ESL Inventory

Future Continuous: Rules, Examples & Exercises

The Future Continuous is easy to use, but maybe more complicated to know when to use. Let’s start with structure, try this exercise:

EXERCISE: Future Continuous – True/False

Choose ‘true’ if the sentence is correct, and ‘false’ is the sentence is not correct.

1 / 10

They will be working late tonight to finish the project.

2 / 10

Will you be working at this time next week?

3 / 10

I won’t be traveling during the holidays.

4 / 10

She won’t be working on Saturday.

5 / 10

I will be traveling to New York next month.

6 / 10

Will you be work at this time tomorrow?

7 / 10

He won’t coming to the party next week.

8 / 10

She’ll be attending the meeting tomorrow?

9 / 10

They won’t be attending the conference tomorrow.

10 / 10

We will be stay at a hotel by the beach next summer.

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0%

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Was this too hard? Study the article below and do the exercises at the bottom of this page.

The future continuous tense is used to describe an action that will be happening at a specific moment in the future. It is used when we want to talk about an activity that will be ongoing at a certain time in the future or to emphasize that something will be in progress at that point.

Structure of the Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous is formed by using “will be” followed by the present participle (the base verb + -ing). Here’s the structure:

Subject + will be + verb (-ing)

Example Sentences:

  • “I will be studying tomorrow at 8 PM.”
    • This sentence indicates that tomorrow at 8 PM, the action of studying will be happening.
  • “She will be working at the office tomorrow.”
    • Here, the action of working will be in progress at a specific time in the future (tomorrow).

Conjugation of the Future Continuous Tense

Here’s how the future continuous is conjugated in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms:

Affirmative Form

SubjectWillBeVerb (-ing)Example
I, you, we, theywillbestudyingI will be studying tomorrow.
He, she, itwillbeworkingShe will be working at 6 PM.

Negative Form

SubjectWillNotBeVerb (-ing)Example
I, you, we, theywillnotbestudyingI will not be studying tomorrow.
He, she, itwillnotbeworkingHe will not be working at that time.

Interrogative Form

WillSubjectBeVerb (-ing)Example
WillI, you, we, theybestudyingWill you be studying at 8 PM?
Willhe, she, itbeworkingWill she be working at that time?

Time Expressions with Future Continuous

Common time expressions used with the future continuous include “at,” “this time,” “tomorrow,” and “next week.”

  • “At”: Refers to a specific point in the future when an action will be happening.
    • Example: “At 7 PM, I will be eating dinner.”
  • “This time”: Refers to a specific point in the future when something will be happening.
    • Example: “This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Paris.”
  • “Tomorrow”: Indicates that the action will be happening at a point in the following day.
    • Example: “Tomorrow, they will be traveling to London.”
  • “Next week”: Refers to a future time period, often used for plans or scheduled activities.
    • Example: “Next week, I will be attending a conference.”

When to use the Future Continuous Tense

The Future Continuous is used in the following cases:

Infographic showing the Future Continuous uses: ongoing situations in the future and expected events. Full article please visit: www.esl-inventory.com
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Common Confusions with Other Tenses

The future continuous tense is often confused with another future tense, the Future Simple. Let’s see how they differ:

Simple Future vs. Future Continuous

  • Simple Future: Describes an action that will happen in the future without emphasizing whether it will be ongoing or completed at a specific time.
    • Example: “I will study tomorrow.” (The focus is on the future event happening, not the action being in progress.)
  • Future Continuous: Describes an action that will be happening at a specific moment in the future, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the action.
    • Example: “I will be studying at 8 PM.” (The focus is on the action happening at a certain time.)

Exercises on Future Continuous Tense

EXERCISE: Write a complete sentence in the Future Continuous

Write complete sentences in the Future Continuous. Use affirmative, negative, or question forms as indicated.
Example:
Prompt: she – play the piano – then (affirmative)
Answer: She will be playing the piano then.

1 / 10

You – watch a movie (question)

2 / 10

You – study – tonight (question)

3 / 10

He – write an email  (negative)

4 / 10

I – wait – for the bus (affirmative)

5 / 10

She – drive to the airport (negative)

6 / 10

They – sleep at midnight (affirmative)

7 / 10

She – fly – to London (negative)

8 / 10

I – work – at 9 (affirmative)

9 / 10

We – eat – dinner (affirmative)

10 / 10

They – stay in the hotel (question)

Your score is

0%

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Affirmative: PerfectEnglish | EnglischHilfen | EngBlocks1 | EngBlocks2 | ReallyLearnEnglish | Games4Esl | LiveWorksheets1 | LiveWorksheets2

Negative: PerfectEnglish | EngBlocks

Interrogative: PerfectEnglish | EngBlocks1 | EngBlocks2