The Tense System

Lesson 12: The Future Continuous Tense

Lesson: 12 of 14 | Level: 🩵 Pre-Intermediate — 🟠 Intermediate

1. Lesson Overview

The future continuous tense — sometimes called the future progressive — describes actions that will be in progress at a specific moment in the future. It projects the continuous aspect forward in time, asking not simply what will happen but what will be happening — what will be ongoing, unfolding, and not yet complete at a particular future point.

The future continuous is a versatile and expressive tense. Beyond its basic function of describing future actions in progress, it is used to make polite enquiries, to describe expected future events that will occur as a matter of course, to contrast with the future simple, and to express a range of subtle meanings that distinguish it from will + bare infinitive in important ways. This lesson examines all of these uses in full.

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Form the future continuous tense correctly in affirmative, negative, and question forms
• Identify and apply the main uses of the future continuous tense
• Understand the key distinctions between the future continuous and will + bare infinitive
• Recognise and correct common errors in the use of the future continuous tense

2. Core Content

A. Forming the Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous is formed with will be + the present participle (base form + -ing). The form is the same for all persons.

Affirmative form

Contracted form

In spoken and informal written English, will contracts to ‘ll: I’ll be presenting, she’ll be analysing, they’ll be mapping.

Negative form

The negative is formed with will not be (won’t be) + present participle.

For example:

The research vessel will not be returning to port until the survey is complete. Scientists will not be collecting samples from the northern sector during this phase of the expedition.

Question form

Questions are formed by inverting the subject and will.

For example:

Will the team be conducting fieldwork during the winter months? Will scientists be using the new generation of autonomous vehicles for this survey?

B. The Main Uses of the Future Continuous Tense

1. An action in progress at a specific future moment

The most fundamental use of the future continuous is to describe an action that will be in progress at a particular moment in the future — the action will have started before that moment and will not yet have finished at that moment.

For example:

This time next year, the research team will be conducting the follow-up survey of the hydrothermal vent field. At six o’clock tomorrow morning, the submersible will be descending through the water column towards the floor of the trench.

In the first sentence, this time next year identifies the future moment. In the second, at six o’clock tomorrow morning is the specific future point at which the descent will be in progress.

2. Actions that will be in progress over a future period

The future continuous describes actions that will be ongoing throughout an extended future period — not just at a single moment, but across a stretch of time.

For example:

The team will be collecting data continuously throughout the six-month survey period. Scientists will be monitoring the effects of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems for the foreseeable future.

3. Expected future events that will occur as a matter of course

The future continuous is used to describe events that will happen as a natural part of the expected course of things — events that will occur because they are part of a plan, a routine, or an inevitable sequence, without any special decision or effort being required.

For example:

The research vessel will be passing through the Strait of Magellan on its way to the Southern Ocean. The team will be presenting its findings at the annual conference — it does so every year.

This use is particularly important because it removes any implication of special intention or decision. Compare:

I will call you when I have the results. (deliberate future action — will simple) I will be calling you when I have the results. (expected future action — part of the natural course of events)

4. Polite enquiries about future plans

The future continuous is used in questions to make polite, indirect enquiries about someone’s future plans or intentions — without pressing for a commitment or implying that the speaker is making a request.

For example:

Will you be attending the international symposium on deep-sea biodiversity next month? Will the committee be reviewing the funding application before the end of the quarter?

This use is subtler and more tactful than simply asking Will you attend? or Will the committee review? — the future continuous implies that the speaker is simply enquiring about existing plans rather than making a direct request or applying pressure.

5. Parallel future actions — two things happening simultaneously

The future continuous is used to describe two or more actions that will be happening at the same time in the future — running in parallel.

For example:

While the surface team will be monitoring the instruments, the divers will be collecting samples from the vent field below. As scientists will be analysing the data from the first survey, the second team will be conducting the follow-up fieldwork.

6. Future actions already decided and in the course of events

The future continuous — like going to — can describe future actions that are already decided and planned, but with an additional nuance: the future continuous presents the future action as part of an ongoing sequence of events that is already in motion, making it feel more inevitable and less like a fresh decision.

For example:

The expedition will be departing on the fourteenth of March — all preparations are in place and the team is ready. The institute will be publishing the findings in its annual research bulletin, as it does each year.

7. Describing future background actions in narrative

The future continuous is used in narrative writing — particularly in speculative or predictive scenarios — to describe background actions against which main future events will take place.

For example:

By the middle of the century, scientists will be working with technologies that do not yet exist, exploring parts of the ocean floor that have never been observed by human eyes. As global temperatures continue to rise, ecosystems around the world will be adapting — or failing to adapt — to conditions that have no precedent in their evolutionary history.

8. Softening requests and instructions

The future continuous is used in formal and polite contexts to soften requests and instructions — making them sound less like commands and more like natural expectations.

For example:

You will be submitting your report to the committee by Friday, as previously agreed. The team will be following the established safety protocols throughout the duration of the expedition.

9. Future continuous in academic and scientific writing

The future continuous is used in formal academic and scientific writing to describe ongoing future processes, developments, and trends — particularly in projections, forecasts, and scenarios.

For example:

Global temperatures will be rising throughout the 21st century under all but the most optimistic emission reduction scenarios. Scientists will be grappling with the consequences of ocean acidification for marine biodiversity for generations to come.

10. Describing the ongoing consequences of present trends

The future continuous is particularly well suited to describing the ongoing consequences of current trends — processes that are already underway and will continue into the future.

For example:

Sea levels will be rising steadily throughout the coming century as the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continue to melt. Deep-sea ecosystems will be experiencing the effects of warming and acidification for decades, regardless of the steps taken to reduce emissions in the near term.

11. Contrasting temporary future actions with permanent future states

The future continuous is used to contrast a temporary, ongoing future action with a more permanent future state — mirroring the contrast between the present continuous and the simple present.

For example:

The team will be working at the Antarctic station this winter — they return to their home institution in the spring. She will be leading the expedition for the next six months while the regular expedition leader is on medical leave.

12. Expressing inevitability with a sense of detachment

The future continuous — particularly in formal contexts — can express an inevitable future event with a tone of detachment or matter-of-factness, implying that the event will occur regardless of anyone’s wishes or decisions.

For example:

Temperatures will be rising for decades to come — the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere guarantee it. The coral reef will be bleaching more frequently as ocean temperatures continue to climb — this is an inevitable consequence of current emission trajectories.

C. Future Continuous vs. Will + Bare Infinitive — Key Distinctions

The future continuous and will + bare infinitive both refer to future time, but they differ in emphasis, tone, and the nature of the future action they describe.

Consider the following contrasting pairs:

Will you call me when you have the results? (direct request — will simple) Will you be calling me when you have the results? (polite enquiry about expected plans — future continuous)

The team will arrive at the site tomorrow. (single completed future event) The team will be arriving at the site throughout the morning as members travel from different locations. (ongoing future process)

I will explain the methodology at the conference. (deliberate future action) I will be explaining the methodology in the second session of the conference. (expected future action in progress at a specific time)

D. Stative Verbs and the Future Continuous

As with all continuous tenses, stative verbs do not normally take the future continuous form. The will + bare infinitive form is used instead.

For example:

Scientists will know the results of the analysis by the end of the month. (not will be knowing) The deep ocean will contain many species that have never been observed. (not will be containing)

The same exceptions apply — when stative verbs take on a dynamic meaning, they can be used in continuous forms.

For example:

Scientists will be thinking carefully about the implications of these findings for months to come. (dynamic — active mental process) The committee will be considering the proposal at its next meeting. (dynamic — active deliberation)

E. Signal Words and Phrases

For example:

This time next month, the research team will be conducting its deepest ever dive in the Mariana Trench. Throughout the coming decade, scientists will be studying the long-term consequences of the bleaching events recorded in 2016 and 2020.

3. Usage in Context

• The future continuous describes an action that will be in progress at a specific future moment — the action will have started before that moment and will not yet have finished at it.

This time next year, the research team will be analysing the data collected during the current expedition and preparing its findings for publication. At ten o’clock tomorrow morning, the submersible will be descending through the mesopelagic zone on its way to the floor of the trench.

• The future continuous describes actions that will be ongoing throughout an extended future period — not just at a single moment but across a stretch of time.

The team will be collecting environmental data continuously throughout the eighteen-month survey period. Scientists will be monitoring the long-term effects of ocean acidification on shellfish populations for the foreseeable future.

• The future continuous describes expected future events that will occur as a natural part of the course of things — without any special decision or deliberate intention.

The research vessel will be passing through the Drake Passage on its way to the Antarctic monitoring stations. The annual report will be appearing in the institute’s research bulletin in December, as it does every year.

• The future continuous makes polite, indirect enquiries about future plans — without pressing for a commitment or implying a request.

Will you be attending the international conference on deep-sea biodiversity in Tokyo next spring? Will the committee be considering any changes to the funding criteria at its next scheduled meeting?

• The future continuous describes two or more future actions happening simultaneously.

While the surface team will be monitoring the real-time data feed from the instruments, the dive team will be collecting physical samples from the vent field below. As one group of researchers will be conducting fieldwork in the Arctic, another will be analysing sediment cores in the laboratory.

• The future continuous presents a future action as part of an ongoing sequence of events already in motion — making it feel natural, inevitable, and already decided.

The expedition will be departing on schedule — all preparations have been completed and the team is fully briefed. The institute will be publishing the survey results in its annual research compendium, as it has done for the past twenty years.

• The future continuous in academic and scientific writing describes ongoing future processes, developments, and trends — particularly in projections and forecasts.

Global temperatures will be rising throughout the remainder of this century under all but the most ambitious emission reduction scenarios currently under discussion. Scientists will be grappling with the consequences of the current period of rapid biodiversity loss for generations to come.

• The future continuous describes the ongoing consequences of present trends — processes already underway that will continue into the future.

Sea levels will be rising steadily throughout the coming century as polar ice continues to melt and the oceans continue to warm and expand. Coral reef ecosystems will be experiencing the compounding effects of warming, acidification, and pollution for decades, regardless of the steps taken to reduce emissions in the near term.

• The future continuous contrasts a temporary ongoing future situation with a more permanent future state.

She will be leading the expedition for the next six months while the regular leader recovers from surgery — after that, she will return to her own research programme. The team will be using the borrowed submersible for this expedition because their own vessel is still undergoing its annual refit.

• Do not use the future continuous with stative verbs — use will + bare infinitive instead.

Scientists will know the full extent of the deep-ocean biodiversity loss only when comprehensive baseline surveys have been completed. (not will be knowing) The Amazon will contain more undescribed species than any other ecosystem on Earth for decades to come. (not will be containing)

• The future continuous is contrasted with will + bare infinitive on the basis of ongoing process vs. single event, polite enquiry vs. direct request, and expected course of events vs. deliberate decision.

Will you send me the data? (direct request — will simple) Will you be sending me the data? (polite enquiry about expected plans — future continuous)

• Do not use will in time clauses introduced by when, while, as soon as, before, after, until, and once — use the simple present or present continuous instead.

While the team is collecting samples, the instruments will be recording the data automatically. (not will be collecting in the time clause) As soon as the analysis is complete, the team will be presenting the results at the conference. (not will be complete)

4. Common Errors and Corrections

5. Lesson Mastery

After completing this lesson, you should now be able to:

    ✅ Form the future continuous tense correctly in affirmative, negative, and question forms

    ✅ Identify and apply the main uses of the future continuous tense

    ✅ Understand the key distinctions between the future continuous and will + bare infinitive

    ✅ Recognise and correct common errors in the use of the future continuous tense