“Will you be having the scallops or the chicken, sir?” asked the waiter.
“I will choose the beef stroganoff, actually,” replied the man.
“Excellent sir. Our chef will have finished cooking that in about thirty minutes.”
This delicious conversation illustrates three of the four forms of the future tense, just some of the twelve verb tenses.
The future simple tense expresses future facts, actions, or events that will certainly happen.
- I will choose.
The future perfect tense expresses actions that will be completed in the future, before other actions that follow.
- Our chef will have finished cooking that in about thirty minutes.
The future progressive tense expresses actions that will be in progress in the future.
- Will you be having the scallops or the chicken, sir?
The future perfect continuous (progressive) tense expresses continuous actions that have concluded by a certain point in the future.
- I will have been baking the cake for 45 minutes when the clock hits 4:00.
How to Form the Future Simple Tense
Subject + will + [infinitive verb without to]
- I will eat dinner.
- You will work only a few hours today.
- She will play basketball on Sunday.
- They will run a marathon.
- We will jump rope with our friends.
Contractions
- I will = I’ll
- You will = you’ll
- He will = he’ll
- She will = she’ll
- We will = we’ll
- They will = they’ll
- It will = it’ll
(For more information about the infinite form, check out the guide titled “The Infinitive.”)
To make the negative version: Subject + will + not + [infinite verb without to]
- We will not tolerate your misbehavior any longer.
- I will not let you say that about my family.
To make the interrogative (question) version: [Will or Shall] + subject + [infinite verb without to] ?
- Will you be the best man at my wedding?
- Shall we head home, my darling?
Note: In modern English, shall is less commonly used than will.
When to Use the Future Simple Tense
Use the future simple tense to communicate future actions that will occur, including…
1. To predict a future event
- You will find a good husband, I promise.
- It’ll be okay in the end.
2. To announce a decision or willingness to do something
- I will go and fight the dragon.
- Your father will talk to your teacher about this grade.
3. In the interrogative form (with will or shall), to ask a question regarding someone’s decision
- Will you marry me?
- Shall we dance?
4. In the negative form, to announce a resistance or unwillingness
- I will not go and fight the dragon.
- We will not play along with your silly games.
5. To make a command
- You will eat your vegetables, and you will like it!
- Our son will not go to school when he’s sick.
How to Form the Future Perfect Tense
Subject + will have + [verb past participle]
- I will have finished my run by the time you wake up.
- You will have completed your Master’s degree before thirty years old.
- She will have demonstrated her value to the company.
- They will have eaten all of our food.
- We will have weathered ten Michigan winters together, after this year.
Note: the past participle is the -ed or -d form of a verb, the most basic past form.
To make the negative version: Subject + will not have (or won’t have) + [verb past participle]
- She will not have arrived by Christmas morning.
- I will not have touched the presents before her arrival.
To make the interrogative version: Will + subject + have [past participle] ?
- Will Ricky’s flight have landed by then?
- Will the host have served dinner by that time?
When to Use the Future Perfect Tense
Use the future perfect tense when an action will have finished at a future point, including…
1. To explain that something will (or will not) have been completed before a deadline
- I will have submitted all my work before it’s due.
- My son will have turned in all his work when the semester ends.
2. In the interrogative, to ask if an action will be completed by a certain point.
- Will you have completed the training by the time work starts?
- Will the game have been finished by the time we go out to dinner?
How to Form the Future Progressive/Continuous Tense
Subject + will be + present participle
- I will be watching you. -Sting
- You will be working with your study group every night.
- She will be helping you every step of the way.
- They will be calling out directions from the sideline.
- We will be sending you care packages on holidays.
Note: the present participle is the -ing form of a verb.
To make the negative version: Subject + [will not or won’t] be + present participle
- Sandra won’t be joining us this evening. (In evil voice)
- You will not be going on our field trip today.
- They will not be coming over for Thanksgiving this year.
To make the interrogative version: Will + subject + be + present participle ?
- Will you be sleeping over tonight?
- Will we be getting back together?
- Will I be seeing her again?
When to Use the Future Progressive Tense
Use the future perfect tense when an action will be in progress, unfinished, at a future point, including…
1. To declare future circumstances for ourselves and others
- This time next year, I’ll be lounging on a beach in Hawaii.
- After our team wins, we’ll be partying with celebrities in Vegas.
- Five years from now, you’ll be waking up in your dream home.
2. To predict future events
- She’ll be crawling back to me before too long.
- I’ll be missing you a lot on my trip.
- You’ll be wishing you brough sunglasses.
3. In the interrogative form, to ask someone’s intentions politely
- Will you be bringing an ambrosia salad to the Christmas party?
- What will you be doing this summer?
- Who will be hosting the staff dinner this year?
How to Form the Future Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense
Subject + will have been + present participle
- I will have been playing basketball for several hours at that point.
- You will have been working for thirty years when you retire.
- She will have been practicing good sleep habits for several years by then.
- They will have been living together for most of their lives.
- You will have been studying English for how long?
Note: the present participle is the -ing form of a verb.
To make the negative future perfect continuous: Subject +will not have been + present participle
- We will not have been doing this very long.
- I won’t have been helping much, if that’s the result.
To make the interrogative future perfect continuous: Will + subject + have been + present participle?
- Will we have been walking for that long?
- Will you have been teaching for thirty years by then?
When to Use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Since the future perfect continuous tense allows us to look back on a continuous action from a future point in time, you can use it to…
Plan future situations relating to time
- You will have been working for eight hours by the time six pm rolls around.
- By the time you arrive, I will have been standing at the entrance for like forty five minutes!
The future tenses might seem daunting, but learning about each tense — past, present, or future — helps you understand the other tenses better, because the simple, perfect, progressive, and perfect progressive forms follow the same rules, no matter which tense. So try not to be tense, consult this guide when you feel stuck about the future tense, and look forward to that inevitable moment in the future when these verb-tense rules become second nature in your writing.
