Future Continuous
Learn how to form the future continuous, how it describes an action already underway at a future point, and how it can soften a question about someone’s plans.
Standing inside a future moment
The future continuous places you inside a moment that hasn’t happened yet.
The future continuous shows an action that will be in progress at a specific point in the future. It is formed with will be, plus the -ing form.
In She will be working when you arrive., will be working places you inside that future moment, viewing an action already underway.
This lesson covers how the future continuous is formed, what it describes, and how it can make a question about plans sound more polite.
Before you begin
This is one of four topics on future tenses.
This lesson focuses on the future continuous specifically. Future tenses as a whole includes three other topics, each covered in its own lesson.
If you would like an overview of future tenses in general, begin with the Future Tenses page.
The central idea
The future continuous views the action from inside that moment.
Compare a future simple sentence with a future continuous sentence describing a related idea.
01
Future simple
She will work tomorrow.
02
Future continuous
She will be working when you call tomorrow.
The useful question is: is this a whole action, or a moment inside it?
The first sentence states the action as a whole. The second places the listener at a specific moment inside it, already in progress.
Forming the future continuous
Will be, plus the -ing form, for every subject.
I will be working. She will be working. They will be working.
As with the other future tenses, this form stays the same regardless of the subject. The -ing form follows the same spelling rules covered in its own lesson.
What the future continuous describes
Two situations call for this tense.
An action in progress at a specific future time
At noon tomorrow, she will be flying to Chicago.
A background action, interrupted by another future event
She will be sleeping when you arrive.
As in other future time clauses, the present simple, arrive, is used after when, rather than will arrive.
A polite way to ask about plans
The future continuous can soften a question about someone’s plans.
A more direct question
Will you join us for dinner?
A softer, more casual version
Will you be joining us for dinner?
Rather than asking someone to decide right now, this version asks about an existing plan, which can feel less like a direct request.
A useful decision guide
Ask whether the action is in progress at that moment, or simply happening.
01
Is a specific future moment named or implied?
The future continuous places the action inside that moment.
02
Is this action the background to another future event?
If so, the future continuous often fits alongside it.
03
Would a softer, more casual question work better here?
Consider the future continuous instead of a direct future simple question.
04
Is be present between will and the -ing form?
Both pieces are required to complete this tense.
Common mistakes
A missing be is the most frequent slip.
Be is not left out between will and the -ing form.
Not: She will working when you arrive.
Correct: She will be working when you arrive.
The future continuous is not used for a single, whole action with no ongoing sense.
Not: She will be sending the email once. (a single, brief action)
Correct: She will send the email.
Will is not repeated inside the following time clause.
Not: She will be sleeping when you will arrive.
Correct: She will be sleeping when you arrive.
Check your understanding
Which sentence is correctly formed?
Choose the correct answer for each pair.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Be” is needed between “will” and “working”.
❎ Not quite. Is “be” missing between “will” and “working”?
Compare this to the present continuous, “is working”.
Which question sounds more like a casual check on an existing plan?
✅ Exactly! The future continuous often softens a question like this.
❎ Not quite. Which version sounds less like it is asking someone to decide right now?
Look for the word “be” in one of these questions.
Which sentence is correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! The present simple, “arrive”, follows “when” here, not “will arrive”.
❎ Not quite. Does “when” usually take “will” in a future time clause?
Compare this to “I will call you when I arrive.”
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the mistake correctly.
Why is “She will working when you arrive.” not correctly formed?
✅ Exactly! “Will be working” is the complete, correct form.
❎ Not quite. “Arrive” is already correctly formed here.
Why might “Will you be joining us?” sound more natural than “Will you join us?” in a casual context?
✅ Exactly! Both are grammatically correct; this is a difference in tone.
❎ Not quite. Both versions are spelled correctly here.
Quick review
The future continuous views an action from inside a future moment.
The future continuous is formed with will be, plus the -ing form, unchanged across every subject.
It describes an action in progress at a specific future moment, or a background action another event interrupts.
It can also soften a question about plans, making it feel less like asking someone to decide on the spot.
Remember
Picture the future moment, and ask what’s already happening inside it.
The future continuous works best when you can picture a specific future moment, with the action already underway inside it.