Types of Future Tenses

There are lots of ways to talk about the future, so we need several types of the future tense. Here
we will discuss four important types: the simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future
perfect continuous, and each has their own important purpose.

a. Simple Future

You can use the simple future to talk about something (like an action or event) that will happen any
time in the future, and also to talk about something that will happen one time. In the simple future,
we use the base form of the verb with a modal auxiliary, like will. So, the simple future follows the
form Subject + modal + Base Verb.

I will eat a cheeseburger for dinner.

Jane might buy a new car tomorrow.

You will look great in that dress!

She should pass the exam, I’m not worried.

b. Future Continuous

The future continuous tense talk about things will be happening continuously in the future. To show
this, we use a modal, the verb to be, and a verb ending in ing. Sentences in the future continuous
tense follow the Subject + modal + Verb to be + ing Verb model:

Jane will be driving to work.

I will be eating a cheeseburgers until the day I die.

They should be running the race at 6pm.

The dogs could be barking loudly when you arrive.

c. Future Perfect

The future perfect tense shows that an event will have happened before another thing in the future.
It often expresses that by the time one action or event happens, another will have happened. To use
the future perfect, we need to place the modal will and the auxiliary have before the past form of
the main verb (this shows that we “will have done” an action). Using a past verb in the future tense
may seem confusing, but remember, it’s to show that something will have happened before another
thing, so we need it!

So, a sentence written in the future perfect should follow the Subject + will + have + Past form of
main verb pattern:

Jane will have traveled the world by the time she turns 30.

When you get home I will have eaten dinner already, but we can go out for dessert!

They will have lived in 10 states once they move to New York.

He will have taken the exam already, so he won’t need to study more.

d. Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect continuous describes events and/or actions that have been going on continuously
until a certain time in the future. Often, it’s used to show cause and effect; in other words, because
one thing will have been happening, another will happen. To use it, we need to combine have and
been with the continuous form of the verb (ending in ing), this shows that the action or event “will
have been” happening.

A sentence in the future perfect continuous follows Subject + modal + have been + ing Verb:

Jane will have been working for 12 hours, so I don’t think she will want to cook.

I should have been watering the plants every day; I hope they won’t die.

They will have been living in that house for 10 years this March.

He will have been driving since noon, so he will need a rest.

The 4 Future
Examples Uses
Tenses

 I will go.
The simple future tense is used
simple future  We will celebrate our
for an action that will occur in
tense anniversary by flying to
the future.
New York.

 I will be going.
 The Moscow State
future The future progressive tense is
Circus will be
progressive used for an on-going action
performing in
tense that will occur in the future.
Cheltenham for the next
3 weeks.

 I will have gone.

The future perfect tense is
 By the time you arrive,
future perfect used to describe an action that
we will have finished
tense will have been completed at
the meal and the
some point in the future.
speeches.

The future perfect progressive

 I will have been going.
tense is used for an on-going
future perfect  In July next year, you
action that will be completed at
progressive will have been studying
some specified time in the
for three years.
future.
What is Tense?

The term tense is derived from Latin word ‘Tempus” meaning time. Tense is used to indicate time in
English language. It has been broadly classified into three groups – Present Tense, Past Tense and
Future Tense.

Let’s learn more about Future Tense and Its Types:

Future Simple Tense

This is used when an action is going to take place in future.

Example: I will go there tomorrow.

Sentence Formation:

Here, auxiliary verb ‘will’ and first form of verb are used.

Positive: They will come here

Negative: They will not come here

Interrogative: Will they come here?

Future Continuous Tense

It is used to express a continued or ongoing action in future.

Example: I will be waiting for you tomorrow.

Sentence Formation:

Here, auxiliary verb ‘will be’ and first form of verb along with present participle ‘ing’ are used.

Positive: I will be waiting for you.

Negative: I will not be waiting for you.

Interrogative: Will I be waiting for you?

Future perfect Tense

This indicates an action which will occur and completed in future.

Example: John will have gone tomorrow.

Sentence Formation:

Here, auxiliary verb ‘will have’ and third form of verb (past particle) are used.

Positive: You will have started a job.

Negative: You will not have started a job.

Interrogative: Will you have started a job?

Future Perfect Continuous

It is used to indicate an ongoing action which will start and continue for sometime in future.

Example: He will have been playing in this team since 2006

In this case, auxiliary verb ‘will have been’, first form of verb along with present participle and time
reference ‘for’ and ‘since’ are used.

Positive: I will have been waiting for him for three hours.

Negative: I will not have been waiting for him for three hours.

Interrogative: Will she have been playing cricket since 2014?

Simple Future (Future Indefinite) Tense

The simple future tense is used when an action is promised/thought to occur in the future.

Structure:

Subject + shall/will + verb + . . . . . . . .

Example:
o We shall move to another city.

o He will come to New York tomorrow.

o They will make a phone which has artificial intelligence.

Note: The structure of the present progressive tense also can be used when an action is
promised/arranged/planned to take place in the near future.

Example:

o We are moving to Texas next week.

o The bus is leaving at 6.00 PM.

Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous tense is used when an action is promised/thought to be going on at a specific
time/context in the future.

Structure:

Subject + shall/will + be + verb+ing . . . . . . . .

Example:

o I shall be sleeping at around 6.00 AM tomorrow.

o They will be playing at this time tomorrow.

o She will be watching TV when I come home.

o I will be working in the office while you watch a movie.

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to demonstrate an action which is promised to be done by a certain
time in the future.

Structure:

Subject + shall/will + have + verb in the past participle . . . . . . . .

Example:

o I shall have completed the assignment by Monday.

o She will have cleaned the house before her father comes.

o Alex will have submitted the tender by tomorrow.

o Before I go to see her, she will have left the place.

o They will have finished making the bridge by January.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Note: There is no practical use of this tense.