How do we make the future continuous tense in English?
Note:This is also called the future progressive tense.
Positive form
Use the future simple of be and then the verb-ing form.
| Full form | Short form |
| I will be playing | I’ll be playing |
| you will be playing | you’ll be playing |
| he will be playing | he’ll be playing |
| she will be playing | she’ll be playing |
| it will be playing | it’ll be playing |
| we will be playing | we’ll be playing |
| they will be playing | they’ll be playing |
For example:
- I will be studying at 10 pm tonight.
- Christina will be working all day tomorrow. (she will be working)
- We’ll be sitting on a beach this time next week.
Some notes on short forms:
1. We usually contract will with personal pronouns in speaking and informal writing: I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, etc.
2. We usually contract will with the words that, this, those and these in speaking, and sometimes in informal writing: that’ll, those’ll etc.
3. We often contract will with nouns and other words in speaking, but not in writing. For example, we do not usually write: John’ll, the dog’ll, nobody’ll, etc.
4. We do not usually contract verbs in writing if we have a compound subject: John and I’ll.
Negative form
Put not after will.
| Full form | Short forms | |
| I will not be playing | I won’t be playing | *I’ll not be playing |
| you will not be playing | you won’t be playing | you’ll not be playing |
| he will not be playing | he won’t be playing | he’ll not be playing |
| she will not be playing | she won’t be playing | she’ll not be playing |
| it will not be playing | it won’t be playing | it’ll not be playing |
| we will not be playing | we won’t be playing | we’ll not be playing |
| they will not be playing | they won’t be playing | they’ll not be playing |
*The structure in the third column is sometimes used in British English, but it is rarely used in other varieties of English. When used in other varieties, it sounds quite formal.
For example:
- I won’t be attending the meeting.
- He will not be playing basketball this Friday.
- They’ll not be staying at our house tonight.
Question forms
Invert the subject and will, and then put a question word (what, who, etc.) at the beginning for wh- questions.
| Yes/No questions | |
| Will I be playing? | |
| Will you be playing? | |
| Will he be playing? | |
| Will she be playing? | |
| Will it be playing? | |
| Will we be playing? | |
| Will they be playing? | |
| Wh- questions | |
| What Who Where When Why How etc. | will I be playing? |
| will you be playing? | |
| will he be playing? | |
| will she be playing? | |
| will it be playing? | |
| will we be playing? | |
| will they be playing? | |
For example:
- Will I be using your computer tomorrow?
- Will you be coming to the party?
- Will David be driving to work on Monday? (will he be)
- What will we be doing this time tomorrow?
- Where will she be staying while she’s here?
- Why will they be using the conference room at 3 pm?