Guide to the Future Continuous - TOEIC® Preparation

The future continuous (also called future progressive or future continuous) refers to a grammatical tense used to express an action that will be in the process of occurring at a specific moment in the future.

She will be studying at the library this evening (Elle sera en train d'étudier à la bibliothèque ce soir)

What is the structure of the future continuous?

The grammatical construction of the future progressive is based on the following formula: will + be + base verb-ing

Here is a summary table presenting the three main forms of the future continuous:

Form	Grammatical Structure	Contextualized Examples
Affirmative	Subject + will + be + Verb-ing	She will be attending the conference tomorrow morning. (Elle sera en train d'assister à la conférence demain matin.) They will be reviewing the applications by next Tuesday. We will be conducting interviews at 3 p.m. tomorrow. He will be presenting the quarterly results next week.
Negative	Subject + will not (won't) + be + Verb-ing	I won't be working from the office next Friday. (Je ne travaillerai pas depuis le bureau vendredi prochain.) She will not be joining us for the training session. They won't be recruiting new employees this month. We will not be extending the deadline beyond next week.
Interrogative	Will + subject + be + Verb-ing ?	Will you be attending the workshop tomorrow afternoon? (Assisteras-tu à l'atelier demain après-midi ?) Will he be managing the project next quarter? Will they be relocating to the new headquarters next year? Will she be leading the team meeting on Monday?

Expressing an ongoing action at a determined future time

The future progressive is used to describe an activity that will be in the process of happening at a particular moment located in the future.

Tomorrow at 8 p.m., she will be presenting her findings to the board.(Demain à 20h, elle sera en train de présenter ses conclusions au conseil d'administration.)
This time next month, we will be celebrating the project completion.(Dans un mois à la même heure, nous serons en train de célébrer l'achèvement du projet.)
At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, they will be conducting the final interview.(Mercredi à 14h, ils seront en train de mener l'entretien final.)
Next Monday at dawn, I will be boarding the plane to Tokyo.(Lundi prochain à l'aube, je serai en train d'embarquer dans l'avion pour Tokyo.)

Beyond signaling that an action will be ongoing, the future continuous also allows us to emphasize that this activity will extend over a given period.

She will be preparing for the TOEIC® throughout the entire month of December.(Elle va se préparer pour le TOEIC® durant tout le mois de décembre. → The emphasis is on the prolonged duration AND the continuous preparation action.)

Describing a future action perceived as planned or inevitable

The future progressive allows us to stress the scheduled nature of an action or the fact that it naturally fits into the expected course of events.

Don't call me at 7 p.m.; I will be commuting home from work.(Ne m'appelle pas à 19h; je serai en train de rentrer du travail.)
The company will be introducing the updated software next semester.(L'entreprise sera en train de déployer le logiciel mis à jour le semestre prochain.)

Formulating a polite request or inquiring about someone's intentions

The future continuous is frequently used to politely ask someone about their future plans or to request a service by assuming the action might naturally fit into their schedule.

Will you be meeting with the director this afternoon? If so, could you pass along this message?(Rencontreras-tu le directeur cet après-midi ? Si oui, pourrais-tu lui transmettre ce message ?)
If you will be going to the headquarters tomorrow, could you bring back these files?(Si tu te rends au siège demain, pourrais-tu rapporter ces dossiers ?)

Describing a future action interrupted by another event (with when, while, etc.)

The future progressive can also express that an activity will be underway at the moment another event occurs.

The future continuous is then used for the ongoing action, and the simple present (or sometimes the simple future) for the interrupting or suddenly occurring event.

They will be discussing the proposal when the CEO joins the call.(Ils seront en train de discuter de la proposition lorsque le PDG rejoindra l'appel.)
- "Will be discussing" = ongoing activity in the future
- "joins" = future event that occurs.
I will be working on the report when you send me the data.(Je serai en train de travailler sur le rapport quand tu m'enverras les données.)
She will be driving home while we prepare the surprise party.(Elle sera en train de rentrer en voiture pendant que nous préparerons la fête surprise.)
We will be analyzing the results when the quarterly review begins.(Nous serons en train d'analyser les résultats lorsque la revue trimestrielle commencera.)

Future Simple or Future Continuous: How to choose?

The simple future generally expresses an immediate decision, an unavoidable future fact, or a general prediction.

I will send the email right now.(Decision made instantly.)
They will arrive at the office tomorrow.
She will contact you soon.

The future continuous, on the other hand, emphasizes the progressive unfolding of the action or its "in the process of happening" aspect at a given moment.

I will be sending the email at 10 a.m.(Emphasizes that the action will be ongoing tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.)
They will be arriving at the office around 9 a.m.
She will be contacting you at 4 p.m. to finalize the details.(Highlights that the action will be ongoing at 4 p.m.)

Future Continuous or "be going to": What's the difference?

The "be going to" construction often conveys a personal intention or an imminent future event, without really emphasizing the progressive aspect of the action.

He is going to visit the factory next Tuesday.(Intention or established plan.)

The future progressive, conversely, highlights the action in the process of occurring at a specific future time.

At this time next Tuesday, he will be visiting the factory.(The emphasis is on being "in the process of visiting" at that precise moment.)

Conclusion

The future continuous is an essential verb form in English and for the TOEIC®. However, there are several other future constructions that you must master perfectly. Here are the educational resources dedicated to the other future forms:

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