Hello, little time traveler! What do you think you will be doing tomorrow at playtime? What will your mom be doing at dinnertime? We have a special way to talk about actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future. It is called the future continuous tense. It is like a magic telescope that lets you watch a scene in the future! You can see what will be happening. Today, we will learn to use one hundred common verbs in the future continuous tense. Your guide is Wally the Watcher. Wally has a special telescope. He looks at scenes in the future. He sees what people and animals will be in the middle of doing. He will show you scenes from home, the playground, school, and nature. Let's look into the future together!
What Is the Future Continuous Tense? The future continuous tense is a verb form. It tells us about actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. The action will be in progress. It will be ongoing. Think of it like watching a future movie. "Tomorrow at 3 PM, I will be playing." At 3 PM tomorrow, the playing will be happening. "This time next week, we will be flying on a plane." Next week, the flying will be in progress. It paints a picture of a future moment. We will use one hundred common verbs to describe these future scenes.
Why Learn to Watch Future Scenes? The future continuous helps you imagine and describe future moments. It helps your ears listen. You can picture scenes that others describe. "At noon, the sun will be shining." It helps your mouth speak. You can tell others what you plan to be doing. "Don't call at six. I will be eating dinner." It helps your eyes read. You will see it in stories about the future. It helps your hand write. You can write about your plans for a future hour. Knowing the future continuous tense lets you be a director of future scenes.
When Do We Use This "Future Telescope" Tense? Wally says we use the future continuous for two main reasons. Let's look through his telescope.
To Describe an Action in Progress at a Specific Future Time: We say what will be happening at that exact time. "Tomorrow at 8 PM, I will be sleeping." (At 8 PM, the action of sleeping will be in progress). "At 10 AM, she will be studying."
To Ask About Someone's Future Plans Politely: It is a nice way to ask about plans. "Will you be coming to the party?" This sounds softer than "Will you come?"
How Can You Spot the Future Continuous? Look for the helpers 'will be'. The formula is: will be + verb-ing. "I will be playing. You will be running. He will be eating. They will be laughing."
Look for time phrases that point to a specific future moment. Phrases like: at 5 o'clock tomorrow, this time next week, at noon, in an hour, when you arrive. "I will be waiting for you at 5. This time tomorrow, we will be flying."
Ask: Can I picture this as an ongoing scene in the future? Will this action be in progress at a certain time? If yes, it might be future continuous. "What will you be doing at the park tomorrow?" "I will be swinging."
It paints a picture, not just a single event. Compare: "I will eat at 6." (simple future, one event). "I will be eating at 6." (future continuous, you see me in the act of eating at 6 o'clock).
Wally shows us. Look at "The birds will be singing in the morning." The helper is 'will be'. The verb is 'singing' (with 'ing'). The time is 'in the morning'. The singing will be in progress in the morning. This is the future continuous tense.
How Do We Build This Future Scene? We need three parts: 'will be' (for everyone!) and the main verb with -ing. Let’s see the formulas.
For Positive Sentences (Describing what will be happening): With I, you, he, she, it, we, they: [I/You/He/She/It/We/They] + will be + [verb-ing]. "I will be sleeping. You will be talking. He will be working. They will be playing."
For Negative Sentences (Saying what will NOT be happening): Add 'not' after 'will'. (will not be -> won't be). "I will not be sleeping. / I won't be sleeping. She will not be waiting. / She won't be waiting."
For Questions (Asking what will be happening): Move 'will' to the front. Will + [I/you/he/she/it/we/they] + be + verb-ing? "Will you be playing? Will she be coming? Will they be eating?"
Let’s Fix Some Telescope View Mistakes. Sometimes we miss a part of the picture. Let’s fix the future scene.
Forgetting the 'be'. "I will sleeping at 8." This is missing 'be'. The correct sentence is "I will be sleeping at 8."
Using the simple verb instead of -ing. "I will be sleep at 8." The main verb must have 'ing'. "I will be sleeping at 8."
Using 'will be' for a simple future plan. "I will be go to the store later." For a simple plan, use 'will go' or 'am going to go'. Use 'will be going' if you want to emphasize the action in progress. "At 3 PM, I will be going to the store." (You picture me on the way).
Confusing with 'going to'. "I am going to be eating." This is also correct for a planned ongoing action! But the more common form for this ongoing picture is "I will be eating."
Can You Be a Future Scene Director? You are great at this! Let’s play. I say: "At 9 PM, I (sleep)." The verb is 'sleep'. Add 'ing'? 'sleeping'. We need 'will be'. "At 9 PM, I will be sleeping." Good! Now, "This time tomorrow, we (fly) to Grandma's." Verb? 'fly'. Add 'ing'? 'flying'. "This time tomorrow, we will be flying to Grandma's." Perfect! Ask a polite question: "Will you be using the crayons later?" Excellent directing!
Wally’s Telescope Reel: 100 Common Verbs in Future Continuous. Here is a list of one hundred common action verbs. We will see them in the future continuous tense. Remember the formula: will be + verb-ing.
Scenes at Home (Tomorrow): I will be sleeping. / Mom will be cooking dinner. Dad will be reading the news. / I will be brushing my teeth. My sister will be getting dressed. / We will be eating breakfast. The baby will be crying. / The phone will be ringing. I will be watching a cartoon. / He will be working. She will be talking. / They will be cleaning the house. I will be helping. / The dog will be barking. The cat will be chasing a toy. / I will be drawing a picture. My brother will be playing a game. / We will be listening to music. Grandpa will be sitting in his chair. / The kettle will be whistling. The water will be running. / The clock will be ticking.
Scenes at the Playground (Later): I will be running. / She will be jumping rope. He will be climbing the ladder. / They will be sliding down. We will be swinging high. / The kids will be laughing. A boy will be kicking a ball. / A girl will be catching a ball. My friend will be riding his bike. / Some children will be singing. We will be playing tag. / They will be building a sandcastle. I will be drinking water. / The sun will be shining. The wind will be blowing. / Birds will be flying above. Parents will be watching. / A dog will be digging.
Scenes at School (Next Week): The teacher will be writing on the board. / We will be listening. I will be raising my hand. / She will be reading a book. He will be writing his name. / They will be coloring pictures. We will be learning a new song. / The class will be singing. My friend will be sharing. / The bell will be ringing. Children will be lining up. / I will be tying my shoes. The clock will be showing the time. / Our teacher will be smiling. We will be working on a project. / Someone will be asking a question. I will be thinking hard. / We will be having fun.
Scenes in Nature (This Evening): The sun will be setting. / Birds will be chirping. A bee will be buzzing. / Butterflies will be flying. The river will be flowing. / Leaves will be falling. Rain will be falling. / A flower will be growing. The grass will be getting wet. / A squirrel will be climbing. A spider will be making a web. / Fish will be swimming. A rabbit will be hopping. / A bird will be building a nest. Clouds will be moving. / The moon will be shining. Stars will be twinkling. / A frog will be jumping.
Other Useful Future Scenes: I will be waiting for you. / He will be coming home. She will be leaving the house. / They will be arriving at the park. We will be walking to the store. / I will be carrying a bag. The car will be making a noise. / The bus will be going fast. I will be looking for my keys. / He will be smiling. She will be waving goodbye. / I will be trying to help. We will be winning the game. / Time will be passing slowly. I will be learning to swim. / You will be doing a great job.
Examples in Your World.
At Home (A Specific Time): "At 7 PM tonight, Mom will be cooking. Dad will be washing the car. I will be doing my homework. My sister will be watching TV. The dog will be sleeping."
At the Playground (A Future Moment): "At 2 PM tomorrow, I will be swinging. My friends will be playing tag. The sun will be shining. When you arrive, we will be building a sandcastle."
At School (Imagining Tomorrow): "This time tomorrow, our teacher will be reading a story. We will be sitting on the rug. Sam will be raising his hand. The bell will be ringing soon."
In Nature (Tonight’s Picture): "Tonight at 8, the stars will be shining. The moon will be glowing. An owl will be hooting. The world will be sleeping."
You Are a Master of Future Scenes! You did it! You know that the future continuous describes actions that will be in progress at a future moment. You use 'will be' plus a verb with 'ing'. It is like a time telescope. Wally the Watcher gives you a director’s badge. You have explored one hundred common verbs in the future continuous tense. You can now paint wonderful pictures of the future.
Here is what you learned from our telescope adventure. You know the future continuous tense paints a picture of a future moment. You can use it to say what will be happening at a specific time. It is great for polite questions about plans. You remember the formula: will be + verb-ing.
Now, let’s do some life practice! Your mission is tonight. Think about tomorrow afternoon. Tell someone what you will be doing at 4 o'clock. Say: "At 4 o'clock, I will be playing with my blocks." Then, ask a family member a polite question: "What will you be doing at 7 PM?" Keep imagining and sharing your future scenes!