Uses and meanings

The Spanish future progressive tense (futuro progresivo) allows you to express ongoing actions that will take place in the future. This guide will help you master its uses and meanings.

Formation

To form the future progressive, combine the future tense of “estar” with the present participle (-ando/-iendo):

PersonFuture of “estar”Present Participle
yoestaréhablando
estaráshablando
él/ella/Ud.estaráhablando
nosotrosestaremoshablando
vosotrosestaréishablando
ellos/ellas/Uds.estaránhablando

Uses and Meanings

The future progressive serves several distinct purposes in Spanish communication:

1. Describing Ongoing Future Actions

The primary use is to describe actions that will be in progress at a future time. This emphasizes the continuous nature of the action:

“Estaré trabajando todo el día mañana.” (I will be working all day tomorrow.)

“Los niños estarán durmiendo cuando llegues.” (The children will be sleeping when you arrive.)

2. Emphasizing Duration

Use this tense when you want to stress that an action will continue for an extended period:

“Durante las vacaciones, estaremos viajando por Europa.” (During the vacation, we will be traveling through Europe.)

“Este tiempo mañana, estaré volando hacia Madrid.” (This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Madrid.)

3. Parallel Future Actions

Express two or more actions occurring simultaneously in the future:

“Mientras yo estaré cocinando, ella estará poniendo la mesa.” (While I will be cooking, she will be setting the table.)

4. Polite Future Plans

The future progressive can soften statements about future plans, making them sound more tentative and polite:

“¿Estarás usando el coche esta tarde?” (Will you be using the car this afternoon?)

Special Considerations

Time Markers

Common time markers used with the future progressive include:

  • Mañana (tomorrow)
  • La próxima semana/mes/año (next week/month/year)
  • Mientras (while)
  • Durante (during)
  • Este tiempo + future time reference (this time + tomorrow/next week)

Contrast with Simple Future

The future progressive emphasizes the ongoing nature of actions, while the simple future focuses on the action itself:

Future Progressive: “Estaré estudiando cuando llegues.” (I will be studying when you arrive.)

Simple Future: “Estudiaré cuando llegues.” (I will study when you arrive.)

The progressive version emphasizes that the studying will be in progress, while the simple future merely states that the action will occur.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Don’t use the future progressive for momentary actions: Incorrect: “Estaré llegando a las 3.” Correct: “Llegaré a las 3.”
  2. Avoid using it for habitual future actions: Incorrect: “Estaré trabajando aquí todos los días.” Correct: “Trabajaré aquí todos los días.”

Remember that the Spanish future progressive tense is specifically for actions that will be ongoing at a future time. It adds a layer of continuity and duration that the simple future tense doesn’t convey.

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