The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar with Exercises

Future perfect

Form: future perfect

Future perfect for actions completed before a point in the future

Future perfect with FOR

Form: future perfect

WILL + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE

The future perfect is formed with the modal will + perfect infinitive without to (have + the past participle form of the verb) in all persons.

Affirmative

Subject

Auxiliary

Verb (perfect infinitive)

I

will

have finished

by then.

You

He/She/It

We

You

They

The following contracted forms are often used in spoken and in informal written language:

I will

»

I'll

you will

»

you'll

he/she/it will

»

he'll/she'll/it'll

we will

»

we'll

you will

»

you'll

they will

»

they'll

Negative

Subject

Auxiliary

not

Verb (perfect infinitive)

I

will

not

have finished

by then.

You

He/She/It

We

You

They

The contracted form won't is often used instead of will not in spoken and in informal written language.

Interrogative

(Question word)

Auxiliary

Subject

Verb (perfect infinitive)

By what time

will

I

have finished?

you

he/she/it

we

you

they

Related topics:

The forms of the infinitive

The forms of the participle

Subject-auxiliary inversion in questions

Appendix: irregular verb forms

Future perfect for actions completed before a point in the future

The future perfect tense is used to express that an action will be completed before a point in time in the future (any time up to that point). This point can be implied or expressed with a time expression or a clause with a verb in the present simple tense:

It's no use calling him at work; he'

ll have left

.

By next week, they'

ll have finished

painting the rooms.

By the time we get home, the film

will have started

.

Related topics:

Past perfect for actions completed before a point in the past

Present perfect for past events

Future perfect with FOR

The preposition for is used with the future perfect tense to express that something will start before a point in time in the future (or has already started) and that it will still be true at that point:

This time next week, I'

ll have lived

in my new apartment for three days.

In October, my parents

will have been

married for 50 years.

Related topics:

Past perfect with FOR

Present perfect with FOR and SINCE