Future Continuous Tense
How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?
The future continuous tense follows this structure:
| subject | + | auxiliary verb WILL | + | auxiliary verb BE | + | main verb |
| invariable | invariable | present participle | ||||
| will | be | base + ing |
Question sentences in the future continuous tense require us to exchange the subject and will. Negative sentences in the future continuous tense require us to add not between will and be. See below for examples of the future continuous tense:
| subject |
auxiliary verb |
auxiliary verb |
main verb | |||
| + | They | will | be | eating | at Joe’s Restaurant. | |
| + | She | will | be | playing | soccer at the park. | |
| – | You | will | not | be | driving | to school. |
| – | They | will | not | be | hosting | a Halloween party. |
| ? | Will(auxiliary verb) | they(subject) | be | running | a marathon? | |
| ? | Will(auxiliary verb) | she(subject) | be | playing | video games? |
In the future continuous tense the subject and will are often contracted when we speak:
| I will | I’ll |
| you will | you’ll |
| he will | he’ll |
| she will | she’ll |
| it will | it’ll |
| we will | we’ll |
| they will | they’ll |
When speaking in negative sentences, the future continuous tense allows us to use won’t as shown below:
| I will not | I won’t |
| you will not | you won’t |
| he will not | he won’t |
| she will not | she won’t |
| it will not | it won’t |
| we will not | we won’t |
| they will not | they won’t |
How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?
The future continuous tense describes an activity that is taking place at a specific moment in the future. The activity will begin before the moment you are referring to and will continue after that moment. For example, consider that I go to school at 9 a.m. tomorrow and leave school at 11:30 a.m.:
| At 10 a.m. tomorrow, I will be at school. | ||
| past | present | future |
| 9 a.m.—– 10 a.m. ——11:30 a.m. | ||
| At 10 a.m. I will be at school. | ||
When we use the future continuous tense the time of which we are talking about is usually understood by the person listening to our conversation. Here are more examples of the future continuous tense:
- She will be watching TV tomorrow at noon.
- You won’t be eating dinner at 8:30 p.m.
- What will she be watching on TV tonight?
- What will they be studying before I get there?
- He will not be sleeping when you come home.
- They will be eating snacks when the party begins.
- Bring your dancing shoes. The music will be playing when you get to the party.