Look at these examples to see how the future continuous and future perfect are used.
In three years' time, I'll be studying medicine.
In five years' time, I'll have finished studying medicine.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
Future continuous
We can use the future continuous (will/won't be + -ing form) to talk about future actions that:
- will be in progress at a specific time in the future:
When you come out of school tomorrow, I'll be boarding a plane.
Try to call before 8 o'clock. After that, we'll be watching the match.
You can visit us during the first week of July. I won't be working then.
- we see as new, different or temporary:
Today we're taking the bus but next week we'll be taking the train.
He'll be staying with his parents for several months while his father is in recovery.
Will you be starting work earlier with your new job?
Future perfect
We use the future perfect simple (will/won't have + past participle) to talk about something that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
The guests are coming at 8 p.m. I'll have finished cooking by then.
On 9 October we'll have been married for 50 years.
Will you have gone to bed when I get back?
We can use phrases like by or by the time (meaning 'at some point before') and in or in a day's time / in two months' time / in five years' time etc. (meaning 'at the end of this period') to give the time period in which the action will be completed.
I won't have written all the reports by next week.
By the time we arrive, the kids will have gone to bed.
I'll have finished in an hour and then we can watch a film.
In three years' time, I'll have graduated from university.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
Hello Ulk,
Yes, that's correct. Well done - you've got it!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Dear Sir !
Do we use will+ have been + participle in future perfect tenses.
Hello ashokans,
The form for future perfect is will have + past participle (e.g. She will have written it by 10.00).
The form for future perfect continuous is will have been + verb-ing (e.g. She will have being writing it for six hours by 10.00).
The form for future perfect passive is will have been + past participle (e.g. It will have been written by 10.00).
The form for future perfect continuous passive is will have been being + past participle (e.g. It will have been being written for six hours by 10.00).
Some of these forms, especially the last one, are very unusual and we tend to avoid them and use active forms instead.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, Sir.
I would like to ask you which one of the following sentences is correct:
I will surely have come back by 8pm
OR
I will have surely come back by 8pm
Hello calnicolaides,
Both are possible. The position of adverbs in English sentences is often quite flexible, so all of these would be correct sentences:
The differences are really of emphasis and style. I've marked with * the sentences which I think the most commonly used.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello. Could you please help me? Is the following sentence correct using the future continuous?
- Don’t wait for me this evening; I will be preparing for my sister’s wedding.
Thank you.
Hi Ahmed Imam,
Yes, right! It is correct.
Jonathan
LearnEnglish team
Hi Sir, could you please help me to clarify the following sentence;
"Let's call Rory. He will have arrived by now." As in this sentence, we are talking about the present situation. Can't we use here, "Let's call Rory. He would have arrived by now."
Hello bridge23d,
In sentences like this we use will have when we consider the action/situation likely or sure, and we use would have when we consider it more unlikely. I think will have is the better choice here as the speaker would not call Rory if the speaker believed he had not arrived yet!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello, Sir. I have a question for you. I have read that there are two tenses in English: past and present. (Under Grammar Reference Section - Present Tense)
The British Council has discussed Future continuous and perfect tense in this post. So how many tenses are there in English? Could you explain me?