In English, the future continuous tense is used to talk about future plans and arrangements. It’s also used to describe how something will develop or happen over time.
The future continuous is made up of two parts: the future tense of the verb to be (will or shall be), and the present participle of the main verb (the verb in its -ing form):
I will be studying English next year.
You will be taking the TOEFL exam in June.
She won’t be working late tonight.
They will be playing tennis on Saturday.
The future continuous can be used to talk about future plans and arrangements:
I’m meeting John at the airport tomorrow.
We’re having a party next Saturday.
It can also be used to describe how something will develop or happen over time:
By this time next year, I’ll be living in New York.
In five years’ time, the company will be making a lot more money.
Muchos estudiantes de inglés se sienten intimidados por el Future Continuous. No obstante, es un tiempo verbal que se puede utilizar con bastante facilidad una vez que se comprende su función y se familiariza uno con su estructura. En esta lección, vamos a repasar el uso del Future Continuous y veremos algunos ejemplos de cómo se puede utilizar en una conversación.
¿Qué es el Future Continuous?
El Future Continuous se forma con el verbo to be en el tiempo futuro seguido de la forma -ing del verbo principal. Se trata de un tiempo verbal que se usa para describir una acción que se estará realizando en un momento específico del futuro. A menudo, se puede usar el Future Continuous junto con otro tiempo verbal para indicar que una acción se estará llevando a cabo en el momento en que se produzca otra acción.
Estructura del Future Continuous
La estructura del Future Continuous es la siguiente:
[Sujeto] + will be + [verbo en forma -ing]
Por ejemplo:
I will be studying
You will be studying
He/she/it will be studying
We will be studying
They will be studying
Usos del Future Continuous
Hay varios usos diferentes del Future Continuous. A continuación, vamos a repasar los más importantes:
Para describir una acción que se estará llevando a cabo en un momento específico del futuro:
I will be meeting John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They will not be going out tonight.
What will you be doing at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
Para describir una acción en progreso en un momento específico del futuro:
I will be studying English at 8:00 p.m. tonight.
What will you be doing at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
Para describir una acción que se estará llevando a cabo en el momento en que se produzca otra acción:
I will be meeting John at the airport when his plane arrives at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They will still be watching TV when we arrive at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
Para describir una acción habitual en el futuro:
I will be meeting John at the airport every Monday at 9:00 a.m. from now on.
They will be going out every night this week.
Cómo se usa el Future Continuous en las preguntas
Para hacer preguntas con el Future Continuous, simplemente se invierte el orden del sujeto y el verbo to be. Por ejemplo:
Will you be meeting John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow?
Will they be going out tonight?
What will you be doing at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
Ejercicios
Ahora que ya sabes cómo se usa el Future Continuous, ¿por qué no practicas un poco con los siguientes ejercicios? Completa las frases con la forma correcta del verbo entre paréntesis:
I ___________ (meet) John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They ___________ (not/go) out tonight.
What ___________ (you/do) at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
I ___________ (study) English at 8:00 p.m. tonight.
I ___________ (meet) John at the airport ___________ (his plane/arrive) at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They ___________ (still/watch) TV ___________ (we/arrive) at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
I ___________ (meet) John at the airport every Monday at 9:00 a.m. ___________ (now/on).
They ___________ (go) out every night ___________ (this week).
___________ (you/meet) John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow?
___________ (they/go) out tonight?
___________ (you/do) at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
Respuestas
I will be meeting John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They will not be going out tonight.
What will you be doing at 8:00 p.m. tonight?
I will be studying English at 8:00 p.m. tonight.
I will be meeting John at the airport when his plane arrives at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.
They will still be watching TV when we arrive at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
I will be meeting John at the airport every Monday at 9:00 a.m. from now on.
They will be going out every night this week.
Will you be meeting John at the airport at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow?
