4.2 Future continuous
Form: future continuous
will + be + present participle (verb-ing)
The future continuous (also called the future progressive) is formed with the modal will + continuous infinitive without to (be + the present participle -ing form of the verb) in all persons.
Affirmative
| Subject | Auxiliary | Verb (continuous infinitive) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I You He/She/It We You They |
will | be coming | back soon. |
The following contracted forms are often used in spoken and in informal written language:
I will » I'll
you will » you'll
he/she/it will » he'll/she'll/it'll
we will » we'll
you will » you'll
they will » they'll
Negative
| Subject | Auxiliary | not | Verb (continuous infinitive) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I You He/She/It We You They |
will | not | be coming | back soon. |
The contracted form won't is often used instead of will not in spoken and in informal written language.
Interrogative
| (Question word) | Auxiliary | Subject | Verb (continuous infinitive) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (When) | will | I you he/she/it we you they |
be coming | back? |
Future continuous for actions in progress at a specific point in the future
The future continuous tense is used to refer to actions that will be in progress at or around a specific point in time in the future. This point can be implied or expressed with a time expression or a clause with a verb in the present simple tense:
At seven? I'll be bathing the baby then.
When you arrive, I'll be waiting for you outside the station.
This time next year, he will be living in India.
Future continuous for actions happening over a period of time in the future
The future continuous is used to describe actions which will continue over a period of time in the future. This period can be expressed with a time expression or a clause with a verb in the present continuous tense. In this case, the two actions will be happening simultaneously:
Sorry, I can't go on the trip. I will be working the whole weekend.
While you're studying, I'll be practising yoga.