Summary
In-depth Explanation
The future perfect tense allows speakers to express what will have happened by a certain time or before another future event. It is particularly useful for emphasizing the completion of an action or event relative to a future moment.
How to Form the Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is formed using the following structure:
[Subject] + will have + [past participle]
The past participle ends in “-ed” for regular verbs (talked, jumped, cooked). However, there are many irregular verbs in the past participle. Here are some common examples:
be → been
come → come
do → done
eat → eaten
find → found
go → gone
make → made
read → read
see → seen
“Will have” is used for all subjects in the future perfect tense. Here are some examples:
I will have finished my homework by 8 p.m.
She will have left by the time you arrive.
They will have completed the project before the deadline.
In casual writing and speech, the subject pronoun and the word “will” are often contracted into one word:
I’ll have finished my homework by 8 p.m.
She’ll have left by the time you arrive.
They’ll have completed the project before the deadline.
Negatives in the future perfect tense
To form a negative sentence in the future perfect, just add “not” between the words “will” and “have.” The structure is:
[subject] + will not have + [past participle]
For example:
I will not have written the essay by the deadline.
He will not have learned French by the time he moves to Paris.
They will not have saved enough money for the trip by the end of the year.
You can also use the contraction “won’t” for “will not”:
I won’t have written the essay by the deadline.
He won’t have learned French by the time he moves to Paris.
They won’t have saved enough money for the trip by the end of the year.
Questions in the future perfect
To form questions in the future perfect tense, you invert the subject and the auxiliary verb “will.” The structure is:
Will + [subject] + have + [past participle]…?
Here are some examples:
Will we have met our sales targets by the end of the month?
Will they have built the new bridge by next summer?
Will he have read the entire book by the weekend?
How to Use the Future Perfect Tense
We use the future perfect tense in the following main ways.
To indicate completion before a specific time in the future
The future perfect is often used to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time or event in the future. For example:
By the end of the year, I’ll have saved enough money for a vacation.
At 10 p.m. tonight, she’ll have been asleep for two hours.
To show completion before another future action
The future perfect can also express that one action will be completed before another future action. For example:
They’ll have eaten dinner before we arrive.
He’ll have finished the report by the time the meeting starts.
To predict or speculate about the past from a future perspective
The future perfect can be used to make educated guesses or predictions about what will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example:
They’ll have heard the news by tomorrow morning.
She’ll have figured out the solution by tonight.
Common Time Expressions with the Future Perfect
Certain time expressions are frequently used with the future perfect tense to indicate when the action will be completed:
By + [specific time]: By 11 a.m., I’ll have written the report.
By the time + [clause]: By the time you arrive, she’ll have left.
Before + [specific time/event]: Before next week, they’ll have completed the project.
In + [duration]: In two months, I’ll have graduated.