Future Continuous (Actions in Progress in the Future)
📌 Contents
🎯 Lesson goal
In this lesson you learn to use the Future Continuous 📖 to talk about actions that will be in progress at an exact moment in the future. You will see how to form it, when to use it 🧠 and you can practise straight away with the test at the bottom of the page! 🚀
🌟 What is the Future Continuous?
We use the Future Continuous for:
- Actions in progress in the future: an activity that will be happening at a specific moment in the future. ⏳➡️
- Future plans or routines: planned events that will be in full swing at a given moment. 📅
🔍 How do we form it?
Formula: Subject + will be + verb-ing
| Subject | Correct form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| All (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) | will be + verb-ing | I will be studying at 8 p.m. 📚🕗 |
🔍 Practical examples
1. An action in progress at a specific moment in the future
- I will be working at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 🖥️
- They will be travelling to Paris next week. ✈️
2. Describing a planned future activity in progress
- She will be attending a conference at that time. 🎤
- At 7 p.m., I will be watching TV. 📺
🧩 Summary table – Future Continuous
| When to use it | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Action in progress in the future | will be + verb-ing | We will be having dinner at 8 p.m. 🍽️ |
❓ Basic questions answered
- Does the form change with the subject?
➔ No! We use will be + verb-ing for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). - Do we need to name a specific moment?
➔ Usually yes! We use it to say what we will be doing at a particular point in time (e.g. at 6 p.m., next Saturday, tomorrow morning). - What is the difference from the Future Simple?
➔ Future Simple (will + verb) ➔ says that an action will happen in the future.
➔ Future Continuous (will be + -ing) ➔ says that an action will already be in progress at that future moment.
🚫 Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake ❌ | Correct ✅ |
|---|---|
| I will studying tomorrow. | I will be studying tomorrow. (Serve ‘be’!) |
| She will working next week. | She will be working next week. (The auxiliary ‘be’ is missing!) |
| They will be plays football. | They will be playing football. (Always use the -ing verb!) |
👉 Remember: will + be + verb-ing!
📌 Final summary
- Future Continuous ➔ to talk about actions that will be in progress at a specific moment in the future.
- Formula: will be + verb-ing.
- The same for every person!
Practise by imagining what you will be doing at different times tomorrow or next week! ✨
Gap Fill & Translation Exercises
Test yourself! In the first 15 sentences, fill in the correct form of the Future Continuous. In the last 5, say the sentence in English using the hint in brackets.