Look at these examples to see how the future continuous and future perfect are used.
In three years' time, I'll be studying medicine.
In five years' time, I'll have finished studying medicine.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Future continuous
We can use the future continuous (will/won't be + -ing form) to talk about future actions that:
- will be in progress at a specific time in the future:
When you come out of school tomorrow, I'll be boarding a plane.
Try to call before 8 o'clock. After that, we'll be watching the match.
You can visit us during the first week of July. I won't be working then.
- we see as new, different or temporary:
Today we're taking the bus but next week we'll be taking the train.
He'll be staying with his parents for several months while his father is in recovery.
Will you be starting work earlier with your new job?
Future perfect
We use the future perfect simple (will/won't have + past participle) to talk about something that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
The guests are coming at 8 p.m. I'll have finished cooking by then.
On 9 October we'll have been married for 50 years.
Will you have gone to bed when I get back?
We can use phrases like by or by the time (meaning 'at some point before') and in or in a day's time / in two months' time / in five years' time etc. (meaning 'at the end of this period') to give the time period in which the action will be completed.
I won't have written all the reports by next week.
By the time we arrive, the kids will have gone to bed.
I'll have finished in an hour and then we can watch a film.
In three years' time, I'll have graduated from university.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello cms10,
You could use [will verb] in each of those sentences.
The form [will be verb-ing] has several uses. It is often used to describe an arrangement which has not yet been made but is sure. It can help to compare it to the present continuous:
The difference between [will verb] and [will be verb-ing] is often one of nuance and emphasis rather than objective fact.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello cms10,
1. Yes, I think that's generally correct, though of course the context of any particular utterance is important. Will tends to imply a high degree of conviction, whether that is in the form of a personal conviction (a belief) or a personal obligation (a promise).
2. In many cases, yes. However, I would advise against tying the distinction between the two forms too closely to real-world criteria. It's really often a choice based on how the speaker sees or feels about the situation rather than a question of objective fact.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi brian1010,
When we talk about something that is organised for the future we often us the present continuous:
This is something that is certain in my mind. It's already arranged and set.
Will is used when we want to speculate or make a guess or prediction. Thus, if I'm not sure about when the person is leaving I can say this:
Your examples work in a similar way. The speaker (writer) is speculating about the response of various people to a given situation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again brian1010,
You can use the simple form in each example. I would say that the continuous form suggests an expectation which, to my ear, has a lower degree of certainty than the simple form.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Sarah Word,
Very often both will and will be verb-ing are possible in the same sentence. The choice depends on how the speaker sees the action.
Will implies a decision which is made at or around the time of speaking, or else a guess, prediction or belief about the future.
If Mr. Weasley said this, then we would understand that this was a decision he was making as or just before he spoke.
Similarly, in the second example, Hermione would be talking about her choice or decision.
Will be verb-ing is a little different. We often use it to describe something we see as a natural or expected result of a particular situation. It tells us something is expected and unsurprising, or an obvious conclusion.
When Mr. Weasley says we'll be spending it on..., we understand that for him this is an obvious and natural choice.
Similarly, when Hermione says I don't think I'll be studying it much longer, she is implying that this is the obvious result of her poor experience in Divination classes to date.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello cittàutopica,
The reason have is needed is because we have the auxiliary will. To make a perfect modal verb we use have: will have, should have, could have, might hate etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Lovely_Indeed
You're right -- 'I'm not coming' is also a possible correct form here, though of course it doesn't fit in the gap. In fact, in some of the other sentences other forms are also possible, but the gaps limit the answers you can write.
It's a difficult to explain the difference between 'I won't be coming' and 'I'm not coming' without knowing the precise context, but in general it's a matter of how the speaker views the time she is talking about. 'I'm not coming' is a simple statement of a plan, but 'I won't be coming' can imply, for example, that the speaker is thinking of how she's going to be sitting in a meeting at the time she had planned to go to a party. In other words, she's thinking of actions in progress at a specific time later that evening.
So both sentences communicate the basic idea that she's not going, but using the future continuous form can communicate subtle ideas as well.
Hope this helps.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
I think will be used is the most likely option here. Will have been used would suggest that its use had ended, unless you add a duration: will have been used for over twenty years.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello NinaZ,
Will be watching describes an action in progress rather than a single complete action – presumably, the police will be watching while people play their games to ensure that they follow the rules.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello NinaZ,
It's hard to say for sure without knowing the context, but I would expect that the speaker is making a prediction about something in the future that will tell them that the bomb has exploded.
For example, the speaker might say something like this:
The speaker is looking back from a point in the future (seeing the cloud of smoke) and supposing what happened before that (the bomb going off).
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello itspb008,
Continuous forms often suggest an action has a temporary nature. For example:
Continuous forms with modal verbs can have a similar meaning:
You can read more about the continuous aspect on this page:
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference/continuous-aspect
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
Yes, that sentence is perfectly fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
The first sentence (will have been used) tells us that everyone will have used the Internet at least once before 2030, but not necessarily that they continue to use it.
The second sentence (will be used) tells us that everyone will be using it not just once but as part of their normal lives at some point before 2030.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello cinzia rosati
Yes, that is correct -- well done!
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
In this sentence, the operation will be completed at the time specified.
In this sentence, the operation will take place (probably begin) at the time specified.
In this sentence, the operation will be in progress (beginning before and not having finished) at the time specified.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello grammarly,
The sentences are both grammatically correct.
This is not actually a future continuous form, but rather a present participle (the -ing form) with an adjectival role (describing the noun). It is not a gerund, which would function as a noun.
You can make similar sentences with other forms of 'be':
You can also use other verbs:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Shoaib50,
The second sentence is not grammatically correct: people watch films; films do not watch anything.
The first sentence is fine, though 'midnight' is one word, not two.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam
Yes, you are right -- the future perfect doesn't work in that situation and the future simple would be the most natural option.
Sorry we somehow missed your earlier comment.
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Rose,
I see what you mean, and you are right about the sentence possibly being inconsistent in that way. A more accurate way to express it would be:
Once he's paid tomorrow, he'll have received everything I owe him.
In your original sentence 'when' is being used with the sense of 'after', which may be confusing. People do not always express themselves logically, and it's not unusual for people to say things that are open to misinterpretation.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
The future continuous is fine there. I think you may have mistyped the sentences, however, as they are identical.
You should write 'everything' as one word here, not two.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello Ahmed Imam,
First of all, we write 'everything' as one word rather than two.
There is a difference in how we use between 'will' and the present continuous to describe future events.
The present continuous is used for events which are planned and arranged. Thus, you would use are visiting if the visit is already organised with other people in some way, such as talking to your aunt, planning it with your family, taking time off work or buying tickets for the journey.
'Will' implies certainty about the event. This could be simply an expression of determination, or a strong desire.
In the end, the choice depends on the speaker's perspective. Both forms are possible; it depends upon how the speaker sees the event.
You can read more about this on our page about future plans.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi sonakshi,
The future continous have several uses, so it partly depends on the context. Most often, we use the future continuous to describe an action which will be in progress at a time in the future. The future perfect, on the other hand, is used to look back at an action from a point further in the future. For example:
At 3.00 on Wednesday I'll be meeting my boss.
By 6.00 I'll have finished the meeting.
The future perfect continuous is an unusual form. We use when we are looking back on a future event from a point further in the future, and when the event is still ongoing. For example, imagine it is 3.00 and you have been waiting for your train for hour already. Then you hear an announcement that the train will be delayed another two hours and will not arrive before 5.00. You could say this:
You are imagining looking back from a point in the future on an event which is still not finished.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi sonakshi,
We use 'would' when the situation is seen as unlikely or entirely hypothetical, while 'will' suggests a likely or possible situation.
As I said in my earlier comment, will be verb-ing or would be verb-ing forms describe ongoing situations, while will have + verb3 or would have + verb3 describe situations which we are looking back on. In some contexts the only difference is emphasis and the speaker can choose which form best expresses what they want to say, but in other contexts only one is possible. For example, if you want to talk about a completed action then only the perfect form is possible:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team