I Swear English › Verb Tenses › Future Continuous Tense
How to form the future continuous tense
How To Form The Future Continuous:
When to use it
- An action that will be in progress at a specific future time. This time tomorrow I'll be flying to New York.
- Polite enquiries about someone's plans. Will you be using the car later?
Signal words & time expressions: this time tomorrow, at 8pm tonight, in an hour, when you arrive
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Common mistakes to avoid
| Not quite… | Better |
|---|---|
| This time next week I | … I'll be lying on the beach. — use will be + -ing for an action in progress. |
| Will you be using the printer at 3? — the continuous sounds more polite and less direct. |
Frequently asked questions
How is the future continuous formed?
will be + verb-ing, for all persons: I / you / she / they will be working.
Why does it sound more polite?
Asking Will you be using…? enquires about an existing plan rather than making a request, so it feels softer.
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This lesson is part of our free English Verb Tenses course — work through it in order or jump to what you need next.