Future Perfect Progressive ~Meaning and Use

This post will show you how to use the Future Perfect Progressive, also called the Future Perfect Continuous. To see how to form the Future Perfect Progressive, click here.

The Future Perfect Progressive tense is not very common and it’s a bit difficult to make. However, at higher levels it is great to understand it, and maybe even use it sometimes too. It has a very precise meaning, which can be convenient.

We use the Future Perfect Progressive to talk about an ongoing action that takes place before a certain time in the future, or to emphasize a course of action. We often use the Future Perfect Progressive to round up to an even number. We like whole, round numbers and this tense allows us to use those numbers.

A future time expression is usually stated or implied, often with by. This can go at the beginning or end of the sentence with no difference in meaning.

• By the year 2020, linguists will have been studying Indo-European languages for 200 years. (This is easier than saying that now, in 2015, linguists have been studying Indo-European languages for 195 years. It’s easier to just round up to 200)
• We will have been driving for six hours by the time we get home.
• By next March, I will have been teaching here for three years.
• By the end of this month, we will have been living together for six months.

Future Perfect Progressive ~ Verb Form

This post will show you how to form the Future Perfect Progressive. To see how to use the Future Perfect Progressive, click here.

 

Affirmative Statements

Subject + Will	Have	Already	Been	Verb + ing	Future Time Expression
I’ll	have	already	been	waiting	for an hour by the time they arrive.
You’ll	have		been	working	for hours when she starts.
She’ll/He’ll/It’ll	have		been	traveling	for three months
We’ll	have	already	been	studying	for hours by dinner time.
They’ll/You’ll (plural)	have	already	been	driving	by next June.

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Negative Statements

Future Time Expression	Subject	Still	Will Not (won’t)	Have	Been	Verb + ing
By the time I am 30,	I		won’t	have	been	working here for ten years.
When I get home,	you		won’t	have	been	studying for too long.
In five years’ time	she/he/it	still	won’t	have	been	doing anything with her life.
By 4:00 am,	we	still	won’t	have	been	sleeping.
By next June,	they/you (plural)		won’t	have	been	traveling anymore.

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Wh- Questions

Wh- word	Will	Subject	Have	Been	Verb + ing	Future Time Expression
What	will	I	have	been	doing	by the time I turn 40?
Who	will	you	have	been	waiting	for?
Where	will	she/he/it	have	been	living	by next year?
Why	will	you	have	been	sleeping	all day?
How	will	we	have	been	surviving	for so long?

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Yes/No Questions

Will	Subject	Have	Been	Verb + ing	Future Time Expression
Will	I	have	been	working	for hours by the time she gets home?
Will	you	have	been	speaking	English for a long time before you move to Melbourne?
Will	she/he/it	have	been	traveling	for a long time when you come back?
Will	we	have	been	everything	before we leave?
Will	they/you (plural)	have	been	exercising	all day?

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Short Answers

Yes	Subject	Will	Have	No	Subject	Will Not (Won’t)	Have
Yes,	I	will	have.	No,	I	won’t	have.
Yes,	you	will	have.	No,	you	won’t	have.
Yes,	she/he/it	will	have.	No,	he	won’t	have.
Yes,	we	will	have.	No,	we	won’t	have.
Yes,	they	will	have.	No,	they’re not.	won’t	have.

 

Future Perfect – Meaning and Use

This post will show you how to use the Future Perfect. To see how to form the Future Perfect, click here.

We use Will or Be Going To to talk about an event that will be completed some time in the future.

A future time expression is usually stated or implied, often with by, and it can go at the beginning or end of the sentence with no difference in meaning.

 

The Future Perfect with will:

• I will have studied hard for the test.
• He’s going to have done the dishes by the time we finish eating.
• Why won’t she have finished the project by next week?
• In ten years, robots will have become more common.
• After a few years in Europe, she will have tried many different foods.
• Will he have learned enough Italian before he moves to Italy?

 

The Future Perfect with be going to:

• I am going to have studied hard for the test.
• By the time we finish eating, he’s going to have done the dishes.
• Why will she have gotten paid earlier than usual?
• By next March, it isn’t going to have warmed up
• Is he going to have bought a new car by the time he graduates?
• She is going to have had that book past its due date if she doesn’t return it tomorrow.