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Is there any difference between what time should I expect your call and what time should I be expecting your call? For example:

Person A: I'll call you tomorrow and we'll talk about the trip.

Person B: Alright. What time should I expect your call?/What time Should I be expecting your call?

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    There is no significant difference. (Of course A would say I'll call you tomorrow.) Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 13:20
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    To me, the continuous form somehow has a note of expectancy and sounds a bit more polite (but it's probably just me)
    – Andrew
    Commented Jan 7, 2022 at 13:51

2 Answers 2

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As @KateBunting said, there is no significant difference. They are two valid ways to say exactly the same thing.

As you can see in other answers, many English speakers will perceive a slight distinction, however this is really a matter of subjective (and unreliable) interpretation by the listener, and not something learners really need to concern themselves with.

If you really want to get 'into the weeds', my feeling is that although the second sentence is not in the passive voice, the use of the present continuous makes it feel like more of an indirect inquiry. This might be perceived as softening the tone of the question.

But consider this alternative:

Person A: I'll call you tomorrow and we'll talk about the trip.

Person B: Alright. What time?

This is much more likely as genuine modern spoken English, but is far more 'direct' than either of the alternatives. But nobody would ever consider it to be 'impolite'. It's simply asking for the time succinctly. There's really no need to over-complicate the situation.

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OP wishes to know the difference between Sentence 1 and Sentence 2.

1.What time should I expect your call?
2.What time should I be expecting your call?

Sentence 1 -- I expect your call" is used to demand something, such as "I expect you to arrive on time," which is a stern but polite way of saying "You must arrive on time." Here, it means "You should call me."

Sentence 2 --I be expecting your call." Most typically, however, this form is used to specify when you want someone to arrive, as in "I am expecting you at five" to mean "I will be waiting for you at five.
Sentence 2 expresses the same matter more politely.

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  • I don't think there's really anything 'more polite' about the second sentence. For English learners it is a very subtle (and probably subjective) difference at best, however the present continuous in this instance possibly acts a little like the passive voice to 'soften' the tone of the question (but only very slightly). The plainer answer is probably 'there is no difference'.
    – fred2
    Commented Jul 24 at 15:37
  • @fred2 A slight difference like request with "can" and "could"- Similarly "I expect you at five" and "I am expecting you at five." Commented Jul 24 at 15:44
  • Yes, English speakers adjust the tone of sentences all the time by the choice of verbs. But there's a difference between 'tone and subjective interpretation' and 'grammar', and English language learners generally need to know grammar first. I don't disagree that there is a subtle distinction, but it is very subtle, and even experts will have different views of what the difference is.
    – fred2
    Commented Jul 24 at 15:56
  • @fred2 There are many sites that claim it is more polite. What is the future continuous for polite questions? The future continuous can be used to ask about someone's plans in a polite way. Will your parents be cooking dinner for us tonight? clapingo.com/blog/… Commented Jul 27 at 14:54

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