Future Tense, Future Continuous Tense, Future Perfect Tense, and Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Future Tense

I will sing
The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal auxiliary will.

How do we make the Simple Future Tense?

The structure of the simple future tense is:
subject
+
auxiliary verb WILL
+
main verb

invariable

base
will
V1
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the simple future tense:

subject
auxiliary verb

main verb

+
I
will

open
the door.
+
You
will

finish
before me.
-
She
will
not
be
at school tomorrow.
-
We
will
not
leave
yet.
?
Will
you

arrive
on time?
?
Will
they

want
dinner?
When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will
I'll
you will
you'll
he will
she will
it will
he'll
she'll
it'll
we will
we'll
they will
they'll
For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
I won't
you will not
you won't
he will not
she will not
it will not
he won't
she won't
it won't
we will not
we won't
they will not
they won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?

No Plan

We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:
  • Hold on. I'll get a pen.
  • We will see what we can do to help you.
  • Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.
In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:
  • I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
  • I think I will have a holiday next year.
  • I don't think I'll buy that car.

Prediction

We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:
  • It will rain tomorrow.
  • People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
  • Who do you think will get the job?

Be

When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking. Examples:
  • I'll be in London tomorrow.
  • I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
  • Will you be at work tomorrow?
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Note that when we have a plan or intention to do something in the future, we usually use other tenses or expressions, such as the present continuous tense or going to.

Future Continuous Tense

I will be singing

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future continuous tense is:
subject
+
auxiliary verb WILL
+
auxiliary verb BE
+
main verb

invariable

invariable

present participle
will
be
base + ing
For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future continuous tense:

subject
auxiliary verb

auxiliary verb
main verb

+
I
will

be
working
at 10am.
+
You
will

be
lying
on a beach tomorrow.
-
She
will
not
be
using
the car.
-
We
will
not
be
having
dinner at home.
?
Will
you

be
playing
football?
?
Will
they

be
watching
TV?
When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:
I will
I'll
you will
you'll
he will
she will
it will
he'll
she'll
it'll
we will
we'll
they will
they'll
For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
I won't
you will not
you won't
he will not
she will not
it will not
he won't
she won't
it won't
we will not
we won't
they will not
they won't

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We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?

The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will start before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example, tomorrow I will start work at 2pm and stop work at 6pm:
At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.
past
present
future

4pm



At 4pm, I will be in the middle of working.
When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are talking about. Look at these examples:
  • I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.
  • They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
  • What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
  • What will you be doing when I arrive?
  • She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
  • We 'll be having dinner when the film starts.
  • Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.

Future Perfect Tense

I will have sung
The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The future perfect tense talks about the past in the future.

How do we make the Future Perfect Tense?

The structure of the future perfect tense is:
subject
+
auxiliary verb WILL
+
auxiliary verb HAVE
+
main verb

invariable

invariable

past participle
will
have
V3
Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:

subject
auxiliary verb

auxiliary verb
main verb

+
I
will

have
finished
by 10am.
+
You
will

have
forgotten
me by then.
-
She
will
not
have
gone
to school.
-
We
will
not
have
left.

?
Will
you

have
arrived?

?
Will
they

have
received
it?
In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we contract the subject, will and have all together:
I will have
I'll have
I'll've
you will have
you'll have
you'll've
he will have
she will have
it will have
he'll have
she'll have
it'll have
he'll've
she'll've
it'll've
we will have
we'll have
we'll've
they will have
they'll have
they'll've

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We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.

How do we use the Future Perfect Tense?

The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future. This is the past in the future. For example:
  • The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When you arrive, the train will have left.
The train will have left when you arrive.
past
present
future


Train leaves in future at 9am.
9

9.15





You arrive in future at 9.15am.
Look at some more examples:
  • You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
  • They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
  • "Mary won't be at home when you arrive."
    "Really? Where will she have gone?"
You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of your viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:
present perfect tense

future perfect tense

|
have |
done |
> |




will |
have |
done |
> |



past
now
future

past
now
future

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

I will have been singing

How do we make the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

The structure of the future perfect continuous tense is:
subject
+
auxiliary verb WILL
+
auxiliary verb HAVE
+
auxiliary verb BE
+
main verb

invariable

invariable

past participle

present participle
will
have
been
base + ing
For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we insert not between will and have. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future perfect continuous tense:

subject
auxiliary verb

auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb
main verb

+
I
will

have
been
working
for four hours.
+
You
will

have
been
travelling
for two days.
-
She
will
not
have
been
using
the car.
-
We
will
not
have
been
waiting
long.
?
Will
you

have
been
playing
football?
?
Will
they

have
been
watching
TV?
When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will
I'll
you will
you'll
he will
she will
it will
he'll
she'll
it'll
we will
we'll
they will
they'll
For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
I won't
you will not
you won't
he will not
she will not
it will not
he won't
she won't
it won't
we will not
we won't
they will not
they won't

How do we use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in the future. Look at these examples:
  • I will have been working here for ten years next week.
  • He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been travelling for 24 hours.
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