You’re probably teaching future progressive because it’s in the curriculum, and you need to cover it before the next unit test. Maybe you’re teaching it because your students keep saying “I will work at 8 pm” when they mean “I will be working at 8 pm,” and the difference matters.
Either way, you’re here. And future progressive is pretty durn useful, even if it doesn’t feel as essential as present perfect or any of the simple tenses.
The future progressive describes actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future. Simple future’s “I will eat dinner” describes the action as a whole event that will happen.
Future progressive’s “I will be eating dinner” emphasizes that at a specific future moment, you’ll be in the middle of eating.
Or more simply: “I will eat dinner at 7 pm” means dinner starts at 7 pm. “I will be eating dinner at 7 pm” means dinner started some time before 7 o’clock and when the clock starts chiming 7 times, you’ve already been eating for a while.
That distinction between simple future and future progressive helps students express their plans, schedules, and future events more precisely.
So let’s talk about how to teach this tense without making everyone’s eyes glaze over.
What Is Future Progressive?
Future progressive is formed with: will + be + present participle (-ing)
She will be presenting at 2 pm tomorrow.
The structure itself is straightforward. Three words with a predictable pattern that’s easy to memorize. The tricky part is understanding WHEN to use it and WHY it matters.
So…when do we use future progressive?
Future progressive describes actions that will be in progress at a specific moment in the future.
The mayor will be announcing the winners during her speech tomorrow afternoon. The mayor will begin her speech, and at some point DURING the speech (while it’s in progress), she’ll announce the winners. She might end immediately after or keep talking. The point is the announcement happens during an ongoing event.
Future progressive also describes longer actions interrupted by shorter actions:
They will be adding the finishing touches to the decorations when the doors open. They started (or will start) decorating before the doors open. When the doors DO open, they’ll still be decorating. The door opening interrupts the ongoing decoration work.
With my luck, I’ll be driving down the highway when my tire blows out. Right now, I’m not on the highway. But at some point in the future, I’ll be driving (ongoing action), and DURING that ongoing driving, the tire will blow out (interrupting action).
One important note: future progressive doesn’t work with stative verbs (love, know, want, believe, understand). Those verbs describe states, not actions in progress, so they don’t take progressive forms.
So…why does simple future just not cut it?
Here’s what you’ll encounter: students who don’t see the point of future progressive.
“Teacher, why can’t I just say ‘I will meet with my study group at 6 pm’? Why do I need ‘I will be meeting with my study group at 6 pm’?”
It’s a fair question. Native speakers often use simple future in casual conversation, and people understand what they mean from context.
But there ARE situations where future progressive is clearer and more natural. You need to show students when it matters.
1. Making Plans and Explaining Conflicts
Future progressive is perfect for explaining why you can’t do something because you’ll be busy doing something else.
I need to reschedule because I will be meeting with my study group at the library at 6 pm tonight. This makes it clear you’ll be occupied during that time, not just meeting at 6 pm as a starting point.
2. Scheduling Appointments
When scheduling conflicts arise, future progressive clarifies ongoing commitments.
I will be meeting with my boss at 10 am next Wednesday, so I don’t think I can make it at 11. How about around 1 pm or on Thursday instead? “I will meet with my boss at 10 am” sounds like a quick appointment that might be done within 15 minutes or so. “I will be meeting with my boss” emphasizes you’ll be occupied during that time block.
3. Describing Future Events
When explaining why you’re unavailable, future progressive makes your commitment sound more concrete.
Could I give my presentation on a different day? I will be attending my sister’s wedding this weekend, so I won’t have much time to prepare. “I will attend my sister’s wedding” states a fact. “I will be attending my sister’s wedding” emphasizes the ongoing nature of the event and your involvement in it.
These distinctions are subtle, but they matter in professional and social contexts.
3 Tips for Teaching Future Progressive
Grammar guides and worksheets have their place. Many students find that format familiar and comfortable. When you’re teaching in an intensive English program with limited time, worksheets are efficient.
But if you want students to actually REMEMBER and USE future progressive, you need to add interactive elements. Not every lesson needs to be a game or role-play, but those activities make the grammar memorable.
Think of worksheets as the main dish that fills you up. Interactive activities are the dessert that leaves the sweet taste.
1. Use Real-Life Materials
Bring in authentic examples of future progressive from real sources: news articles, social media posts, blog entries, schedules, appointment confirmations.
Show students how the tense appears in natural, everyday language. Not just in textbook examples.
I once showed students a screenshot of a text conversation where someone said “Sorry, I’ll be working late tonight, can we reschedule?” That one authentic example made future progressive seem useful and necessary for several students who’d been skeptical up to then.
2. Make It Personal
Ask students to think about their own schedules and plans. Have them practice using future progressive to describe what they’ll be doing at specific times as reasons for not doing something else.
“I’d love to help you move, but I’ll be watching my daughter’s drum performance tomorrow.”
“I can’t make that meeting because I’ll be taking my certification exam all afternoon.”
When students apply the tense to their actual lives, it becomes meaningful instead of mechanical.
3. Role-Play Realistic Scenarios
Use role plays to give students practice in situations where they’d need to use future progressive:
- making plans with a friend who suggests a time when you’ll be busy
- scheduling a doctor’s appointment that conflicts with work
- explaining to a coworker why you can’t attend a meeting
- coordinating schedules with a study group
- declining an invitation because of a prior commitment
These scenarios force students to use future progressive naturally in conversation, not just in isolated grammar exercises.
Speaking and Writing Practice Ideas for Future Progressive
Students need tons of practice producing future progressive in both spoken and written forms.
Speaking Exercises
Have students work in pairs or small groups to role-play scenarios requiring future progressive:
- Pretend to make plans with a friend while explaining your schedule conflicts.
- Schedule a meeting with a colleague who keeps suggesting times when you’ll be busy.
- Coordinate a group project where everyone has different availability.
Another approach: have students take turns describing their plans for the upcoming week using future progressive. “On Monday, I’ll be attending my son’s parent-teacher conference. On Tuesday, I’ll be working late. On Wednesday, I’ll be studying for my exam…”
Then have partners build on each other’s answers: “While you’re attending that conference on Monday, I’ll be volunteering at the food bank.”
These speaking exercises develop fluency and help students internalize the structure through repetition.
Writing Exercises
Have students write short paragraphs using future progressive to describe their plans:
“Next month will be busy for me. I’ll be training for a 5K race, so I’ll be running every morning. I’ll also be taking an online course on Saturdays, and I’ll be volunteering at the animal shelter on Sundays. By the end of the month, I’ll be exhausted but proud of everything I accomplished.”
Another option: have students write a short story or narrative using future progressive to describe events that will be taking place.
Writing practice helps students think carefully about when future progressive is appropriate versus when simple future works better.
2 Easy Future Progressive Games to Try
Games make grammar practice more engaging and less tedious. Here are a few that work well for future progressive:
Matching Game
Create flashcards or use an online platform like Quizlet. Students match sentence beginnings with appropriate endings, all using future progressive.
“I will be studying…” / “…at the library all afternoon.”
“She will be traveling…” / “…in Europe next month.”
“They will be working…” / “…on the project all week.”
Speed makes it competitive and keeps students engaged.
Future Progressive Tic-Tac-Toe
Students complete sentences using future progressive to capture squares on a tic-tac-toe board.
You can put the base form of a verb in each square so students know ahead of time what verb they need. Or use numbers and only reveal the verb after they’ve chosen a square. First player (or team) to get three in a row wins.
This combines grammar practice with strategy and competition, which keeps students focused.
Common Student Mistakes
Watch out for these errors and address them explicitly:
Forgetting “be”: Students might say “I will working” instead of “I will be working.” Drill the full structure repeatedly.
Using it with stative verbs: Students might say “I will be knowing the answer tomorrow.” Doesn’t work. Stative verbs don’t take progressive forms.
Confusing with present progressive: Students sometimes mix up “I am working tomorrow” (present progressive for near future plans) with “I will be working tomorrow” (future progressive). Explain that both can refer to future, but future progressive is more formal and emphasizes ongoing nature.
Overusing it: Some students, once they learn future progressive, use it EVERYWHERE. Teach them when simple future is truly more appropriate. Not every future action needs to be progressive.
The Bottom Line
Future progressive isn’t the most exciting verb tense to teach. It’s not as crucial as present perfect or as conceptually tricky as past perfect. But it IS useful for clearly and precisely expressing plans, schedules, and future events.
Is perfection the goal? Absolutely not! Future progressive lessons are for giving students another tool for expressing themselves clearly and naturally in English.
So teach the structure. Show them authentic examples. Give them practice in realistic scenarios. Make it relevant to their lives.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
For a comprehensive grammar guide and accompanying worksheets, take a look at my future progressive pack in my TpT store.
Read more about teaching grammar in adult ESL:
Teaching The Present Progressive Tense: Because the Past Tense is So Yesterday
4 Fun Past Progressive Activities for Teaching Adult ESL Students
4 Fun Simple Future Grammar Activities for Adult ESL
6 Exciting Subject-Verb Agreement Games & Activities for Adult ESL
