Grammar rule and drill

Future continuous

Will be plus -ing: the action in progress at a future moment, and the polite way to ask about plans.

CEFR B1-B220 questionsUpdated 5 October 2026

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The future continuous describes an action that will be in progress at a certain moment in the future. The action may have started earlier, and it may finish later; at the chosen moment, it is simply happening: "At eight tomorrow, I will be having breakfast."

It is the future twin of the past continuous. The past continuous says "I was doing it at that moment"; the future continuous says "I will be doing it at that moment".

The tense also has a social job. "Will you be using the car tonight?" asks about a plan without sounding like a request or a demand. This page covers the form, the two jobs, the difference from will and going to, and ends with a 20-question drill.

The rule

The form: will be plus -ing

Positive: subject plus will be plus the -ing form. "I will be working." "She will be sleeping."
Negative: will not be plus the -ing form. "They will not be waiting for us."
Question: Will plus subject plus be plus the -ing form. "Will she be joining us?"
Short form: I'll be working, she'll be sleeping, they won't be waiting.
The -ing part never changes, and no form of do appears anywhere in the sentence.

An action in progress at a future moment

Use it with a specific future time: at eight tomorrow, this time next week, at noon on Friday.
"At ten tomorrow, the team will be presenting the results." The presentation is in progress at ten.
"This time next week, we will be lying on a beach." The holiday is the background of that moment.
The tense shows the middle of the action, not its start or its end.

The future scene and future predictions

Use it to describe a future background scene: "When you arrive, the children will be playing in the garden."
Use it for predictions about what will be happening around us later: "In twenty years, most people will be driving electric cars."
It also works for assumptions about now or later: "Do not call him now; he will be driving home."
The action does not need to be long. The tense only says it is in progress at that moment.

Polite questions about plans

Use the future continuous to ask about arrangements in a neutral, polite way: "Will you be using the car tonight?"
It avoids the feeling of a favour: "Will you use the car tonight?" sounds more like a request for a decision.
The same pattern checks on someone politely: "Will you be joining us for dinner?"
The answer can be yes or no about the plan: "Yes, I will be using it until nine."

Choosing between the future forms

Will plus base verb: a decision or an event seen as a fact. "I will call you at six."
Future continuous: an action in progress at that time. "At six, I will be calling my mother, so I may be slow to answer."
Going to: an intention or a plan. "I am going to call you tomorrow."
Present continuous: a fixed arrangement. "I am calling the plumber tomorrow at nine."
Stative verbs usually stay in the simple form: "I will know the result tomorrow", not "will be knowing".

Examples

At nine tomorrow morning, I will be sitting in a meeting.The meeting is in progress at nine, so the future continuous fits.
This time next week, we will be lying on a beach.A future scene with an action in progress.
Do not call at eight; I will be having dinner then.The dinner occupies that moment and is the reason not to call.
What will you be doing at six tonight?A neutral question about the other person's plans.
They will be watching the match at this time tomorrow.The match is in progress at a future moment.
I hope it will not be raining when we arrive.Negative future continuous with will not be plus -ing.
In ten years, most people will be driving electric cars.A prediction about an activity in progress in the future.
Will you be using the car tonight?A polite question about a plan, not a request for a favour.
When you read this, I will be flying across the Atlantic.The flight is in progress at the moment of reading.
The children will be sleeping when you get home.A future scene that explains why you should be quiet.

Common mistakes

Wrong: At nine tomorrow, I will sitting in a meeting. Right: At nine tomorrow, I will be sitting in a meeting.: The future continuous needs will be plus -ing. Be is not optional.
Wrong: Do not call at eight; I will have dinner then. Right: Do not call at eight; I will be having dinner then.: The dinner is in progress at eight. Will have dinner sounds like a plan for the evening, not an action at that moment.
Wrong: Will you be use the car tonight? Right: Will you be using the car tonight?: After be, the verb takes -ing: be using.
Wrong: I will be knowing the answer tomorrow. Right: I will know the answer tomorrow.: Know is a stative verb, so it does not take the continuous form.
Wrong: She will be work at nine. Right: She will be working at nine.: The future continuous always uses the -ing form of the main verb.

Questions learners ask

What is the difference between "I will work" and "I will be working"?

I will work presents the work as a fact or a promise: you will do it. I will be working describes your state at a future moment: the work is in progress then. "I will work on it tomorrow" is a commitment. "At ten tomorrow, I will be working on it" describes what is happening at ten.

Is the future continuous the same as "going to be working"?

The meaning is close, and both describe an action in progress. Going to adds the idea of a plan or an arrangement: "Tomorrow I am going to be working from home." The future continuous is more neutral and is preferred in polite questions about plans.

Why is "Will you be using the car?" more polite than "Will you use the car?"

The continuous asks about a situation that already exists, so the listener does not feel pushed into a new decision. The simple form asks the listener to decide or to do something, which sounds more direct. Use the continuous when you want to check a plan, and the simple form when you are making a real request.