It is always pleasant to talk about the future - after all, everything we have planned in the present will be fulfilled in it. Isn’t it great to dream about running for a swim in the sea on your first day on vacation or having a cup of coffee the next time you meet a friend? It is for such cases that we need to know and be able to use the Future Continuous tense in everyday conversation.
In this article, you will learn what function the Future Continuous tense performs in English, how the Future Continuous is formed, frequent cases of its use, and look at example sentences with translation.
What is Future Continuous?
This is the continuous future tense in English. Just like other times Continuous groups, it indicates a continuous action that occurs at a specific point in time. IN in this case- in future.
Unlike Future Simple(simple future tense), in Future Continuous time actions in the future are indicated specifically (at five o'clock; from Thursday to Sunday; throughout the week, etc.) or must be implied from the context.
Using the Future Continuous tense in a sentence will allow you to correctly express your thoughts.
Future Continuous education rules
The Future Continuous tense is formed using the auxiliary verb will(shall) and be with the present participle (to be + verb ending -ing).
IMPORTANT: The auxiliary verb will is used with all subjects (I / He / She / It / You / We / They).
IN in rare cases In British English, with the subjects I and we, you can find the use of the verb shall. Now it is used much less frequently will, but it can be found in the speech of the British, official documents and fiction.
Statement
Affirmative sentences in the Future Continuous tense are formed by adding the auxiliary verb will (shall), the verb be (which does not change) and semantic verb with the ending -ing.
I / He / She / It / You / We / They + will (shall) + be Ving
I shall be dancing - I will dance
She will be writing - She will write
You will be thinking - You will think
It will be working - It will work
will = 'll
shall = 'll
He’ll be drinking coffee - He will drink coffee
I’ll be sending presents - I will send gifts
Negation
To make a negation in time Future Continuous - add particle not after the verb will(shall), but before be.
I / He / She / It / You / We / They + will not (shall not) + be Ving
I will not be swimming - I will not swim
He will not be dancing - He will not dance
You will not be coming - You won’t come
They will not be fighting - They will not fight
will not = won't
shall not = shan’t
I shan’t be sitting there - I won’t sit there
She won’t be walking - She won’t walk
Question
When forming an interrogative sentence in Future tense Continuous auxiliary the verb will (shall) is placed at the beginning of the sentence before the subject. Will (Shall) + I / He / She / It / You / We / They + be Ving
Shall I be driving all night long? - Will I drive all night?
Will she be drawing? - Will she draw?
Will we be walking? - We will walk?
Will it be working? - Will this work?
Special clarifying questions are formed in the Future Continuous using question words ( question words). For example: where (where), when (when) and others. QW is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and the further word order in the construction remains the same as in the question.
QW + will (shall) + I / He / She / It / You / We / They + be Ving
What will you be playing on your guitar next Sunday evening? - What will you be playing on the guitar next Sunday night?
Where will they be traveling during that time? - Where will they travel at this time?
When is the Future Continuous used?
The Future Continuous is used to express some action at a certain predetermined moment in the future. This could be a specific time or day or even a year.
Let's look at the main cases of using the Future Continuous in sentences:
- Actions at a specific point in time in the future
For this, words and phrases like at midnight (at midnight), this time next week (at this time next week), at 5 o’clock tomorrow (tomorrow at five o’clock) and others are usually used.
This time next week Mary will be playing piano - At this time next week Mary will play the piano She will be waiting for me here at 9 p.m. tomorrow - Tomorrow at 9 pm she will be waiting for me here
Sometimes an exact moment in time in the future can be expressed using subordinate clauses (introduced by the words when, as soon as, after, until, etc.). In such subordinate clauses the Present Simple is used.
I will be washing the car when he leaves - I will wash the car when he leaves
- Multiple future actions that will occur simultaneously
The Future Continuous is used when we want to say that several things will happen at the same time.
Tom will be slicing cheese and I will be meeting the guests - Tom will slice the cheese, and I will meet the guests
- Inevitable Actions
These are future events that will definitely happen as a result of some preparatory actions or simply naturally. We are confident that it will be this way and no other way.
John and I made a deal. I shall be feeding his cat next week - John and I made a deal. I'll feed his cat next week
- Planned Actions
It is most often used to express plans for the future. present time Continuous (present) long time), but sometimes you can also find a construction with the Future Continuous, the meaning is somewhat different.
Compare:
They will be moving to Moscow next Monday (Future Continuous) / They are moving to Moscow next Monday ( Present Continuous) - They are moving to Moscow next Monday
The example with the Future Continuous says that they will be moving all Monday, the emphasis is on an action that will last certain time in future.
Using the Present Continuous, a clear, confident plan for the near future is communicated.
Sara will be flying to Tokyo next morning (Future Continuous) / Sara is flying to Tokyo next morning (Present Continuous) - Sara is flying to Tokyo next morning
- Polite question
The Future Continuous construction can be used to carefully and politely ask your interlocutor about plans for the near future. Using this form, we can ask whether the other person's intentions coincide with our desires.
Will you be going to the kitchen later? Bring me an apple, please - Will you go to the kitchen later? Grab me an apple please
Will she be using the laptop for a long time? Let me know when she finishes - Will she use the laptop for a long time? Let me know when she's done
Future Continuous time markers
Like other tenses in English, the Future Continuous has special words by which it can be recognized. Most often, when constructing a sentence in the long future tense, you can find the following words, answering the question “When will this happen?”:
- at 3 o’clock (at three o’clock)
- this time tomorrow (tomorrow at the same time)
- at that moment (at that moment)
- meanwhile / meanwhile (meanwhile)
- from...till… / from...to…. (From to...)
- during that time (during this time)
- during the day (during the day)
- during the afternoon (during lunch)
- for 5 hours (for five hours)
- for a week (over the course of a week)
- for months (months)
- all night (all night)
- all day long (all day)
- the whole morning (all morning)
- the whole year (the whole year)
Example sentences with Future Continuous with translation
Affirmative:
I shall be having a yoga class at 9 o’clock tomorrow - Tomorrow at 9 o’clock I will have a yoga class
They will be driving home the whole next day - They will drive home the whole next day
Our boss will be making an announcement about holidays later this afternoon - This afternoon our boss will make an announcement about the weekend
John will be expecting me at 5:15 - John will be waiting for me at 5:15
Negative:
I shan’t be running in the park for a week - I won’t run in the park for a week
The doctors will not be seeing the patients tomorrow evening - Doctors will not see patients tomorrow evening
We will not be cooking breakfast the whole morning - We will not cook breakfast all morning
The cat won’t be sleeping all night long - The cat won’t sleep all night
Interrogative:
Will Harry be waiting for us here at 6 o’clock? - Will Harry be waiting for us here tomorrow at 6 o'clock?
Will I be sitting near a window on the airplane? - Will I sit by the window on the plane?
What time will you be coming back from the restaurant? - What time will you return from the restaurant?
What will John and Nina be celebrating this time tomorrow? - What will John and Nina be celebrating at this time tomorrow?
The Future Progressive Tense or Future Continuous Tense, expresses a continuous action that will continue in the future. The future continuous tense is not so common in English, but with the help of this tense our speech will become interesting and varied, since in some cases this tense is an alternative to the tenses you know and. [Future continuum or progressive], and English transcription looks like this - [ˈfjuːʧə kənˈtɪnjʊəs]. To better pronounce words in English, be sure to refer to the English transcription.
Education Future Continuous
The future continuous tense in English is formed:
S + will + be + Present Participle (-ing form). Subject– subject. We are adding -ing form at the end of the verb.
Let's look at how the Future Continuous is formed using several examples:
— This time tomorrow, I will be driving through the woods with Rick – Tomorrow at this time I will be driving through the forest with Rick.
- “What will you be doing around three o’clock?” "I' I'll be getting ready for my aerobics class” – “What will you be doing for about three hours?” “I will get ready for aerobics classes.”
In the first sentence, the continuous future tense tells us that the person is interested in our plans, but in the second, the person invites us, he is interested in us going with him.
Be + infinitive
We use be + infinitive when we talk about future events that are related to orders or necessity:
— You are not to go out without telling me! “You won’t go for a walk without telling me!”
This structure is usually used at a formal level and describes formal agreements:
— The President of Italy is to visit Britain next week – The President of Italy will visit the UK next week.
Be + infinitive often used in the media.
In formal situations, we can also use shall with pronouns I/we in the Future Continuous Tense:
— I shall be talking to you tonight about the project you’ve sent me.
Word Markers for Future Continuous
As you can see from the examples above, we often use pointer words with the Future Progressive, which are described below:
· This time… (this time tomorrow, this time next week, etc.)
· When...
· In…’ time (in 2 weeks’ time, in 3 months’ time, in 5 years time, etc)
· In… (in 2 weeks, in 3 months, in 5 years, etc)
· At … (at 7 tomorrow, at midday next Monday, etc.)
Examples:
— In 3 years time, I’ll be flying to South Africa - In 3 years I will be flying to South Africa.
— This time tomorrow we’ll be sitting on a train to Minsk - Tomorrow at this time we will be sitting on the train to Minsk.
— They'll be eating pizza when I arrive tonight - They will eat pizza when I arrive in the evening.
General Education Table Future Continuous
| Types of offers | FUTURE CONTINUOUS |
| Affirmative sentence | S + will + be + V-ing (subject – subject; V-ing – verb in ing form) |
| Negative sentence | S + won't + be + V-ing |
| Interrogative sentence (general question) | Will + S + be + V-ing…? |
| Special question | WH + will + S + be + V-ing (S-subject; V – verb) W.H.-why, where, when etc. |
Future Continuous exercises with answers online
We have finished the lesson on the topic “Future Continuous Tense”. It takes all of 30 minutes to give yourself time to learn the language. And only 15 minutes for the test and assignments. You can create common sentences on Future Progressive and share them in the comments. We will be very glad if you leave your comments, your opinion is very important to us, thanks to you we are improving our materials on the site.
Hello, dear reader and admirer in English. Christina Franz is in touch. I am glad that you visited my blog and I hasten to express my gratitude! On our blog you will find a large number of examples for all times in English. Today we are practicing Future Continuous. An amazing future tense used to indicate process and duration that I absolutely love.
The scheme for the formation of the Future Continuous Tense is indecently simple :)
WILL BE + any verb with ING new ending. “Smart” books will explain the rules to you for hours: the theory can be told without stopping. BUT NOT JUST WITH US! All you need to remember is will be + ing and exhale......! 😕 😀
>>I will be running / I will be smiling / I will be kissing you / I will be helping you<<<
Creating a question is even easier! Will takes the lead and, as in sports commentary, ... scores a goal!
>>Will you be dancing? Will you be helping me? Will you be acting shy?<<<
Negations are a little more complicated. You need to remember as many as TWO combinations 😮: will not or won’t. It’s better to immediately use won’t in colloquial speech in order to work out all the complexities of negative sentences in the future and forget about it once and for all. Will not is equivalent in frequency of use in normal live English conversation.
>>I won’t be cooking / I won’t be writing / I won’t be doing it on my own<<<
And now #SEA-SEA practice, examples in sentences / Examples in a sentence (Future Continuous):
I will be doing my hair when you appear – I’ll do my hair when you show up (don’t even think about putting make on it :)
She will be washing the floors tomorrow at 7 am – She will wash the floors tomorrow at 7 o’clock in the morning.
Peter will be buying another firm during this week – Peter will buy a new company (not a farm) during this week.
STOP TIME! Let's relax and read an English joke:
– Honey, both that journalist and the engineer proposed to our daughter!
– So who’s the lucky man?
- The engineer. Our daughter married the journalist
I will be writing the letter for 5 days – I will write a letter for 5 days (for is strange, but according to this model you can safely come up with a number of your own sentences in English, I WILL BE DOING SOMETHING FOR A SEVERAL DAYS)
In 5 minutes I will be cooking the pizza for my dear husband – In five minutes I will be preparing pizza for my dear husband.
A separate nuance: creating questions in English for polite intentions!
Will you be drinking with us? -Will you drink with us?
Will you be singing a romantic song for me? – Will you sing a romantic song for me?
💡 …..For example, your mother-in-law came to visit you. What tense should you use for polite requests? Only progressive!
Will you be staying here for 2 days? – You will stay here for two days (or two weeks =)) Here, show all your knowledge of numerals, can you count to 100 in English? 😉
And this is where we don’t say goodbye to you! Christina Franz, an English language teacher at the film school, was with you. Be sure to subscribe to the free COURSE in the >>> section.
With love, warm and sunny days! 🙂
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The word Future is translated as “future” and shows us that the action will only take place. Continuous indicates the duration of this action. That is, the action will begin sometime in the future and will last for some time.
We use the Future Continuous to emphasize the duration of an action that will take place in the future. Unlike the Future Simple tense, which we use when we simply talk about something as a fact that will happen.
1. Let's look at two examples:Future:
Simple
I will fly to America.
2. Let's look at two examples:I'll fly to America.:
Continuous
Tomorrow this time I will be flying to America.
Tomorrow at this time I will be flying to America. (literally: Tomorrow at this time I will appear flying to America) The first example simply talks about fact
: Sometime in the future a person will fly to America. The second example says it will be process
, and it will last for some time. That is, we focus specifically on the duration of this action. A person will board a plane and fly for a certain long time.
Now let's look at cases of using the future continuous tense.
Use of Future Continuous Tense
1. This tense is used in the following cases:
Example: I will study from 5 to 7; they will be out at 8
2. When we talk about an action that will last a certain amount of time (this action can be interrupted by others).
Example: I will be working on this project all week; she will study English all summer.
Affirmative sentences Future Continuous Tense
An affirmative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the form of the future tense (will be) and the ending “-ing”, which is added to the verb denoting action. The education scheme will be as follows:
the one about whom we're talking about+ will be + verb + -ing
| I | ||
| You | ||
| We | playing | |
| They | will be | swimming |
| She | cooking | |
| He | ||
| It |
For example:
She will be driv ing a car all night long.
She will drive all night.
They will be sleep ing from six till nine.
They will sleep from 6 to 9.
I will be work ing.
I will work.
Rules for adding endings -ing we looked at in this article. In it we also talked about verbs that are never used in continuous tenses, since they cannot last. Be sure to check it out!
Words are indicators of time
Very often the following words are used with the Future Continuous tense:
- all day long - all day
- this time tomorrow - at this time tomorrow
- all day tomorrow - all day tomorrow
- the whole morning/evening/day - the whole morning/evening/day
- from 6 till 8 p.m. - from 6 to 8 pm
They will help you understand that this is the continuous future tense. Let's look at examples:
I will be having rest the wholesale evening.
I'll rest the whole evening tomorrow.
They will be swimming in a pool from 3 till 5 p.m..
They will be swimming in the pool from 3 to 5 pm.
Negative form of Future Continuous Tense
A negative sentence at this time is formed in the same way as an affirmative sentence, but the negative particle not is added to our verb to be. In this case, we place the particle not between will and be. We can do it willnotbe.
the one in question + will not be + verb + -ing
| I | ||
| You | ||
| We | playing | |
| They | will not be | swimming |
| She | cooking | |
| He | ||
| It |
She will not be read ing.
She won't read.
They will not be danc ing.
They won't dance.
I will not be walk ing in the park.
I won't walk in the park.
Abbreviations:
In negation we can shorten the particle not, pay attention to how exactly:
will not = won't
I won't be painting.
I won't draw.
Question form Future Continuous Tense
If you want to ask whether someone will do some continuous action in the future, then move the verb to be to the first place in the sentence. At the same time, our actor we put between will and be. It turns out like this: Will she be...?
Scheme of question formation:
will + person in question + be + verb + -ing
| I | |||
| you | |||
| we | playing? | ||
| Will | they | be | swimming? |
| she | cooking? | ||
| he | |||
| it |
Statement:
I will be clean ing my house.
I will clean my house.
We will be watch ing a new film.
We will watch a new film.
She will be sleep ing the whole day.
She will sleep all day.
The question and a positive answer (our “yes”) will look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains will) | Full answer (constructed as an affirmative sentence) |
| Will I be clean ing my house? Will I clean my house? |
Yes, I will. |
Yes, I will be clean ing my house. Yes, I will clean my house. |
| Will we be watch ing a new film? |
Yes, we will. |
Yes, we will be watch ing a new film. |
| Will she be sleep ing the whole day? Will she sleep all day? |
Yes, she will. |
Yes, she will be sleep ing the whole day. Yes, she will sleep all day. |
Negative answers (our “no”) will look like this:
| Question | Short answer (contains will + not) | Full answer (constructed as a negative sentence) |
| Will I be clean ing my house? Will I clean my house? |
No, I will not. |
No, I will not be clean ing my house. No, I won't clean my house. |
| Will we be watch ing a new film? Will we watch a new movie? |
No, we will not. |
No, we will not be watch ing a new film. No, we won't watch the new movie. |
| Will she be sleep ing the whole day? Will she sleep all day? |
No, she will not. |
No, she will not be sleep ing the whole day. No, she won't sleep all day. |
Will they be danc ing the whole night?
Yes, they will.
Yes, they will.
Will they be danc ing the whole night?
Will they dance all night?
No, they will not.
No, they won't.
Will he be play ing football from 4 till 6?
Yes, he will be play ing football from 4 till 6.
Yes, he will play football from 4 to 6.
Will he be play ing football from 4 till 6?
Will he play football from 4 to 6?
No, he will not be play ing football from 4 till 6.
No, he won't play football from 4 to 6.
Clarifying questions
We ask such questions with the following words:
- What - what
- Where - where
- Who - who
- Which - which
- Why - why
question word + will + person in question + be + verb + -ing
| I | ||||
| you | ||||
| What | we | playing? | ||
| Where | will | they | be | swimming? |
| Why | she | cooking? | ||
| he | ||||
| it |
Why will they be studying this time tomorrow?
Why will they be studying at this time tomorrow?
What will she be painting?
What will she paint?
Today you got acquainted with the last continuous tense. If you have not read it, I advise you to read the following articles:
- Present Continuous Tense - present continuous tense in English
- Past Continuous Tense - past continuous tense in English
If you have any questions, be sure to ask them in the comments.
Reinforcement task
Now let's put this knowledge into practice. Translate the following sentences:
1. He will do this research all year.
2. My friends won't study all summer.
3. Will they climb the mountain all day?
4. I will graduate from university next year.
5. My sister won't walk the dog from 3 to 4.
6. Where will they play?
7. Her parents will work in the garden.
8. She will be preparing dinner at this time.
9. What will she cook?
10. How long will it take you to do your homework?
Leave your answers in the comments below the article.
In order not to miss new useful materials,
Future Continuous(continuous future tense) is widely used in English. Like all the times of the group I'll fly to America., it conveys a continuous action occurring at a specific moment specified in the context. Future Continuous will help you diversify your speech, since in some cases it can be an alternative Future Simple or Present Continuous.
How is the Future Continuous formed?
Statement
An affirmative sentence consists of a subject, an auxiliary verb will be and the main verb ending - ing.
| I/He/She/It/We/You/They + will be + verb- ing | |
|---|---|
| I will be speak ing
. - I will speak. He will be build ing . - He will build. She will be eat ing . - She will eat. It will be operat ing . - It will work. |
We will be draw ing
. - We will draw. You will be think ing . - You will think. They will be walk ing . - They will walk. |
Negation
IN negative sentences between will And be a particle appears not.
| I/He/She/It/We/You/They + will not be + verb- ing | |
|---|---|
| I will not be speak ing
. - I will not speak. He will not be build ing . - He won't build. She will not be eat ing . - She won't eat. It will not be operat ing . - It won't work. |
We will not be draw ing
. - We won't draw. You will not be think ing . - You won't think. They will not be walk ing . - They won't go for walks. |
Verb will usually takes a shortened form. In a statement it is combined with a pronoun, in negation - with a particle not:
- He'll be building.
- We'll be drawing.
- You won't be thinking.
- They won't be walking.
Question
In order to construct an interrogative sentence, we put in first place will, after it the subject, then be and main verb.
| Will I/he/she/it/we/you/they + be + verb- ing | |
|---|---|
| Will I be speak ing
? - I will speak? Will he be build ing ? - Will he build? Will she be eat ing ? – Will she eat? Will it be operat ing ? – Will it work? |
Will we be draw ing
? - Shall we draw? Will you be think ing ? – Will you think? Will they be walk ing ? - Will they go for a walk? |
Time Future Continuous not considered on initial stage teaching English. We have divided the functions of this time into 2 groups: the yellow block contains functions necessary for an average level, and the red block – for a high level.
Where does the Future Continuous occur?
Average level
- Future Continuous shows an action that will take place at a specific time in the future. The sentence does not indicate when the event will begin or end. We focus on the fact that at a particular moment the action will last.
In this case, the duration of action is indicated using the following words: this time tomorrow / next week(this time tomorrow/next week), at 3 o'clock tomorrow(at 3 o'clock tomorrow), at 10 a.m.(at 10 am), in the morning/afternoon/evening(morning/afternoon/evening), tonight at 6 p.m.(tonight at 6 o'clock) at noon(at noon), at midnight(at midnight), in a week/month/year(in a week/month/year).
Trevor will be watching a football match tomorrow at 8 p.m.– Trevor will watch football tomorrow at 8 pm.
I will be studying at the university in a year. - I will be studying in the University in a year.
- Future Continuous used to politely ask a person about his plans for the near future. In such situations, we want this person to do something for us. We are trying to find out if his plans coincide with our desires.
Will you be going to the kitchen later? Bring me a glass of soda. - You will you go to the kitchen later? Grab me a glass of soda.
I don't like public transport. Will you be driving a car to get to the airport? - I do not like public transport. You will you go to the airport by car?
- Future Continuous used in the same way as Present Continuous: To communicate planned actions that will happen in the near future.
They will be leaving for Chicago next week. = They are leaving for Chicago next week. - They are leaving in Chicago next week.
We will be jogging with Julia in the park today. = We are jogging with Julia in the park today. - We let's run with Julia in the park today.
Complex cases of using the Future Continuous
High level
- Future Continuous shows an action that the speaker believes will happen in the future. The reason for this belief may be a consequence of the natural course of events or the result of an agreement.
I can ask John to call you. I 'll be seeing him tomorrow. – I can ask John to call you. I see you with him tomorrow.
He won't be taking part in a competition as he has seriously hurt his arm. - He will not take part in competitions, as he seriously injured his hand.
- We use Future Continuous as a neutral replacement Future Simple. In such cases Future Continuous shows that the speaker is only interested in plans, while Future Simple sounds like an invitation, an interest, a desire to do something.
Will you be going to a new restaurant with us tonight? - You will you go with us to a new restaurant tonight? (we are only interested in plans: whether a person will or will not go to a restaurant with us)
Will you go to a new restaurant with us tonight? – Let's go to with us to a new restaurant tonight. (we invite you to come with us)
That's it for the list of features Future Continuous comes to the end. As you can see, the list is small. Take the quiz to practice using this time, and don't forget to download the education worksheet Future Continuous Tense.
(*.pdf, 184 Kb)
Test
Future Continuous - long future tense in English