Future Perfect Progressive (Continuous)
We use the future perfect progressive form when we are looking back to the past from a point in the future and we want to emphasise the length or duration of an activity or event.
Before this, learn: Future PerfectPresent Perfect Progressive (Continuous)
1.Structures
1.1Structures of Sentences
To form the Future Perfect Progressive tense, follow these basic rules:
S = Subject
won't = will not
Ving = main verb+ing
QW = question word
| Structure | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| + Affirmative | S + will + have + been + Ving + ... | By the time she arrives, I will have been waiting for two hours. |
| - Negative | S + won't + have + been + Ving + ... | By the end of the month, she won't have been working here for a full year. |
| ? Question | (QW) + will + S + have + been + Ving + ...? | How long will you have been studying English by the end of this year? |
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2.Use
2.1Emphasising the Length of an Event at a Time in the Future
When describing an action in the Future Perfect Progressive tense, try to project yourself forward in time and look back at the duration of the activity. The activity will have begun sometime in the past, present, or in the future, and is expected to continue in the future.
A progressive form is used if we want to emphasise the continuity of a future achievement or actions that will continue up until a specific point in the future.
Focus on Duration: This tense is used to emphasise the duration of an action in progress at a certain future point or to describe ongoing actions leading up to a specified future time.
| Example | Comment |
|---|---|
| In November, I will have been working at my company for two months. | Now it's only September. I want to highlight the continuity of this future achievement of mine. |
| At five o'clock, I will have been waiting for two hours! | Now it's 4 o'clock and I've already been waiting for an hour. I'm looking back from a future perspective and want to emphasise the length of the activity. |
| When I turn twelve, I will have been playing guitar for five years. | I am 10 now and have been playing guitar for three years. I want to highlight the continuity of this future achievement of mine. |
| I'll have been teaching for twenty years this summer. | I'm so proud to be a teacher! I want to emphasise the duration of the activity. |
| When the train arrives, they will have been travelling for 8 hours. | Here we focus on the process and the duration. The action is expected to continue when the train arrives. |
As we can see, the tense emphasises the duration of an action rather than just its completion.
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3.Frequently asked questions
When do you use the future perfect continuous (future perfect progressive)?
Use the future perfect continuous to say how long an activity will have been going on by a certain time in the future. For example: "By June, I will have been living in London for ten years." You imagine yourself at that future point and look back at the length of the activity: "At five o'clock, she will have been waiting for two hours." It usually comes with for plus a length of time. Future perfect continuous and future perfect progressive are two names for the same tense.
How do you form the future perfect continuous?
Form the future perfect continuous with will have been plus the -ing form of the verb. For example: "By noon, I will have been working for six hours." The form is the same for every subject. Don't leave out have or the -ing: say "will have been working", not "will been working" or "will have been work". Negatives use won't have been ("She won't have been working here for a full year"), and questions put will before the subject: "How long will you have been studying English by June?"
Future perfect vs future perfect continuous: what's the difference?
The future perfect stresses that an action will be complete by a future time; the future perfect continuous stresses how long it will have lasted. Compare "By 6 PM, I will have written the report" (it will be done) with "By 6 PM, I will have been writing the report for five hours" (the length of the work). Use the future perfect for a number of things: "will have read 20 books", not "will have been reading 20 books". State verbs keep the simple form: "By May, we will have known each other for ten years."
Is it correct to say "Next year I will be working here for ten years" instead of the future perfect continuous?
No, say "Next year I will have been working here for ten years": the future perfect continuous counts the time up to a future point. "I will be working here for ten years" is the future continuous and suggests ten years starting from now. So say "By the time she retires, she will have been teaching for 40 years", not "she will be teaching for 40 years".
