Explanation + Extra Activities
Future Verb Tenses: Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive
There are four main types of future tenses in English. Let’s look at each of them in simple terms.
1. Future Simple
The Future Simple tense is used to talk about things that will happen in the future.
- Structure:
[Subject] + will + [base verb] - Examples:
- I will study later. (I’m going to study, but I haven’t started yet.)
- She will go to the party. (She plans to go to the party in the future.)
- We will see a movie tomorrow. (This will happen tomorrow.)
2. Future Progressive (Future Continuous)
The Future Progressive tense describes actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. It’s used to talk about something that will continue over a period of time.
- Structure:
[Subject] + will be + [verb + -ing] - Examples:
- This time tomorrow, I will be studying. (I will be in the middle of studying at this specific time.)
- They will be playing football at 5 p.m. (They will be playing football, starting before and continuing during 5 p.m.)
- She will be traveling to New York next week. (She will be in the process of traveling.)
3. Future Perfect
The Future Perfect tense is used to show that something will be completed by a certain point in the future. It looks back at something from a point further ahead in time.
- Structure:
[Subject] + will have + [past participle verb] - Examples:
- By 8 p.m., I will have finished my homework. (I will be done with my homework before 8 p.m.)
- She will have left the office by the time you arrive. (She’ll be gone by the time you get there.)
- They will have eaten dinner before the movie starts. (They will complete dinner before the movie begins.)
4. Future Perfect Progressive (Future Perfect Continuous)
The Future Perfect Progressive tense shows that something will have been happening for a period of time by a certain future point. It emphasizes the duration of an action.
- Structure:
[Subject] + will have been + [verb + -ing] - Examples:
- By next year, I will have been working at this company for five years. (I will have completed five years of work by that time.)
- By 3 p.m., she will have been studying for three hours. (She will have spent three hours studying.)
- They will have been living in this city for a decade by the end of 2025. (They will complete 10 years of living in the city by that time.)
Summary of Future Tenses:
- Future Simple: Describes something that will happen.
Example: “I will go.” - Future Progressive: Describes an action that will be ongoing at a specific time.
Example: “I will be going.” - Future Perfect: Describes something that will be completed before a future time.
Example: “I will have gone.” - Future Perfect Progressive: Describes how long something will have been happening before a future time.
Example: “I will have been going for two hours.”
Extra Practice
Here’s the ESL quiz for all uses of future tense verbs (Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive) in 3 levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. The answers are listed at the bottom of each level.
BEGINNER LEVEL:
- I ______ (start) my new job next Monday.
a) will start
b) am starting
c) will have started - They ______ (visit) us tomorrow.
a) will visit
b) are visiting
c) will have visited - By the end of the week, we ______ (finish) the report.
a) will have finished
b) will finish
c) are finishing - She ______ (graduate) next year.
a) will graduate
b) is graduating
c) will have graduated - This time tomorrow, I ______ (fly) to Paris.
a) will fly
b) will be flying
c) am flying - They ______ (not / arrive) before 6 p.m. tonight.
a) won’t arrive
b) won’t be arriving
c) won’t have arrived - We ______ (watch) a movie together tonight.
a) will watch
b) are watching
c) will be watching - I ______ (move) into my new apartment soon.
a) am moving
b) will move
c) will have moved - He ______ (travel) to Japan next summer.
a) is traveling
b) will travel
c) will have traveled - By next month, I ______ (save) enough money to buy a new phone.
a) will save
b) will be saving
c) will have saved - She ______ (not / finish) her homework by the time class starts.
a) won’t finish
b) won’t be finishing
c) won’t have finished - I ______ (not / go) to the party tonight.
a) am not going
b) won’t go
c) will have gone - They ______ (play) football tomorrow afternoon.
a) will play
b) are playing
c) will be playing - I ______ (meet) my friend for lunch later today.
a) will meet
b) will be meeting
c) am meeting - The bus ______ (leave) at 7 p.m.
a) will leave
b) is leaving
c) will have left
Answers (Beginner):
- a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. a, 7. b, 8. b, 9. b, 10. c, 11. c, 12. a, 13. b, 14. c, 15. b
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL:
- They ______ (move) into their new house by the end of this year.
a) will have moved
b) will move
c) will be moving - This time tomorrow, I ______ (take) an important exam.
a) will take
b) will be taking
c) will have taken - By the time you arrive at the restaurant, I ______ (already / order) dinner.
a) will have ordered
b) will order
c) will be ordering - Next month, she ______ (work) here for five years.
a) will work
b) will have worked
c) will be working - We ______ (finish) the project by Friday afternoon.
a) will finish
b) will be finishing
c) will have finished - He ______ (not / finish) reading the book by the weekend.
a) won’t finish
b) won’t be finishing
c) won’t have finished - At 8 p.m. tonight, they ______ (have) dinner at their favorite restaurant.
a) will have
b) will be having
c) will have had - In a few years, I ______ (own) my own business.
a) will own
b) will have owned
c) will be owning - By the end of the day, she ______ (complete) the final report.
a) will be completing
b) will complete
c) will have completed - We ______ (not / decide) on the holiday destination by tomorrow.
a) won’t decide
b) won’t have decided
c) won’t be deciding - This time next week, I ______ (lie) on the beach.
a) will lie
b) will have lain
c) will be lying - The guests ______ (arrive) by 7 p.m.
a) will arrive
b) will have arrived
c) will be arriving - By tomorrow evening, I ______ (study) for ten hours straight.
a) will have studied
b) will be studying
c) will study - They ______ (travel) through Europe all summer long.
a) will have traveled
b) will be traveling
c) will travel - By next month, she ______ (save) enough money for her trip.
a) will save
b) will be saving
c) will have saved
Answers (Intermediate):
- a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. c, 6. c, 7. b, 8. a, 9. c, 10. b, 11. c, 12. b, 13. a, 14. b, 15. c
ADVANCED LEVEL:
- By the time you read this, I ______ (decide) on my future plans.
a) will decide
b) will have decided
c) will be deciding - This time next year, I ______ (work) on a new project.
a) will work
b) will be working
c) will have worked - In five years, we ______ (achieve) all of our business goals.
a) will achieve
b) will be achieving
c) will have achieved - He ______ (complete) the marathon by this time tomorrow.
a) will complete
b) will be completing
c) will have completed - By the time you get here, the movie ______ (already / start).
a) will have started
b) will be starting
c) will start - We ______ (not / finish) the report by tomorrow morning.
a) won’t finish
b) won’t be finishing
c) won’t have finished - By the time the sun rises, we ______ (drive) all night.
a) will have driven
b) will be driving
c) will drive - This time next week, I ______ (attend) an international conference.
a) will attend
b) will be attending
c) will have attended - They ______ (build) the new stadium by the end of next year.
a) will build
b) will be building
c) will have built - In a few hours, I ______ (complete) all my tasks for the day.
a) will complete
b) will have completed
c) will be completing - At this time tomorrow, she ______ (give) a presentation in front of the board.
a) will give
b) will have given
c) will be giving - By the time the guests arrive, we ______ (already / clean) the house.
a) will have cleaned
b) will be cleaning
c) will clean - By the end of this month, I ______ (live) in this apartment for three years.
a) will have lived
b) will be living
c) will live - They ______ (not / complete) the construction by the deadline.
a) won’t complete
b) won’t have completed
c) won’t be completing - In ten years, I ______ (achieve) my career goals.
a) will have achieved
b) will achieve
c) will be achieving
Answers (Advanced):
- b, 2. b, 3. c, 4. c, 5. a, 6. c, 7. a, 8. b, 9. c, 10. b, 11. c, 12. a, 13. a, 14. b, 15. a