Master the Future Progressive in Spanish the Easy Way

The Spanish future progressive tense is the best tense for dreamy journeys in the future.

Just imagine sitting in a café on a winter afternoon with your friend. It’s chilly and windy outside. Suddenly you say, “Next Monday, at this hour, I’ll be eating a mango on a stick at the beach in Cancún.” 

Now both you and your friend are dreaming of the future.

And you just used the future progressive tense in English: “I’ll be eating…”

Are you ready to master this tense in Spanish?

In this post, I cover the future progressive in Spanish with details on how and when to use it. 

Challenge yourself with the new knowledge you’ve gathered by taking the quiz at the end!

What is the Future Progressive Tense in Spanish?

The future progressive in Spanish—also called the future continuous tense—is one of the options you have to discuss the future. 

Let’s go back to our Cancún daydream of eating mangoes at the beach. Your options to discuss the future include: 

I’m going to eat mangoes (near future)

I will eat mangoes (simple future)

I will be eating mangoes (future progressive tense)

The future progressive tense requires understanding the basics of the present continuous tense in Spanish and the simple future tense.

How to Form the Future Progressive

I’ve got good news! This Spanish tense is easy to form once you know two elements of Spanish grammar:

1. How to conjugate the verb estar in the future 
2. How to make present participles for -er, -ir, and -ar verbs

Let’s Explore the Spanish Future Progressive Formula

Estar in future simple tense + present participle

First, let’s review the conjugation of the verb estar in the future simple tense. After you feel confident in conjugating this verb, it’s time to move forward to the formation of present participles.

Spanish Conjugation: Estar in the Future Simple Tense

PRO TIP! Take note that there is no accent mark in the 1st person plural: estaremos. All the other forms have an accent over the last syllable.

The Formation of Present Participles in Spanish

Present participles in Spanish are also called gerunds. In English, these are the words that end in “-ing,” such as thinking, dancing, and cooking. 

In Spanish, you change the infinitive ending (-er, -ir, -ar) to the gerund ending.

For the -ar conjugations, swap the -ar with -ando.

• jugar (to play) – jugando
• cocinar (to cook) – cocinando
• amar (to love) – amando
• For the -er and -ir conjugations, you substitute the infinitive ending with -iendo.
• escribir (to write) – escribiendo
• comer (to eat) – comiendo
• vivir (to live) – viviendo

Some Exceptions

There are some exceptions to how gerunds are formed inside the -er and -ir conjugations. Taking note of these will help you to progress further in your Spanish fluency.

1. Verbs that end in two consecutive vowels have the gerund form with -yendo:

• caer (to fall) – cayendo
• leer (to read) – leyendo
• oír (to hear) – oyendo

2. Other verbs, usually within the -ir conjugation, undergo stem changes in their gerund form (e-i, o-u). 

• decir (to say) – diciendo
• dormir (to sleep) – durmiendo
• morir (to die) – muriendo
• pedir (to ask for) – pidiendo 
• sentir (to feel) – sintiendo
• vestir  (to dress) – vistiendo
• mentir (to lie) – mintiendo

When to Use the Future Progressive in Spanish

Luckily, you can use the future progressive in Spanish the same way you use the future progressive in English—to talk about something that will be happening at some specific time in the future.

Mañana a esta hora estaré bronceándome en playa.
Tomorrow at this time, I will be tanning on the beach.

En una semana estaré comiendo fruta fresca en México.
In a week, I will be eating fresh fruit in Mexico. 

En un mes ya no estarás estudiando veinticuatro horas al día.
In a month, you will no longer be studying twenty-four hours a day.

Challenge Yourself with these Spanish Exercises 

Now that you know the rules, take a crack at forming some sentences in future progressive tense in Spanish. 

Put the verb in brackets in the future progressive. Mind the grammatical person!

1. Cuando vengas, yo _________________ mi libro. (leer)
2. Mi mejor amiga _________________ mucho en mi el año que viene cuando nos vayamos a estudiar a diferentes ciudades. (pensar)
3. El domingo _________________ los pastelitos para tu fiesta.
4. Mañana a esta hora, ustedes _________________ a sus bebes para la sesión de fotos.
5. En Julio mis amigos _________________ por América Latina.
6. El año que viene _________________ mucho para tus exámenes finales.
7. Ya sé, la siguiente semana ella me _________________ otra vez.
8. Mañana no podré ir contigo, _________________ mi tesis.
9. A esta hora mañana mi papá y yo _________________ a Buenos Aires.
10. Pedro y Ana ya están en el avión. A esta hora mañana _________________ por las calles de Lima.

Click here for answers and translation.

Start Speaking Spanish Today!

Good job, you’ve mastered yet another Spanish tense! Now, if you’re ready to advance your fluency in the most effective way, then empower yourself to speak Spanish to a native speaker. Practicing your skills in real-time conversations not only improves your fluency, but also dramatically enhances your memory retention of vocabulary and grammar rules. 

To get the most out of real-time conversations in Spanish, try to find someone who has the ability to detect your mistakes and correct them. At Homeschool Spanish Academy, we offer a free class that you can sign up to today with one of our friendly, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. Practice the future progressive tense in Spanish conversation!

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Answer Key

1. estaré leyendo
2. estará pensando
3. estaremos
4. estarán vistiéndo
5. estarán viajando
6. estarás estudiando
7. estará mintiendo
8. estaré escribiendo
9. estarán caminando

Translation

1. When you come, I’ll be reading my book.
2. My best friend will be thinking about me a lot next year when we go to study in different cities.
3. On Sunday, we will be making cupcakes for your party.
4. Tomorrow at this time, you will be dressing your babies for the photo session.
5. In July, my friends will be traveling across Latin America.
6. Next year, you will be studying hard for your final exams.
7. I know, next week she’ll be lying to me again.
8. Tomorrow, I will not be able to go with you, I will be writing my thesis.
9. At this time tomorrow, my dad and I will be flying to Buenos Aires.
10. Pedro and Ana are already on the plane. At this time tomorrow, they will be walking through the streets of Lima.

• Author
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Olga Put

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I'm a Spanish philologist, teacher, and freelance writer with a Master's degree in Humanities from Madrid. I speak Polish, Spanish, and English fluently, and want to get better in Portuguese and German. A lover of literature, and Mexican spicy cuisine, I've lived in Poland, Spain, and Mexico and I'm currently living and teaching in Madeira, Portugal.

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