How to use future continuous properly

What is future continuous

The future continuous tense is a verb form used to describe actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. It is structured as will be + the present participle (-ing form) of the main verb. For example: "She will be working at 9 PM tomorrow," or "They will be traveling to Italy this time next week." In these sentences, will be working and will be traveling are future continuous verbs, emphasizing ongoing actions at a future moment.

The future continuous is categorized into affirmative ("I will be studying"), negative ("I will not be studying"), and interrogative ("Will you be studying?"). These forms differ in purpose: affirmatives state ongoing future actions, negatives deny them, and interrogatives ask about them. Additionally, it can describe parallel actions ("While I will be cooking, she will be cleaning") or polite inquiries ("Will you be joining us?"), each serving distinct communicative goals.

Some most common uses of future continuous verbs in English

Below are some most frequent used English future continuous verbs.

Will be working (to perform labor)

Will be studying (to learn)

Will be traveling (to journey)

Will be cooking (to prepare food)

Will be attending (to be present)

Will be writing (to create text)

Will be discussing (to talk about)

Will be driving (to operate a vehicle)

Will be sleeping (to rest)

Will be presenting (to show)

In formal contexts, future continuous verbs like will be conducting ("The team will be conducting surveys") or will be negotiating ("The delegates will be negotiating terms") are common. Informal usage often includes contractions or casual verbs, such as 'll be chilling ("We 'll be chilling at the beach") or won't be working ("I won't be working Friday"). Regional variations exist: British English might use shall be in formal writing ("The board shall be meeting tomorrow"), while American English prefers will be ("The board will be meeting"), both meaning "planned ongoing action."

When to use future continuous

The future continuous is appropriate for actions ongoing at a specific future time ("At noon tomorrow, I will be having lunch"), polite questions about plans ("Will you be using the car tonight?"), or parallel future actions ("While he will be cooking, she will be setting the table"). For example: "They will be celebrating their anniversary next week," "The kids will be sleeping by 9 PM," or "We will be flying over the ocean this time tomorrow."

Misusing the tense can distort meaning. Saying "I will be finishing the report yesterday" incorrectly places a past action in the future. Avoid using it for completed actions ("They will be built the house" -> "They will build") or fixed schedules ("The train will be departing at 6 PM" -> "The train departs at 6 PM"). Overusing it for habitual actions ("She will be going to school daily" -> "She goes") also creates confusion.

How to evaluate my knowledge on future continuous

All dynamic verbs can form the future continuous tense, totaling thousands of possibilities. Categories range from simple (will be walking, will be eating) to complex with irregular -ing spellings (dying from die, lying from lie). Self-assessment methods include rewriting sentences with future time markers ("At X time, Y will be..."), identifying errors ("They will working -> will be working"), or writing paragraphs about planned future activities ("I will be studying all night"). Peer-reviewed exercises, such as explaining why "He will be slept" is incorrect (-> "He will be sleeping"), and timed quizzes on verb conjugation also test proficiency.

One simple way to check your current knowledge level of future continuous is by testing your skills. Try out to guess what are the expressions on the sentences gaps below:

1. She ______ (study) at 8 PM tonight.

2. They ______ (travel) to Paris tomorrow.

3. I ______ (work) late tomorrow.

4. He ______ (not/attend) the meeting at noon.

5. We ______ (celebrate) our anniversary next week.

6. The team ______ (practice) during the afternoon.

7. The proposal ______ (review) by the committee.

8. She ______ (present) her research at the conference.

9. The guests ______ (arrive) by the time we return.

Sentences from 1 to 3 uses beginner level future continuous. Their answers are: 1. will be studying | 2. will be traveling | 3. will be working. Sentences 4 to 6 are intermediate level, their answers are: 4. won't be attending | 5. will be celebrating | 6. will be practicing. Sentence 7 to 9 are advanced level, their answers are: 7. will be being reviewed | 8. will be presenting | 9. will be arriving. Check how much you guessed right on each level and you will have a clue on how much you know and which is your current knowledge level on future continuous. Of course this is a very simple test and it is very high biased. You should take a longer test, using a wide range of future continuous verbs to have a more accurate score.

Ways to improve my knowledge on future continuous

Improvement strategies include reading schedules or event plans ("The CEO will be speaking at 3 PM"), writing journals about future activities ("Tomorrow, I will be attending a workshop"), and practicing -ing spelling rules (run -> running, write -> writing). Role-playing scenarios ("What will you be doing this weekend?") enhances conversational skills. Grammar workbooks with sentence-rephrasing exercises ("Change 'She works' to future continuous: She will be working"), group discussions about simultaneous future actions ("While X will be..., Y will be..."), and creating timelines for planned events ("At X time, I will be...") reinforce understanding. Peer feedback on written work and self-recording spoken plans ("I will be...") also solidify mastery.

You could learn them by listening to podcasts, watching videos on youtube or reading online news focused on the audience you are looking to be part of. Focusing situations and audience will shrink the amount of common used future continuous verbs you have to learn at the beginning of your learning journey. Don't be afraid on not kowing all of things you hear or read. Don't be afraid to ask or search online the meaning of new expressions. Ask natives: Clarify new words you hear in conversations. Stay curious: Note down unfamiliar words in a "expression diary." Finally, embrace mistakes: Misusing it can become a funny learning moment!"

Learninn is a great way to get in touch with English future continuous. Articles and videos hosted on our platform include most common future continuous, if not all existent ones. Every content consumed on our platform is recorded and used in the future for your learning.