Future Continuous

Form

The future continuous is formed with will + be + the -ing form of the verb (the present participle). For example: "I will be working." Negatives use will not (won't) be + -ing, and questions invert the subject and will: "Will you be working?" The contraction 'll is common in speech: "She'll be waiting."

When to Use It

• An action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future: "At 8 p.m. tonight, I will be flying to Chicago."
• An action that will be ongoing when another event happens: "When you call, I will be cooking dinner."
• Polite or neutral questions about someone's plans: "Will you be using the car this weekend?"
• Predicting that something is happening as part of the normal course of events: "Don't worry, they'll be arriving any minute now."
• Two parallel actions happening at the same time in the future: "While you're studying, I'll be making the snacks."

Signal Words

Common Mistakes

• Using will + base verb instead of will be + -ing for an action in progress: write "I will be sleeping at midnight," not "I will sleep at midnight" (when stressing the ongoing action).
• Forgetting "be" between will and the -ing form: it is "will be waiting," not "will waiting."
• Using the continuous with stative verbs like know, want, or believe: say "I will know the answer soon," not "I will be knowing the answer."
• Adding -ing to the wrong word: it is "will be driving," not "will being drive."