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future progressive tense

future progressive tense

6.2
A verb form showing an action that will be happening at a certain time in the future
  • noun
  • /ˈfjuːtʃər prəˈɡrɛsɪv tɛns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tiempo futuro progresivo
  • By this time tomorrow, I will be working at my new job; this is the future progressive tense.

Examples

  • The future progressive tense is used in 'She will be studying all night.'

  • In the sentence 'They will be playing soccer at 3 PM,' the verb form illustrates the future progressive tense.

  • Teachers often explain the future progressive tense when discussing English verb forms.

  • Don't forget to practice the future progressive tense for your test!

  • Are you familiar with the future progressive tense?

  • The future progressive tense indicates an action that will be in progress at a specified future time.

  • When learning English, students should understand the future progressive tense to describe ongoing future activities.

Synonyms

future progressive
vsfuture progressive tense
  • Specialized
5.5

A verb tense that shows an action will be happening at a future time

is the fuller label for the same verb tense

Antonyms

4.0

Shows an action that was happening at a certain time in the past

future perfect tense
  • Specialized
5.1

A verb form that shows an action will finish before a future time

Surface Forms

Morphology

future + progressive + tense

The meaning is directly compositional: 'future' (time to come) + 'progressive' (action in progress) + 'tense' (verb form indicating time/aspect) combine to indicate a verb form for ongoing actions in the future. This is a standard grammatical label with close equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The term future progressive tense joins future (a time not here yet) and progressive (showing something 'in progress') and uses forms like will be + -ing to show an action happening over time. So, it means an action that will be 'continuing' at a particular time in the future.