Future Perfect Tense: Definition, Formula, Structure and Uses with Examples
The future perfect tense is an interesting and very important part of English grammar, allowing us to speak about the actions that will be done at a definite point in the future. For students mastering English, it is important to grasp the usage of future perfect tense since it can be used to provide accurate information regarding events that will be completed in the future. In this blog post, you will learn about what is future perfect tense, how it is constructed, the uses of future perfect tense, what rules it intervenes, as well as its examples and exercises that will enable you to engage with its use.
What is the Future Perfect Tense?
The future perfect tense in English is used to indicate an action that will have been done at a particular time in the future. It allows addressing events from a future perspective indicating that they are completed. This tense is most appropriate for expressing deadlines, future accomplishments and purposes.
Definition of Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is marked by the use of the auxiliary verb “will have” and the past participle of the main verb. The future perfect tense definition refers to an action that is done before another action or a time in the future. For instance, “By next month, she will have completed the project,” shows that the action of completing the project is the finished verb which is to be done at the specified point in the future.
Structure and Formula of Future Perfect Tense
It is important to understand that the future perfect tense structure is systematic and simple. The future perfect tense formula includes the subject, the auxiliary verbs “will have”, and the past participle of the main verb.
| Structure | Example |
| Subject + will have + past participle | She will have finished baking a cake. |
| Subject + will have + past participle | They will have arrived for the conference by evening. |
| Subject + will have + past participle | I will have completed my yoga session. |
| Subject + will have + past participle | She will have left by the time you arrive. |
| Subject + will have + past participle | We will have eaten dinner by 9 PM. |
| Subject + will have + past participle | She will have cooked dinner. |
In these examples, "will have" is the auxiliary verb combination indicating future perfect tense, and "finished," "arrived," "completed," "left," "eaten," and “cooked” are past participles of the main verbs.
Rules of Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense rules make the grammatical rules extremely easy to use and understand.
1. Use "will have" for all subjects: Regardless of the subject, the auxiliary verb combination "will have" remains the same.
- Example: "I will have done," "You will have done," "He will have done," "We will have done," "They will have done."
2. Use the past participle of the main verb: The main verb is used in its past participle form.
- Example: "She will have seen," "They will have gone," "I will have written.”
3. Contractions are common in spoken English: "Will have" is often contracted to "’ll have" in informal speech.
- Example: "I’ll have finished," "You’ll have seen," "He’ll have left."
4. Negative form: Add "not" between "will" and "have" to make the sentence negative.
- Example: "She will not (won’t) have completed," "They will not (won’t) have arrived."
5. Question form: Invert "will" and the subject to form questions.
- Example: "Will she have completed it?" "Will they have arrived?”
Uses of Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is very useful and can be applied for various purposes to convey different meanings.
Future Perfect Tense for Statements
Statements in the future perfect tense express actions that will be completed before a specific future time or event.
Example: "By the end of the year, he will have saved enough money for a new home."
Example: "They will have finished the recruitment by next month.”
How to use Future Perfect Tense for Negatives?
To form negative sentences in the future perfect tense, add "not" after "will" and before "have." The contraction "won’t have" is often used in spoken and informal written English.
Example: "She will not (won’t) have finished packing for the trip by Thursday."
Example: "They will not (won’t) have left before we arrive.”
How to use Future Perfect Tense for Questions?
To form questions in the future perfect tense, invert the subject and "will."
Example: "Will you have completed the task by tomorrow?
Example: "Will they have arrived by the time the meeting starts?”
How to use the Future Perfect Tense with Adverbs?
Adverbs can be used with the future perfect tense to add more information about the time, manner, place, or frequency of the action.
Example: "She will probably have finished by then."
Example: "They will have arrived before evening."
Example: "I will always remember this anniversary.”
How to use the Future Perfect Tense in Passive Voice?
In the passive voice, the focus is on the action and the receiver of the action rather than the doer. The structure changes slightly: "will have been" + past participle of the main verb.
Example: "The construction work will have been completed by the deadline."
Example: "The cupcakes will have been baked by her.”
Examples of Future Perfect Tense
Here are some future perfect tense examples to illustrate its usage.
| Example | Explanation |
| She will have finished her office work by 7 PM. | Indicates a future action (finishing office work). |
| They will have arrived at the venue by evening. | Indicates a future action (arriving at the venue). |
| I will have completed my thesis before the deadline. | Indicates a future action (completing a thesis). |
| He will have left the mall by the time you get there. | Indicates a future action (leaving the mall). |
| We will have eaten our ice creams by the time you arrive. | Indicates a future action (eating ice creams). |
| The plane will have departed by 10 o'clock. | Indicates a future action (plane departing). |
| She will not have finished her cleaning by tomorrow. | Negative sentence (not finishing cleaning). |
| Will you have completed reading the novel by next week? | Question (asking about reading a novel). |
| They will have graduated by the end of this month. | Future achievement (graduation). |
| It will have stopped raining by the time we leave. | Prediction (rain stopping). |
Exercises for Future Perfect Tense
To practice using this tense, complete the following future perfect tense exercises. Answers are provided at the end.
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Beginner
- By 9 PM, she __________ (finish) her cooking.
- They __________ (depart) by the time we arrive.
- I __________ (complete) the task by next week.
- We __________ (eat) lunch by the time you get here.
- He __________ (arrive) at the station by noon.
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Intermediate
- By this time next year, she __________ (pass out) from university.
- They __________ (complete) the glasswork by the end of the month.
- I __________ (not/finish) the project work by tomorrow.
- Will you __________ (arrive) by 9 AM?
- The team __________ (win) the championship by then.
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Advanced
- By the end of the day, they __________ (have) all the details ready.
- We __________ (not/complete) the presentation if we don’t start now.
- She __________ (probably/finish) the report by then.
- Will the paperwork __________ (be/prepare) by the meeting?
- I __________ (always/remember) this childhood memory of mine.
Answers to Exercises
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Beginners
- will have finished
- will have departed
- will have completed
- will have eaten
- will have arrived
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Intermediate
- will have passed-out
- will have completed
- will not have finished
- have arrived
- will have won
Future Perfect Tense Exercises for Advanced
- will have had
- will not have completed
- will probably have finished
- have been prepared
- will always have remembered
FAQs
Ans: The future perfect tense can be used to indicate actions that will be done before a particular moment in time in the future. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “will have” and then the past participle of the main verb. Future perfect tense sentences specify deadlines, future performance or projects and goals to be achieved.
Ans: To make future perfect tense negative, insert “not” between “will” and “have”. One of the most common shortenings in spoken and informal written English is the contraction “won’t have”.
Ans: To form questions in the future perfect tense, the subject has to be replaced by “will” and hence, placing “will” before the subject of the sentence.
Ans: Yes, indeed contractions often occur in the future perfect tense in spoken and even informal written English. Contraction facilitates a fluent and natural flow of speech. They are used in everyday talk, colloquial speech and writing but not in solemn prose and serious discussions.
Ans: The future perfect tense is used in several contexts:
- To demonstrate an action that will be performed up to some time or something in the future.
- To express achievements up to a particular point in time in the future.
- To discuss actions that have a time constraint or time frame.
Ans: Yes, adverbs must be added after the future perfect tense to specify the time, manner, place or frequency of the occurrence of an action. Adverbs can even affect the whole sentence and give more information.
For example:
– Time: “She will have arrived by 9 PM.”
– Manner: “He will have thoroughly placed the new furniture.”
– Place: “They will have moved to their new apartment by then.”
– Frequency: “I will have visited this library sometimes.”
Ans: The future perfect tense is unlike the other future tenses because it focuses on the completion of the action by a future point in time. The simple future tense, involving the use of to + will and the base verb, refers to future actions generally while the future perfect tense points out that a particular action will be done before another one or time.
Ans: In the main clause of conditional sentences, the future perfect tense is used to indicate the consequences of a condition that is in the if clause.
