Future Perfect: rules for making sentences and using the tense in English with examples

Future Perfect is a tense used in English to show that an action will have been completed before a certain point or another action in the future, or will be in progress for some time at a certain point in the future.

Sentences usually include a certain deadline (by tomorrow, by the end of the year etc.), that’s why this tense is often used to describe dreams, plans and goals.

Let’s take a closer look at the Future Perfect rules for making sentences, the cases of its usage in English, as well as popular time markers and things that should be kept in mind when learning this tense.

Contents

1. How to form Future Perfect
    1.1. Affirmative sentences
    1.2. Negative sentences
    1.3. Questions
2. Cases of usage
3. Time markers for Future Perfect
4. Future Perfect exercise
5. FAQ

How to form Future Perfect

In modern English, the Future Perfect tense is formed using the modal verb will, the auxiliary verb have, and the past participle (the third form of irregular verbs or the -ed ending). Let’s look at some examples to see how we make the three types of sentences:

• affirmative (or positive);
• negative;
• interrogative (questions).

Affirmative sentences

The affirmative sentence is formed by using the following formula:

S + will + have + V3/ed

where S — subject;
V3 — the third form for irregular verbs;
Ved — regular verbs with the -ed ending.

Here are some examples of positive sentences:

• I will have cooked dinner by 7 p.m.
• She will have bought a new dress before her vacation.
• We will have built the house by the end of the year.
• They will have decorated the room by tomorrow.

Until recently, the modal verb “shall” was used instead of “will” with the pronouns “I” and “we”. This usage is now considered outdated and can only be found in fiction, news or formal texts. In spoken English, the preference is to use “will” with all singular and plural pronouns.

• I shall have met my parents by 5 p.m. → I will have met my parents by 5 p.m.
• We shall have arrived at the airport by 11 a.m. → We will have arrived at the airport by 11 a.m.

Besides, in speaking and informal writing, the modal verb “will” is usually contracted to “’ll” after personal pronouns. However, the full form (will) is still used after nouns. Let’s compare these examples:

• He’ll have left the office by then.
• Peter will have left the office by then.
   
• They’ll have bought pizza before the party.
• My friends will have bought pizza before the party.

Negative sentences

To make a negative sentence, the negative particle “not” is added to the modal verb “will”:

S + will + not + have + V3/ed

• I will not have finished this book by noon.
• It will not have stopped raining till midday.
• You will not have finished your coffee in 5 minutes.

“Will not” is usually contracted to “won’t”:

• She won’t have retired by next autumn.
• We won’t have painted the bedroom in two days’ time.
• They won’t have graduated in three years’ time.

Questions

Next, we are going to consider the formulas for creating two types of questions: general and special.

General questions, or yes/no questions, are formed by putting the modal verb “will” in the first place (before the subject):

Will + S + have + V3/ed?

• Will you have watered the flowers by then?
• Will he have brought the documents in an hour’s time?
• Will they have completed the task before the meeting?

Special questions, or wh-questions, are formed by using the appropriate question word (QW) at the beginning of the sentence, followed by “will”, the subject and the rest of the words according to the general question formula:

QW + will + S + have + V3/ed?

• When will she have moved out of her parents’ house?
• Where will you have bought a new camera by tomorrow?
• How will we have got to the railway station before our train leaves?

Cases of usage

There are three main cases in which the Future Perfect tense is used in English. Let’s consider them together with some examples.

1. An action that will or won’t have been completed by a certain point in the future:

• He will have finished his English homework by 2 p.m.
• I will have quit my job by next spring.
• They won’t have sold their car until the end of the month.

2. An action that will have been completed before another future action:

• I will have visited 30 countries by the time I’m 60.
• She will have finished the report before the meeting starts.
• We won’t have completed the test before the time runs out.

3. An action that will last for a certain time until another action or point in the future:

• By the time they get married, they will have known each other for eight years.
• Next month they will have lived in Kharkiv for eleven years.
• At the end of the month, she will have worked for the company for two years.

Remember! To express a long action, Future Perfect is used only with certain verbs. They include:

• verbs: live, work, teach, study, play;
• state verbs: know, be, feel etc.

Time markers for Future Perfect

The tense is usually used with words and time clauses indicating the point of time in the future by which an action will have been completed. Common markers consist of the words “by”, “before”, and “when”. Here are some examples:

• by tomorrow
• by next week
• by next month
• by next year
• by the end of the week
• by the end of the month
• by the end of the year
• by 6 o’clock
• by 10 a.m.
• by Monday
• by then
• by this time tomorrow
• by the deadline
• by the time you come back
• by the time I arrive
   
• before the end of the day
• before the end of the year
• before the weekend
• before lunchtime
• before the year is over
• before the meeting starts
• before they come
• before you leave
   
• when I’m 50
• when I am older
• when they arrive
• when you finish
• when we get there
• when he calls

Remember! Use the Present Simple tense in the subordinate clause after “by”, “before”, and “when”:

• They will have roasted chicken by the time I arrive.
• We will have launched a new product before the year is over.
• I will have sent the email when he calls.

Other Future Perfect markers include:

• till noon
• until tomorrow morning
• next month
• at the end of the month
• in an hour’s time
• in three days’ time
• in five years’ time

Let’s use these Future Perfect markers in the example sentences:

• She won’t have finished the project till noon.
• He won’t have written an essay until tomorrow morning.
• Next month, we will have moved to another city.
• At the end of the month, I will have worked as an HR manager for two years.
• They will have finished the conference in an hour’s time.
• He will have got back from vacation in three days’ time.
• In five years’ time, I will have learnt another foreign language.

And if you want to deepen your knowledge of future tenses in English even further, follow these links:

• Future Simple
• Future Continuous
• Future tenses

Future Perfect exercise

To test your knowledge on the topic, complete a short exercise below. Read the sentences and open the brackets using the correct tense.

FAQ

1. When do we use Future Perfect?

The Future Perfect tense is used to describe actions that will continue or will have been completed by some point or another action in the future. It is usually used in conjunction with time markers that indicate the point in the future by which the action will have been finished.

• I will have eaten dinner by the time you get home.
• She will have studied Chinese for two years by next autumn.

2. How is Future Perfect formed (with examples)?

The Future Perfect tense is formed as follows:

3. What’s the difference between Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous?

Future Perfect is used to emphasize the completion of an action by a certain point in the future. It is also used with state verbs to show that actions will continue for a certain amount of time until a point in the future.

• They will have redecorated the flat by the end of the week.
• Next month, we will have known each other for ten years.

Future Perfect Continuous is used to emphasize the duration of an action that will be in progress at some point in the future. This tense is not generally used with state verbs.

• By next week, they will have been redecorating the flat for two months.