Future Perfect
The future perfect tense is used to describe actions that will be completed before a specific time or event in the future. It emphasizes the completion of the action rather than the action itself.
Before this, learn: Future SimplePresent Perfect
1.Structures
1.1Structures of Sentences / Regular Verbs
To form the future perfect tense, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
won't = will not
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + will + have + Verb(+ed / d) + ... | I will have finished the project by tomorrow. |
| - Negative | S + won't + have + Verb(+ed / d) + ... | They won't have arrived by noon. |
| ? Question | (QW) + will + S + have + Verb(+ed / d) + ...? | Will she have finished everything by then? |
Test yourself
1.2Structures of Sentences / Irregular Verbs
To form the future perfect tense, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
won't = will not
(III) = the past participle form of the main verb → Irregular Verbs List (3rd column)
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + will + have + Verb(III) + ... | I will have done it tomorrow. |
| - Negative | S + won't + have + Verb(III) + ... | They won't have left by noon. |
| ? Question | (QW) + will + S + have + Verb(III) + ...? | Will she have done everything by then? |
Test yourself
2.Use
2.1Completion before a Deadline
We often use the future perfect to show that an action will already be completed or achieved by a certain time in the future.
It is used for an action which at a given future time will be in the past.
Quite frequently it is used with a time expression beginning with by: by then, by that time, by the 24th of September, etc.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| By the end of this year, she will have worked here for five years. | This means that at the end of this year, her total time working here will be five years. |
| I will have retired by the year 2030. | This means that before or in the year 2030, my retirement will already be in the past. |
| By next Christmas we will have been here for eight years. | This means that next Christmas marks a total of eight years since we arrived. |
| The builders say they will have finished the roof by Tuesday. | This means that the roof will be complete before Tuesday. |
Test yourself
2.2Expressing Certainty / Predicting Past Actions in the Future
The future perfect can be used to express certainty about actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future, essentially predicting past actions from a future perspective.
It is often used with adverbs such as probably and certainly, which go directly after will.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| By the time we get there, they will probably have left. | Certainty that the action of leaving will likely be completed before we arrive, from a future perspective. |
| I save 50 dollars a month, and I started in January. So by the end of the year, I will have saved 600 dollars. | Prediction that, based on a consistent saving pattern, the total amount of 600 dollars will be accumulated by the end of the year. |
| By next summer, I will probably have travelled to five countries. | Prediction that, based on plans, the action of travelling to five countries will most likely be completed by next summer. |
| Surely they will have finished their meal before the film starts. | Certainty that the action of finishing the meal will be completed before the film begins, viewed from a future perspective. |
| He will certainly have left by the time we arrive. | Certainty that the action of leaving will be completed before we arrive, as seen from a future point. |
Test yourself
3.Frequently asked questions
When do you use the future perfect?
Use the future perfect (will have + past participle) for an action that will be finished before a certain future time. For example: "I will have finished the project by Friday." It often goes with by: by then, by next June, by the time you arrive. It can also count up to a future point ("By December, she will have worked here for five years") or show that you are sure about completion: "He will certainly have left by the time we get there."
Future perfect vs future simple: "I will cook dinner" or "I will have cooked dinner"?
Both are correct but mean different things: the future simple tells what will happen; the future perfect says it will already be done by then. Compare "When you get home, I will cook dinner" (I start cooking after you arrive) with "By the time you get home, I will have cooked dinner" (dinner is ready when you arrive). With by, the future simple is also possible ("I will finish it by Friday"), but the future perfect stresses the completion.
Is it correct to say "She will has finished" in the future perfect?
No, say "She will have finished": in the future perfect, will is followed by have for every subject, then the past participle. Don't use -ing or the base form after have: "He will have completed it", not "He will have completing it" or "He will have complete it". Irregular verbs need their third form: "They will have gone", not "They will have went". Negatives use won't have ("They won't have arrived by noon"), and questions put will first: "Will she have finished by then?"
"By the time you arrive" or "by the time you will arrive" with the future perfect?
Say "by the time you arrive": after by the time, use the present simple, and put the future perfect in the main clause. For example: "By the time you arrive, we will have eaten", not "By the time you will arrive, we will have eaten". The same rule applies after before and when: "I will have left before you get there." Will belongs in the main clause, the one that says what will be complete.
Future perfect or past perfect: "will have finished" or "had finished"?
Use the future perfect (will have finished) to look back from a future moment, and the past perfect (had finished) from a past one. Compare "By next June, she will have finished her degree" (June is still to come) with "By last June, she had finished her degree" (June is over). Don't mix the two forms: "She will had finished" is wrong. Will is always followed by have.
