Future Perfect:
Simple and Continuous
By next Friday I'll have finished — completed actions by a future time, and "how long" up to a future time. Learn the forms and contrast, then practise.
Show rules
Two forms for "before a future time"
The future perfect looks back from a future point — saying that something will already have happened (or will already have been happening) by then.
| example | emphasis | |
|---|---|---|
| simple | By ten o'clock I'll have finished my homework. | done by then |
| continuous | By nine o'clock I'll have been working on my essay for four hours. | how long |
Form — future perfect simple (will + have + past participle)
| example | |
|---|---|
| positive | I 'll have worked. · They 'll have arrived. |
| negative | I won't have worked. · It won't have finished. |
| question | Will you have worked? · Will she have finished? |
Form — future perfect continuous (will + have + been + -ing)
| example | |
|---|---|
| positive | I 'll have been working. · They 'll have been watching TV. |
| negative | I won't have been waiting. · We won't have been skiing. |
| question | Will you have been swimming? · What will you have been doing? |
Completed actions — future perfect simple
Use the future perfect simple for actions completed by a particular time in the future:
We'll have got back and had a shower by seven.
He'll have arrived by this evening.
Do you think your guests will have left before we get there?
Common markers: by then, by Friday, by the end of the year, by the time you arrive, before, until.
Actions in progress — future perfect continuous
Use the future perfect continuous for an action happening UP TO a particular time in the future:
By next Friday I'll have been waiting for my exam results for over two months!
When he retires next year, Adam will have been working here for over twenty years.
Often used with so to explain a future situation:
We'll have been skiing all day, so we'll be ready for a meal!
They'll have been working since eight o'clock, so they'll be tired.
Choosing between simple and continuous
| simple | continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| focus | completed action / result | how long it's been happening |
| markers | by then, before, until | for two hours, since 8 am, all day |
| example | By ten I'll have finished my homework. | By nine I'll have been working for four hours. |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
| By Friday the men will have working for two months. | By Friday the men will have been working for two months. |
| We will suffered eight weeks of noise. | We will have suffered eight weeks of noise. |
| The work will haven't been completed by then. | The work won't have been completed by then. |
| Work on the roof will have finishing by June. | Work on the roof will have finished by June. |
| By 10 pm I 'll be finished my essay. | By 10 pm I 'll have finished my essay. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you form the future perfect simple and continuous?
Future perfect simple: will + have + past participle ('I'll have finished by ten'). Future perfect continuous: will + have + been + -ing ('I'll have been working for four hours'). Negatives use won't ('won't have finished', 'won't have been working') and questions invert ('Will you have finished?', 'How long will you have been working?').
What's the difference between future perfect simple and continuous?
Future perfect SIMPLE focuses on a completed action: 'By ten o'clock I'll have finished my homework.' Future perfect CONTINUOUS focuses on duration — how long an action has been happening up to a future time: 'By nine o'clock I'll have been working on my essay for four hours.' Use simple for the result, continuous for 'how long'.
When do you use the future perfect?
Use the future perfect to look back from a future point. Typical time markers: by, by then, by the time, before, until. Examples: 'He'll have arrived by this evening.' (completed) 'By next Friday I'll have been waiting for two months.' (duration). Often used with 'so' to explain a future situation: 'We'll have been skiing all day, so we'll be ready for a meal.'
What are the most common mistakes with the future perfect?
Three common mistakes: (1) forgetting 'been' in the continuous form — 'will have working' should be 'will have been working'; (2) using past simple instead of past participle — 'will suffered' should be 'will have suffered'; (3) misplacing the negative — 'will haven't been completed' should be 'won't have been completed'.