The future perfect is an English verb form used to describe actions that will be complete at a particular moment in the future. This can be a time or date, or it can be another action.
This is not a common verb form. Less than .1% of English verbs are in the future continuous.
Keep reading to learn the rules and reasons for using and forming the future continuous, including loads of charts and examples!
Using the Future Perfect
Perfect verb tenses are used to describe an action that is complete before another action or point in time. With the future perfect, that time is in the future. This can be a time or date (next weekend, tomorrow at 5, on November 3rd) or it can be another action in the future.
Chart for Future Perfect Tense In English
Here are some example sentences:
The skyscraper isn't completely built yet, but when I go in June, they will have finished it.
You can come over at 8. We will have eaten dinner by then.
In these examples, the perfect action (will have finished, will have eaten ) will be complete before the other specific action (when I go in June) or time (at 8).
Forming the Future Perfect
Formula with Will
To form the future perfect, we use the future form of the helping verb have—will have—and the perfect form of the main verb. No matter what the subject is, the verb form is:
subject + will have + perfect VERB
Conjugation
That means the conjugation chart is really easy!
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | I | will have worked. | we | will have worked. |
| 2nd person | you | will have worked. | you | will have worked. |
| 3rd person | he | will have worked. | they | will have worked. |
| she | will have worked. | |||
| it | will have worked. | |||
Formula with Going to
Because forming the future tenses with be going to is more complex and wordy, we almost never form the future perfect with be going to. In the rare situation that we might use it, the formula is:
subject + am/is/are + going to have + perfect VERB
Conjugation
Here is a conjugation table for the verb work with going to.
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person | I | am going to have worked. | we | are going to have worked. |
| 2nd person | you | are going to have worked. | you | are going to have worked. |
| 3rd person | he | is going to have worked. | they | are going to have worked. |
| she | is going to have worked. | |||
| it | is going to have worked. | |||
Other Forms
Questions
In the future perfect, you have more than one helping verb. To make a question, move the subject after the first helping verb, will, but before the second helping verb, have.
Will you have eaten by 8?
Will they have finished the construction by the end of the year?
Will she have completed her degree by that time?
What will they have accomplished with this senseless war?
When will they have made a decision?
Negative Sentences
To form a negative, insert not between the first helping verb will and the second helping verb have. Here are some examples.
I will not have eaten by 8.
They will not have finished the construction by the end of the year.
She will not have completed her degree yet.
The Passive Voice
Making a passive sentence in the future perfect is extremely complex and extremely rare. We do not recommend making future perfect passive sentences. If for some reason you do need to make a passive sentence in the future perfect, use be in the future perfect (will have been) and then the perfect form of the main verb.
The package will have been delivered by Friday afternoon.
All the food will have been eaten by the time we get there.
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