When do we use Future Perfect in English? Find out by downloading our free printable worksheet:
6 Reasons to Use Future Perfect in English [PDF]:
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6 Reasons to Use Future Perfect in English
will have (will’ve / ’ll’ve) + past participle (3rd form)
positive: I will have (will’ve / ’ll’ve) made lunch by the time you get home.
negative: I will not have (won’t’ve) made lunch by the time you get home.
question: Will you have (you’ve) made lunch by the time I get home? / Yes, I will (have). / No, I won’t (have).
- To talk about actions in the future that will be completed at an undetermined time before another future time:
I think some fans will have left before the end of the match.
Future Perfect is sometimes called ‘past in the future’ because we use it to imagine both the past and the future:
Future Time 1 (time of completion not specified): Fran will have run five miles
Future Time 2: by nine o’clock.
The action in Future Time 1 – run – will be past by the time Future Time 2 occurs. We imagine the past in the future – the completion of an action / time before a later future time. It emphasises the completion of an activity before a deadline. The time when the earlier action will be complete is not specified, because it is either unknown or unimportant. Typical contexts when it is used include:
making appointments:
Yes, I will’ve finished my meeting when you call at twelve. when + verb phrase
scheduling travel plans:
Jason will have landed at JFK by Tuesday lunchtime. by + time
making arrangements:
You’ll have had lunch, won’t you, so let’s leave at about two. – [time is known]
predicting the weather:
It will have stopped raining by then, so we can go for a walk. by then
- To talk about future schedules:
I won’t have had time to read the report until two o’clock. until + time / until then
Will you have arrived at the office before the boss gets in? before + verb phrase
All our business partners will have received their information packs by that point. by that point / stage
On Wednesday the project will have already been delivered to the company. on + day / already
Lars will’ve finished his report as soon as / once you stop distracting him! as soon as / once
We feel quite sure that your book will’ve been published by March. by + day / date / month, etc.
Call me at six, ’cause I will have had my phone off for most of the day. for + time / all…
- To plan travel arrangements:
If they leave here at nine, the bus will have gone by the time they get there. by the time + verb phrase
No, the boat won’t have sailed at eight o’clock, so you have plenty of time. at + time
The boys believe they will have reached the mountain top by tomorrow. by tomorrow
I think the plane will have probably landed in twenty minutes. in + number + minutes, days, etc.
Yes, Sue believes that, due to the traffic, she won’t have got there on time. on time
- With adverbs and modal verbs of probability:
Dad should have definitely watched the match. definitely
Pat could have certainly achieved a good grade in English. certainly
Tania might have probably made a cake for the party. probably
They may have possibly stopped at Waitrose. possibly
- To give reasons and excuses:
I can’t meet you at 9pm because I will have worked from / since early morning. from / since + time
George won’t have got home till 8.30pm, so he won’t be able to play badminton. till + time
She will have been too busy to help sell vegetables on March 1st. on + date
Cecily won’t have had time to pick up a takeaway prior to our arrival. prior to + time
I’m not sure I will have finished harvesting the crops in August. in + month / season
- To talk about life milestones / anniversaries:
Next week she will have lived in Bulgaria for two months. next week / month / year, etc.
By 2024 we will’ve been married for eleven years. by + year
As of Friday, Jackie will have worked here for eight years. as of + day, date, etc.
This time next week they will have known each other for ten years. this time next week / month, etc.
By that time, Wendy and Chazz will have been engaged for two months. by that / this / the stated time
I worry that we still won’t have completed our home renovation. still [in negative sentences]
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