In this English lesson we’ll take a look at how we use the future continuous tense when talking about things that we will be doing in the future.
What Is the Future Continuous Tense?
The future continuous tense describes an ongoing action or event that will take place at a specific time in the future. It’s formed using the auxiliary verb “will” or “shall,” followed by “be” in its present participle form (-ing).
Here are some examples:
- “I will be studying for my exam at this time tomorrow.” (ongoing action in the future)
- “They will be renovating their house next month.” (ongoing action in the future)
- “She will be writing her book all day tomorrow.” (ongoing action in the future)
- “He will not be eating meat next year.” (negative form of ongoing action in the future)
Making Predictions
The future continuous tense can also be used to make predictions about the future based on current evidence. For example:
- “It will be raining tomorrow.” (prediction based on current evidence)
How to Form It
To form the future continuous tense, start with the auxiliary verb “will” or “shall” and add “be” in its present participle form (-ing). Here are some tips to help you learn and use it correctly:
- Remember to use “will” or “shall” as the auxiliary verb.
- Use the present participle (-ing) form of the verb after “be.”
- Remember that the future continuous tense describes an action or event that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
- Use the negative form “will not” or “shall not” to express that an ongoing action or event will not take place in the future.
For a fuller grammar reference, see the British Council’s guide to the future continuous and future perfect.
What Will You Be Doing…?
To answer this question, you use the future continuous tense to describe what you will be doing at a certain time. For example:
- “What will you be doing tomorrow afternoon?” — “I will be working on a project for my class.”
- “What will you be doing at 7pm tonight?” — “I will be having dinner with my family.”
- “What will you be doing this time next week?” — “I will be on vacation at the beach.”
Try It Yourself
Here are some questions you can answer in the future continuous tense:
- What will you be doing this weekend?
- What will you be doing during your summer vacation?
- What will you be doing at this time next year?
- What will you be doing after you finish work today?
- What will you be doing tomorrow night at 8pm?
More Tense Lessons
- All 9 English Tenses – The Complete Guide
- Present Simple Tense – Daily Routine
- Present Continuous Tense – What Are You Doing?
- Present Perfect Tense – Have You Ever…?
- Past Simple Tense – What Did You Do?
- Past Continuous Tense – What Were You Doing When…?
- Past Perfect Tense – What Had Happened?
- Future Simple Tense – What Will You Do?
- Future Perfect Tense – What Will You Have Done?
Frequently Asked Questions
With will (or shall) + be + the -ing form of the verb: “I will be studying,” “she will be writing.”
For an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future (“I’ll be sleeping by 11pm”), or to make a prediction based on current evidence (“It will be raining by the time we land”).
Add “not” after “will” (or “shall”): will not be / won’t be, as in “He won’t be eating meat next year.”
Test Yourself
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