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
Future Tenses Quiz: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Instructions: Choose the correct future tense (Simple Future, Future Progressive, Future Perfect, or Future Perfect Progressive) for each sentence. Questions will get progressively harder as you go!
Beginner Level
1. I ______ (call) you tomorrow to discuss the details.
a) will call
b) will be calling
c) will have called
2. They ______ (leave) at 8 a.m. sharp.
a) will leave
b) will have been leaving
c) will have left
3. By this evening, I ______ (finish) all the cleaning.
a) will finish
b) will be finishing
c) will have finished
4. At this time tomorrow, she ______ (study) in the library.
a) will study
b) will have studied
c) will be studying
5. We ______ (not / arrive) before the meeting starts.
a) will not arrive
b) will not be arriving
c) will not have arrived
6. They ______ (watch) TV when you come back.
a) will watch
b) will be watching
c) will have watched
7. By the end of the week, I ______ (save) enough for the trip.
a) will save
b) will be saving
c) will have saved
8. Next weekend, I ______ (attend) a wedding.
a) will attend
b) will be attending
c) will have attended
9. The train ______ (not / leave) until 7 p.m.
a) will not leave
b) will not have been leaving
c) will not have left
10. This time next year, they ______ (travel) across Europe.
a) will travel
b) will be traveling
c) will have traveled
Answers – Beginner Level:
- a, 2) a, 3) c, 4) c, 5) b, 6) b, 7) c, 8) a, 9) a, 10) b
Intermediate Level
1. By the end of the month, we ______ (complete) the project.
a) will complete
b) will be completing
c) will have completed
2. She ______ (work) at the company for two years by next March.
a) will work
b) will have been working
c) will be working
3. At 10 a.m. tomorrow, they ______ (present) their findings to the team.
a) will presented
b) will be presenting
c) will have presented
4. By the time you arrive, I ______ (clean) the entire house.
a) will clean
b) will be cleaning
c) will have cleaned
5. They ______ (not / arrive) at the party by 8 p.m.
a) will not arrive
b) will not be arriving
c) will not have arrived
6. Next month, he ______ (write) his third novel.
a) will write
b) will be writing
c) will have written
7. By this time tomorrow, we ______ (pack) everything for the trip.
a) will pack
b) will be packing
c) will have packed
8. They ______ (not / finish) their assignment before the deadline.
a) will not finish
b) will not be finishing
c) will not have finished
9. At this time next year, I ______ (live) in a new apartment.
a) will live
b) will have lived
c) will be living
10. By 5 p.m., he ______ (wait) for an hour.
a) will wait
b) will be waiting
c) will have been waiting
Answers – Intermediate Level:
- c, 2) b, 3) b, 4) c, 5) c, 6) b, 7) c, 8) c, 9) c, 10) c
Advanced Level
1. By the end of the year, she ______ (run) her own business for five years.
a) will run
b) will be running
c) will have been running
2. At 9 a.m. tomorrow, he ______ (have) breakfast with a client.
a) will have
b) will have had
c) will be having
3. They ______ (finish) building the new stadium by next summer.
a) will finish
b) will have finished
c) will be finishing
4. This time tomorrow, I ______ (fly) to a different country.
a) will fly
b) will be flying
c) will have flown
5. By the time you arrive, they ______ (already / prepare) the room.
a) will already prepare
b) will already have prepared
c) will already be preparing
6. In two years, I ______ (achieve) all my goals.
a) will achieve
b) will have achieved
c) will be achieving
7. At midnight, they ______ (still / work) on the project.
a) will still work
b) will still have worked
c) will still be working
8. By next Friday, we ______ (complete) the entire curriculum.
a) will complete
b) will have completed
c) will be completing
9. This time next week, he ______ (travel) through South America for a month.
a) will travel
b) will be traveling
c) will have traveled
10. By 11 a.m. tomorrow, I ______ (work) for ten hours straight.
a) will work
b) will be working
c) will have been working
Answers – Advanced Level:
- c, 2) c, 3) b, 4) b, 5) b, 6) b, 7) c, 8) b, 9) b, 10) c