Future Progressive
The future Progressive (continuous) tense is a verb tense that shows an action happening over a period of time in the future. “I will be dancing all night” is an example of the future continuous tense, as it indicates an action continuing over a specific future period of time. Compare it to this sentence, written in the simple future tense: “I will dance.” Although this example indicates an intention to dance in the future, it does not refer to a continuous action over a specific period of time in the future.
When to use the future progressive
We use the English future progressive tense for:
- an action will already be in progress at a specific moment in the future Example: Don’t call then, we’ll be eating dinner. This time next week, we’ll be relaxing on the beach in the sunshine!
Signal words for the future progressive tense
Signal words can help us know when to use which tense. The signal words for the future progressive are:
- at 4 o’clock tomorrow
- this time next week
How to make the future progressive tense
To make the future progressive tense, take: will + be + present participle or ing-form.
The conjugation is that same for all forms.
The table below shows the conjugation of the future progressive tense in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.
| Affirmative | Negative | Question | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I/you/he/she/it/we/they | will be speaking | won’t be speaking | Will … be speaking? |
Contractions
Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns, verbs and the word not. They are mostly used in spoken English and less formal written contexts.
The table below shows the contractions for the future progressive with the verb will.
| Long form | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will | …’ll | they’ll |
| will not | won’t (…’ll not) | I won’t |
Note:
In written English, we can only use the contraction …’ll (not) after pronouns, but not after nouns. Example:
She’ll be having dinner around 7 o’clock. not:Amina’ll be having dinner
The contraction won’t can be used after both. Example:
She/Amina won’t be talking to her friend around 7 o’clock.
