temporary habitual actions in the future

The future continuous is used to express repeated or habitual actions in the future that will be temporary:

I'm going on holiday tomorrow, but I'

ll be checking

my e-mail at least once a day.

Next week, I'

ll be going

to a different concert every day.

Related topics:

Past continuous for temporary habitual actions in the past

Present continuous for temporary habitual actions in the present

Future continuous for future arrangements

The future continuous is used for future arrangements and plans that are less definite and formal:

The band

will be performing

live at the end of March.

We

will be arriving

in Prague soon.

Related topics:

Present continuous for fixed future arrangements