Future Perfect

Are you looking to learn how to use the future perfect tense in your writing and speech? The future perfect tense allows you to describe events that will occur before a specific time in the future. It’s an essential tool for expressing ideas about the timeline of events, making it an invaluable part of any language learner’s toolbox. Read on as we explore what the future perfect tense is and how to use it correctly.

What is Future Perfect Tense?

The future perfect tense shows actions or events to be completed before a certain point in the future. The form of this verb phrase is “will have + past participle.” Time expressions are necessary for constructing sentences in the future perfect tense as it shows the end of a timeline regarding the completion of an action.

Here are five examples of future perfect tense:

I will have finished my report by Friday.

He will have collected the set of reports after ten days.

She will have traveled to five countries before the year ends.

They will have moved into their new house by next month.

We will have delivered the package tomorrow.

In each of these examples, a time reference implies that an action will be completed in the future. It allows us to express ideas about the timeline of events and helps us communicate more effectively.

Future Perfect Tense Rules

The common question in learning this verb tense is: when to use future perfect tense? The table below summarizes its proper usage:

Use of Future Perfect Tense	Examples
Expresses future events that will have been completed before another action	I will have folded my clothes before my mother gets home. We will have checked the report before the meeting starts. Tom will have sent the files before his supervisor calls him.
Shows ongoing future actions up until a certain point in the future	Alex will have exercised until 6 p.m. You can expect me to be there because I will have finished teaching by noon. The kids will have played in the park when their parents arrive.
Describes planned and expected events in the future	Sam will have arrived at the airport by the evening of June 12. My brother will have completed his project after two months. Deana and I will have watched the play before this month ends.

Future Perfect Tense Sentence Structures

The future perfect tense is used in declarative and interrogative sentences. Declarative sentences are statements that convey information and end with a period. Meanwhile, interrogative sentences seek information or clarification and are punctuated by a question mark.

The table below shows the formula for constructing declarative and interrogative sentences both in their positive and negative forms:

Form	Positive Declarative	Negative Declarative	Positive Interrogative	Negative Interrogative
Formula:	Will Avery have graduated from college before June? Will my family have gone on vacation by the end of this month?	will not or won’t + have + past participle form of verb	will + subject + have + past participle form of verb	will + subject + not have + past participle form of verb
Examples:	Avery will have graduated from college before June. My family will have gone on vacation by the end of this month.	Avery will not have graduated from college before June. My family won’t have gone on vacation by the end of this month.	Will Avery have graduated from college before June? Will my family have gone on vacation by the end of this month ?	Will Avery not have graduated from college before June? Will my family not have gone on vacation by the end of this month?

*Note: The contraction of “will not” in negative form is “won’t.”

Examples of Future Perfect Tense

Here are fifteen examples of sentences in the future perfect tense:

1. The crowd will have dispersed by the time the police arrive.
2. Evelyn and her sister will not have reported on their work when it’s snowing.
3. Will the board members have signed the document by tomorrow?
4. Will Samuel not have compensated your loss when he gets his bonus?
5. The students will have finished their exams before the holidays.
6. My brother will have moved to a new house by next month.
7. We won’t have received our order until next week.
8. Will you have revised your research before I report back to the office?
9. Will Julia not have scheduled her art exhibit before the end of the month?
10. My parents will have retired by the time I finish college.
11. I won’t have returned from my trip until next month.
12. Will you have gone to bed by 10 p.m.?
13. Won’t your sister have arrived at the airport by the evening?
14. Janet will have filed the case before the day ends.
15. Queenie will not have waited for her friends after 7:00 pm.

Future Perfect Tense Exercises with Answers

Complete the sentences below by converting the verb in the parentheses into its future perfect form.

1. My son will have _______________ his tenth birthday in September next year. (celebrate)
2. I will have _______________ my online shopping before next month. (decrease)
3. The children won’t have _____________ the cookies by the time it rains. (sell)
4. Jacob will have _____________ his tires before their weekend trip (change)
5. Dr. Gomez won’t have _______________ the medicines by noon due to his busy schedule. (prepare)
6. The family will have _______________ their dinner before the movie starts. (eat)
7. Will the engineers have _______________ a new system by next week? (program)
8. Won’t my sister have _______________ her laptop to school by the time I wake up? (bring)
9. Will the company have _______________ a new branch in the city by next year? (establish)
10. Won’t Cleo have _______________ her financial goal by the end of this month? (reach)

Answers:

1. My son will have celebrated his tenth birthday in September next year.
2. I will have decreased my online shopping before next month.
3. The children won’t have sold the cookies by the time it rains.
4. Jacob will have changed his tired before their weekend trip.
5. Dr. Gomez won’t have prepared the medicines by noon because of his busy schedule.
6. The family will have eaten their dinner before the movie starts.
7. Will the engineers have programmed a new system by next week?
8. Won’t my sister have brought her laptop to school by the time I wake up?
9. Will the company have established a new branch in the city by next year?
10. Won’t Cleo have reached her financial goal by the end of this month?

Future Perfect Tense List

Future Perfect Tense
will have decreased	will have completed
will have grown	will have published
will have improved	will have driven
will have developed	will have created
will have shared	will have taken
will have given	will have considered
will have included	will have invited
will have fallen	will have watched
will have followed	will have connected
will have chosen	will have celebrated
will have increased	will have studied
will have accepted	will have moved
will have discussed	will have opened
will have visited	will have traveled
will have written	will have determined
will have sold	will have changed
will have caught	will have prepared
will have played	will have eaten
will have produced	will have programmed
will have received	will have stolen
will have replaced	will have fixed
will have managed	will have continued
will have brought	will have returned
will have established	will have arranged
will have reached	will have occupied

Advice for ESL Students & English Language Learners

English grammar, like any language, is a complex subject to study. Understanding and applying grammar rules can be challenging, especially for English language learners. However, your success in learning the language is dependent on your learning plan.

First, know that there are different levels of language proficiency. Knowing your status allows you to align it with your study materials and learning strategy. To keep your motivation, select beginner-friendly materials instead of university textbooks when starting. In doing so, you will feel less intimidated by the topics you should learn.

Second, focus on the basics: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Learn how to use them correctly in sentences and understand their meaning. It will help you build a strong foundation for your English language learning journey. Divide those topics into subtopics and learn each concept and rule one by one.

Third, find a reliable source of learning materials. Online resources such as websites, blogs, and YouTube videos are mostly free. LillyPad’s blog, for example, is a great resource for English language learning materials. Additionally, you can find books and other printed materials in your local library or bookstore.

Fourth, practice speaking the language with native speakers or other English learners. It will help you understand how to use the language correctly in conversations and improve your pronunciation.

Finally, be patient with yourself and don’t give up. Learning a language takes time and effort, so set realistic goals and celebrate your achievements along the way.

Additionally, it is important for learners to properly understand past perfect, past perfect progressive and future perfect progressive.

Common Mistakes Made by English Learners

Learning a new language can be difficult, and English is no exception. Even experienced English learners make mistakes when speaking or writing in the language. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by English learners:

Common Mistake	Why it Happens	Correction	Examples
Tense switching	There are twelve tenses in English, and learners are prone to switch tenses when narrating. They might also find the future tense confusing.	Remember to use one tense in writing or speech to ensure the coherence of your statement. When setting actions to be completed in the future, stick to the future perfect tense.	Tense Switching: The doctor will have completed the operation before midnight. William was checking the patient’s vital signs after the surgery. Consistent Tense: The doctor will have completed the operation before midnight. William will have checked the patient’s vital signs after the surgery.
Incorrect conjugation of the past participle of irregular verbs	Irregular verbs do not follow the general rule for verb conjugation. Hence, most learners are used to converting regular verbs into their past participle since it is relatively easy. They might carry the rule for regular verb conversion into irregular verb conjugation.	It will help learners to familiarize themselves with the common irregular verbs. A few examples are: see – saw – seen, go -went – gone, and do – done – did.	Incorrect Conjugation: I will have goed to watch the movie before dinner time. Correct Conjugation: I will have gone to watch the movie before dinner time.
Omitting a time reference indicating the deadline of a future action	The simple tense is the basic verb tense. It doesn’t always require a time reference. Prior to learning about the future perfect tense, this is the first subject that students study. Hence, learners might omit the time reference when using the future perfect tense.	The perfect tense indicates that an action is finished within a specific time frame. Placing a time reference to show the completion or deadline of an occurrence is salient in the future perfect tense. The common signals for time reference are by, when, and before.	Incorrect: I will have painted my room. Correct: I will have painted my room by tomorrow.

Learning Strategies and Best Practices for Future Perfect Tense

A holistic approach to learning a language makes it easier to understand and remember. The five macro skills, reading, listening, viewing, speaking, and writing, should be developed and used in the learning process for better language acquisition. The table below lists activities you can do when learning linking verbs:

Learning Strategies
Reading	– Use flashcards to know basic English sight words and their meaning. – Search for a material that contains a translation of common expressions from your native language to English. – Select study materials appropriate for your language proficiency.
Listening	– Listen to an audiobook or a song and write what you hear to improve your retention of English words. – Compare and contrast two audio materials like TV ads and a speech. – Summarize a podcast, movie, audiobook, and other English audio materials.
Viewing	– Observe how native speakers speak and try to mimic it. – Watch English movies, interviews, and tutorials. – Use pictographs to learn and remember new words.
Speaking	– Join a community of English language learners and communicate with them to improve and gain feedback. – Integrate the language into your daily life and try to speak using English. – Participate in speech organizations (e.g. debate clubs, theatre groups)
Writing	– Write a journal of your learning journey in English. – Answer practice tests and create your own sentences. – Create a reflection essay on the media you watch or listen to.

Future Perfect Tense Frequently Asked Questions