Future Continuous Tense

Future Continuous Tense in English (Will Be + -ing) — Clear Guide with Examples

Somewhere in the world, right now, someone is sleeping. Someone is drinking coffee. Someone is running late. And this time tomorrow? You will be doing something too. Maybe you will be working, travelling, studying, or lying on a beach pretending to check emails. That’s exactly what the future continuous tense is for – to talk about what will be in progress at a specific time in the future. In this lesson, you will learn how to form the future continuous, when to use it, how it is used in everyday English and exams (B2 First, C1 Advanced), and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Form of the future continuous

The structure is:

will be + verb-ing

Affirmative

• This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Paris.
• Next week, we will be staying in a small hotel by the sea.
• The professor will be speaking about the history of the region.

Negative

will not / won’t be + verb-ing

• We won’t be going on holiday this year.
• I won’t be working late tomorrow evening.
• She won’t be coming to the party.

Questions

Will + subject + be + verb-ing?

• What will you be doing this time tomorrow?
• How long will you be staying in Rome?
• Who will you be working with?

When do we use the Future Continuous?

1. An action in progress at a specific time in the future

We use the future continuous to talk about something that will already be happening at a certain future moment.

• At noon tomorrow, we will be flying over the Andes.
• This time next week, I will be lying on a beach in Cyprus.
• Don’t call me at 9 — I will be driving to work.

Think of it as:

“I will be in the middle of doing it.”

2. Future events that are part of a plan, routine, or arrangement

Here it’s very similar to the present continuous, but the time is in the future.

• I will be seeing Jane tomorrow evening. We’re going to the cinema.
• Will you be going to school next week?
• What time will you be coming home?

This use often sounds natural, calm and not too “decided” or dramatic.

3. Polite questions about someone’s plans (often to ask for or offer something)

This is a very natural, very British use of the future continuous. We use it to ask for a favour politely, to offer something or to check someone’s plans without sounding pushy.

• Will you be passing by a supermarket? Could you buy some coffee?
• Will you be using the car tonight?
• Will you be staying in London long? Would you like to visit us?

Compare:

• Will you pass by the supermarket? (sounds more direct)
• Will you be passing by the supermarket? (softer, more polite)

Common mistake

Don’t use the future continuous for instant, short actions:

I will be dropping the glass.

I will drop the glass.

Use it for actions in progress, not for one-moment actions.

Using the future continuous correctly in speaking, essays, reports and stories …shows good control of tenses, natural time reference and advanced grammatical range.

Examiners love that.

Download worksheet with exercise for Future Continuous in PDF here

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