[Grammar] Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside"

[cruyf]

Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside"

​Hello all,

I'd like to ask about a specific use of future progressive tense which has confused me.
Below please find the context:

I am at a restaurant and I go to the bar to order my food. There is a waiter at the bar and he asks whether I am eating at the restaurant or taking away. Then I reply as '' I will be sitting outside.'' The waiter then replies: ''Please take a seat, we will come to you and take your order.'' (By the way, there is an available seat outside and it is free to sit whenever there is an available place at this restaurant.)

Instead of simple future tense as such 'I will sit outside' or present continous tense as such 'I am sitting outside' , is it correct and natural for a native speaker to use future progressive in this context and say 'I will be sitting outside?'

If my intention was to deliberately guide the waiter where to find me in a large restaurant while they look for me, the phrase 'I will be sitting outside' would be appropriate for sure I guess.
However it is a small restuarant where seatings outside are quite visible from inside. There is no need to search for me.

Nevertheless, outside is crowded whereas inside is pretty unoccuppied. In order to accelarate my service in case there might be new clients inside that they can take care first, can I stress where I sit this way as subtle guidance and use future progressive?

Regardless of size of the restaurant, can I simply relate the action of waiter which is being ready to take my order and my action which is sitting outside therefore use future progressive? (when he is ready and taking the orders I will be sitting outside)

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[jutfrank]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

The answer to the first question is yes.

As for the second question, if you're asking whether there's anything about the grammar of the question that will accelerate the service, then no. However, the very act of saying something could have such an effect, depending on how you say it.

I don't understand your third question.

 

[cruyf]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

Thanks jutfrank your reply.

Let me explain this way. For example if a friend of mine joins me at a restaurant I reply him 'I will be sitting outside' so that when he arrives he can find me easily without looking for me much.
The waiter indeed doesn't even have to look for me in a small restaurant, he can easily spot me. So I was questioning meaning of 'I will be sitting outside' to the waiter in my scenario explained above which comes from using future progressive tense. (as I tried to elaborate in my second sentence in the original post)

However regardless of the tense if I reply him as such 'I will sit outside'', I'm sitting outside' etc. I still inform him where he can find me. So I was thinking using future progressive simply relates the two actions in different time frame which I tried to explain in my third question, waiter comes to take my order and I sit outside: I will be sitting outside when the waiter comes and take my order. It doesn't matter if he can spot me easily in a small restaurant.

In terms of meaning, using future progressive maybe sounds a bit formal and assertive as I stress the state of sitting outside. Aside from that, I incline to think there is no meaning difference at all between using future progressive, present continous and simple future etc. What do you think? Thanks again.

 

[jutfrank]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

I still don't really understand what you're asking.

I assume that you are inside when you make this statement, so the present progressive I'm sitting outside is not very appropriate. Since you're pointing to a point in future time (the point when the waiter is ready to come and take your order) , the future progressive is more appropriate.

As you say, it is not necessary to say anything, since the waiter can see exactly where all the customers are. Whether the mere act of saying anything will encourage him to hurry up is a different question, unrelated to the choice of tense you use.

 

[cruyf]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

Hello justfrank, my scenario/context provided is just a casual conversation at a restaurant.

There is an available seat outside of the restaurant which I decide to sit.
I want to order my food and go inside. At the bar when I talk to the waiter to order my food he asks if I am taking away.
Then I casually reply. No, I will be sitting outside. (I answer that way casually instead of saying 'I will be eating here, it isn't a take away) Then the waiter says: Please take your seat, we will come to you and take your order. Because only take aways are ordered at the bar.

I basically ask if choice of future progressive tense has any meaning difference (like guidance of where I sit) over any other possible tenses in this context.
I only indicated present continous tense as an alternative way of saying as such I'm sitting outside (I've decided). If it sounds inappropriate in this context it is okey.

Hope it is more clear now.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

If I had already claimed a seat outside and then went inside to order, I'd say "I'm sitting outside". If I went inside first to order but had already decided that I would go outside and find a seat, I'd use "I'll be sitting outside".

You definitely can't use "I'll be seating outside" as you wrote in the previous post.

 

[cruyf]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

If I had already claimed a seat outside and then went inside to order, I'd say "I'm sitting outside". If I went inside first to order but had already decided that I would go outside and find a seat, I'd use "I'll be sitting outside".

You definitely can't use "I'll be seating outside" as you wrote in the previous post.

Thanks for the explanation. Can a native speaker use future progressive in either cases?
I've just adjusted the typo by the way.

 

[emsr2d2]

Re: Use of future progressive tense in a specific context: "I will be sitting outside

It wouldn't be wrong to use "I'll be sitting outside" in both scenarios.