Unit 2.1
Future Continuous
Tenses - 3 minutes
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The future is the tense used to talk about future events.
{See Future Simple Affirmative, Present Continuous for Future, Be going to, A2 level}
The future continuous tense is used to talk about actions that will be in progress in the future.
Form
The future continuous (or progressive) has three forms:
Affirmative
Its structure, in the affirmative form, is:
Subject + will + be + [verb + -ing] + …
- Affirmative short forms are: I’ll – you’ll – he’ll…
| SUBJECT | FUTURE SIMPLE | AUXILIARY VERB | PRESENT PARTICIPLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They | will | be | working |
Negative
Its structure, in the negative form, is:
Subject + will + not + be + [verb + -ing] + …
- Negative short forms are: I won’t – you won’t – he won’t…
| SUBJECT | FUTURE SIMPLE + NOT | AUXILIARY VERB | PRESENT PARTICIPLE |
|---|---|---|---|
| I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They | will not | be | working |
Interrogative
Its structure, in the interrogative form is:
Will + subject + be + [verb + -ing] + …?
| FUTURE SIMPLE | SUBJECT | AUXILIARY VERB | PRESENT PARTICIPLE | QUESTION MARK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will | I/You/He/She/It/We/You/They | be | working | …? |
Example
- Unfinished actions or events that will be taking place in the future
- You will be using the new software next month.
- Next Monday, the company will not be offering services to more clients.
- Will they be growing tomatoes next year?
- Referring to a longer background action which is interrupted by a shorter one
- I will be wearing my red miniskirt when you arrive at the station.
- He will not be cleaning the escalator when the customer arrives.
- Will she be working at the exhibition when the party starts?
- Future simultaneous events
- I will be cooking an original Mexican recipe whilst you will be driving back home from work.
- She will not be searching for something pretty to wear, while he will be showering.
- Will she be shopping groceries,while he will be waiting for her at the parking?
- Assuming what will be happening in the future
- You will be missing this family once you stop working as a babysitter.
- I think they will not be looking for work from next month.
- Will I be having the interview this week?
Use
We use the future continuous to:
- Talk about an unfinished action or event that will be taking place in the future;
- Talk about longer background action interrupted by a shorter one;
- Talk about future simultaneous events;
- Assume what will be happening in the future.
Summary
The future continuous tense is used when we are talking about unfinished actions that will take place in the future, a longer background action interrupted by a shorter one, future simultaneous events, and when we are assuming what is happening in the future.
We can use it in its different forms:
- Affirmative: We start with the subject followed by will be and a verb that ends with -ing
; - Negative: We start with the subject followed by will not and be and a verb that ends with -ing
; - Interrogative: We start with will followed by the subject and be and a verb that ends with -ing (the sentence ends with a question mark).
For example:
— “I will be working on an important project next month.” = We use the future continuous because we assume that this event will take place in the Future. Therefore, we use the future continuous tense.
♦ “I will work on an important project next week.” = We use the future simple because we express a future intention.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercise
