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We can use future continuous almost the same was as present continuous to show that something was planned.

1 I'm visiting her next week

2 I will be visiting her next week

The meaning is pretty much identical. What about this sentence?

3 When she comes I will be playing.

Does 3 have two meanings? One when she comes I'm already engaged in playing. Second it's my plan to play for some time after her arrival. What's the answer?

Daba
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  • It is ambiguous although often understandable from context (is it something that can only be done when she comes or something unrelated to her coming?). If you plan to play after her arrival you're better to say "When she comes I will play" or "I'm going to play" or "I will start playing", or there are many other ways to avoid ambiguity e.g. with explicit time phrases or "after" (conversely, "at the time that..." indicates you're already). There is little point worrying over ambiguity when there are idiomatic ways to express it more precisely. – Stuart F Mar 29 '24 at 17:14
  • As Stuart says, the meaning is entirely dependent on context. If the speaker is a professional musician, they might say "When she comes I will be playing in a concert, so can you meet her at the station for me?". A sports person might say "When she comes I will be playing tennis all afternoon, so I've booked you both seats in the grandstand." – Kate Bunting Mar 30 '24 at 13:10

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