Future Progressive | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

The future progressive (futuro progresivo) describes actions that will be happening — in progress, not yet complete — at some point in the future. It combines the future of estar with the gerund (-ando / -iendo).

Formation

The future progressive is a two-part verb form:

estar (future) + gerund

Conjugate estar in the simple future, and add the gerund of your main verb. As with all progressive tenses, the gerund does not change to match the subject.

Future of Estar

Subject	Form
yo	estaré
tú	estarás
él / ella / usted	estará
nosotros / nosotras	estaremos
ellos / ellas / ustedes	estarán

Estar is regular in the future (stem estar- + endings), so no special memorization is needed.

The Gerund

Form the gerund by dropping the infinitive ending and adding:

-ar verbs → -ando (trabajar → trabajando)
-er verbs → -iendo (comer → comiendo)
-ir verbs → -iendo (escribir → escribiendo)

A few verbs have spelling changes in the gerund: leer → leyendo, oír → oyendo, dormir → durmiendo, pedir → pidiendo.

Trabajar in the Future Progressive

Subject	Form
yo	estaré trabajando
tú	estarás trabajando
él / ella / usted	estará trabajando
nosotros / nosotras	estaremos trabajando
ellos / ellas / ustedes	estarán trabajando

Mañana a las ocho estaré trabajando en la oficina.

Tomorrow at eight I will be working at the office.

When to Use the Future Progressive

Use it to emphasize that an action will be in progress — ongoing, not just completed — at a future moment. English speakers often mark this with "will be" + -ing.

A esa hora estaremos durmiendo.

At that time we will be sleeping.

Cuando llegues, estaré cocinando la cena.

When you arrive, I will be cooking dinner.

Los niños estarán jugando en el parque toda la tarde.

The kids will be playing in the park all afternoon.

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If English uses "will be + verb-ing," Spanish's future progressive is usually a good match. But beware: Spanish uses this construction less often than English does, often preferring the plain simple future or ir + a + infinitive.

Simple Future vs. Future Progressive

The simple future says what will happen; the future progressive says that an action will be in progress. The difference is often subtle.

Mañana estudiaré toda la tarde.

Tomorrow I will study all afternoon. (simple, plain future)

Mañana a las tres estaré estudiando.

Tomorrow at three I will be studying. (in-progress at that moment)

Both are correct. Choose the progressive when you want to spotlight that the action is unfolding at a specific future moment.

Less Common Than in English

Spanish does not rely on progressive tenses as heavily as English. An English sentence like "I'll be arriving tomorrow" is usually rendered in Spanish as a plain future or ir + a:

Llegaré mañana. / Voy a llegar mañana.

I'll be arriving tomorrow.

The future progressive is reserved for cases where you really want to emphasize duration or the in-the-middle-ness of the action.

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Do not translate every English "will be + -ing" into a Spanish future progressive. In many cases, a plain future or ir + a sounds more natural. Use the future progressive when ongoing action at a specific future moment is the whole point.

Future Progressive for Probability

Just like the simple future, the future progressive can also express probability. Here, it's a guess about what someone is currently doing.

Estará durmiendo todavía.

She must still be sleeping.

Estarán celebrando en la casa de Juan.

They must be celebrating at Juan's house.

This usage is common and colorful — a way to imagine what's happening elsewhere without being sure.

Word Order with Pronouns

Object and reflexive pronouns can go before estar or attach to the end of the gerund. When attached, you'll need to add a written accent to maintain the original stress.

Te estaré esperando. / Estaré esperándote.

I will be waiting for you.

Me estaré preparando para el examen. / Estaré preparándome para el examen.

I will be preparing for the exam.

Common Time Phrases

These phrases fit naturally with the future progressive:

Phrase	Meaning
a esta hora mañana	at this time tomorrow
toda la mañana / tarde / noche	all morning / afternoon / night
cuando llegues	when you arrive
durante la clase	during class

A esta hora mañana estaremos viajando a Costa Rica.

At this time tomorrow we will be traveling to Costa Rica.

Congratulations — you've now seen all the main tools Spanish uses to talk about the future. Practice by mixing the simple future, ir + a, the future perfect, and the future progressive in your own sentences.