B1 Verb Tenses 12 min read Medium

English Future Perfect: Will Have Done (Future Perfect)

Talk about future actions completed by a future deadline with will have done.

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The Future Perfect describes an action that will be finished before a specific point in the future.

  • Use 'will have' + the past participle (e.g., 'will have eaten').
  • It always looks back from a future point to a completed action.
  • Commonly used with 'by' or 'by the time' (e.g., 'by tomorrow').
👤 + 🔮 will + 🤲 have + ✅ Verb-ed

Overview

Use this to talk about finishing things before a future time.

Example: I will have finished my work before next Tuesday.

Conjugation Table

Subject Auxiliary Verb Main Verb (Past Participle) Example (Regular) Example (Irregular)
:------ :------------- :-------------------------- :---------------------- :----------------------
I will have done/finished I will have finished. I will have eaten.
You will have done/finished You will have finished. You will have eaten.
He/She/It will have done/finished He will have finished. She will have eaten.
We will have done/finished We will have finished. We will have eaten.
They will have done/finished They will have finished. They will have eaten.

How This Grammar Works

Imagine a future day. Look back at what is finished.
It joins the future time with a finished action.
One action is finished before another future action happens.

Formation Pattern

1
This is how you make these sentences:
2
Person + will + have + finished action word.
3
Every part of the sentence is important.
4
The person or thing that does the action.
5
The word 'will' shows the future. It does not change.
6
Always use 'have.' Never use 'has.' Say 'he will have.'
7
Many words end in -ed. Some are special like 'gone.'
8
Short words like 'I'll have' and 'won't have' are common.

When To Use It

Use this to show that a finished action is important.
  • To indicate an action that will be completed by a specific future deadline or reference point. This represents the core function of the tense, framing the future time as a terminal point by which an action will have concluded.
  • By the time you receive this email, we will have shipped your order. (The shipping action concludes before the email is received.)
  • On her tenth anniversary with the company, she will have managed over fifty successful projects. (Managing fifty projects will be a completed achievement by her anniversary date.)
  • In just six months, you will have mastered the basics of Python programming. (Mastery will be an accomplished state within the six-month timeframe.)
  • To describe an action that will be completed prior to the occurrence of another future event. This usage explicitly outlines the sequence of future actions, where the completion of one action is a prerequisite or antecedent to another.
  • When the professor calls on me, I will have finished reviewing all the case studies. (The review completion precedes the professor's action.)
  • They will have arrived at the airport before their flight begins boarding. (Their arrival completes prior to the boarding process initiating.)
  • By the time the movie starts, I will have bought all the snacks. (Snack purchasing concludes before the movie's commencement.)
  • To express the duration of an action up to a specific future point. This application often incorporates for to quantify the period an action will have lasted or been completed by the future reference. While the Future Perfect Continuous (will have been doing) also conveys duration, the Future Perfect Simple typically emphasizes the result or cumulative effect of that duration rather than the ongoing process.
  • By their next annual meeting, the CEO will have served the company for fifteen years. (Focuses on the completed fifteen-year tenure at the point of the meeting.)
  • On July 1st, I will have lived in this apartment for exactly three years. (Highlights the full, completed three-year period of residency by that date.)
  • By the end of the semester, you will have attended thirty lectures on theoretical physics. (Emphasizes the total number of completed lectures by the semester's end.)
  • To make a confident assumption or logical inference about a past event that is highly likely to be true by a future moment. This usage conveys a strong degree of certainty regarding a past state that will be confirmed or recognized by the specified future time.
  • He will have certainly seen my message by now; he's usually glued to his phone. (A firm deduction about a past event, viewed from the present or near future.)
  • By the time the news breaks, the public relations team will have prepared their official statement. (Assumes past preparation will be complete before the future news release.)
  • The construction crew will have completed the foundation work by sunrise. (Expresses a strong expectation of past completion by the future reference of sunrise.)

When Not To Use It

Using this wrongly makes it hard for people to understand.
  • For simple future actions that lack a specific completion point. If the communicative intent is merely to state that an action will occur in the future, without reference to its completion before another future event, the Future Simple (will do) is the appropriate tense.
  • Incorrect: I will have attended the concert next month. (Suggests completion before an unspecified future point within 'next month'.)
  • Correct: I will attend the concert next month. (A straightforward statement of future intention.)
  • Incorrect: She will have started her new job on Monday.
  • Correct: She will start her new job on Monday.
  • When the action will be ongoing at a future point, not completed. If the emphasis is on an action that will be in progress at a particular future time, the Future Continuous (will be doing) is the correct choice. If the duration of an ongoing action up to a future point is central, the Future Perfect Continuous might be more suitable.
  • Incorrect: At 10 AM tomorrow, I will have been teaching my class. (If the action of teaching is still in progress at 10 AM.)
  • Correct (ongoing at 10 AM): At 10 AM tomorrow, I will be teaching my class.
  • Correct (completion of duration): By 10 AM tomorrow, I will have taught for two hours. (Focus on the completion of the two-hour teaching period.)
  • For past actions that bear no direct relationship to future completion. The inherent orientation of the Future Perfect is to project forward from the present to a future completion. Using it to describe isolated events exclusively in the past is grammatically incongruous.
  • Incorrect: Last week, we will have launched the new website. (Past actions require past tenses, not future perfect.)
  • Correct: Last week, we launched the new website. (Past Simple)

Common Mistakes

Students make many mistakes here. Learn the rules well.
  • Incorrect auxiliary verb (has instead of have): This is arguably the most common error. Learners often correctly recall that has is used for third-person singular subjects in the Present Perfect (e.g., He has seen the movie). However, the presence of the modal auxiliary will mandates that the base form of have (have) always follows it, irrespective of the subject's person or number.
  • Mistake: The student will has completed the assignment by dawn.
  • Correction: The student will have completed the assignment by dawn.
  • Confusing with Future Simple or Future Continuous: The subtle semantic distinctions between future tenses pose a frequent challenge. It is critical to internalize that Future Simple (will do) states a straightforward future action, Future Continuous (will be doing) describes an action in progress at a future time, and Future Perfect (will have done) explicitly emphasizes completion before a specified future time.
  • Mistake (using Simple Future incorrectly): By next summer, I will save enough for my tuition. (This suggests the act of saving will occur next summer, rather than being completed by then.)
  • Correction: By next summer, I will have saved enough for my tuition. (This correctly highlights the completed state of saving before the specified future summer.)
  • Mistake (using Future Perfect for ongoing action): At 7 PM, I will have been cooking dinner. (If the intention is to convey that the cooking is still in progress at 7 PM, not concluded.)
  • Correction: At 7 PM, I will be cooking dinner. (Future Continuous accurately describes an action ongoing at a future point.)
  • Using an incorrect verb form (base form or -ing instead of past participle): The past participle is a non-negotiable morphological component of all perfect tenses. Employing the base form of the verb or the present participle (the -ing form) instead will render the construction grammatically erroneous and often semantically nonsensical.
  • Mistake: By the deadline, she will have write her essay.
  • Correction: By the deadline, she will have written her essay.
  • Mistake: Before you arrive, they will have cleaning the apartment.
  • Correction: Before you arrive, they will have cleaned the apartment.
  • Absence of a clear future time reference: The Future Perfect necessitates an explicit or implicitly understood future reference point (e.g., by the end of the week, when the bell rings, by then). Without this crucial temporal anchor, the tense loses its specific meaning of completion before a future moment, making the statement vague and imprecise.
  • Mistake: I will have learned. (Lacks clarity regarding the future completion point.)
  • Correction: By the time I finish this course, I will have learned advanced calculus.

Memory Trick

Look at a future deadline. See what you finished.

Conjugating 'To Finish' in Future Perfect

Subject Auxiliary Perfective Past Participle
I
will
have
finished
You
will
have
finished
He/She/It
will
have
finished
We
will
have
finished
They
will
have
finished

Contractions in the Future Perfect

Full Form Contraction Negative Contraction
I will have
I'll have
I won't have
You will have
You'll have
You won't have
He will have
He'll have
He won't have
She will have
She'll have
She won't have
It will have
It'll have
It won't have
We will have
We'll have
We won't have
They will have
They'll have
They won't have

Meanings

Used to express an action that will be completed between now and a specific point in the future.

1

Future Completion

An action that is finished before another action or time in the future.

“I will have finished the report by 5 PM.”

“They will have arrived before the party starts.”

2

Duration in the Future

To show how long an action has been happening at a specific point in the future (usually with stative verbs).

“By next Monday, I will have been in this job for ten years.”

“They will have been married for fifty years this June.”

3

Logical Assumption (Past)

To express a strong belief or certainty that something happened in the past (similar to 'must have').

“You will have heard the news already, I assume.”

“He will have forgotten about the meeting by now.”

Reference Table

Reference table for English Future Perfect: Will Have Done (Future Perfect)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + will have + V3
I will have finished.
Negative
Subject + won't have + V3
She won't have arrived.
Question
Will + Subject + have + V3?
Will they have eaten?
Negative Question
Won't + Subject + have + V3?
Won't you have done it?
Short Answer (+)
Yes, Subject + will.
Yes, I will.
Short Answer (-)
No, Subject + won't.
No, they won't.
Passive
Subject + will have been + V3
It will have been done.

Formality Spectrum

Formal
The committee will have finalized the proposal by Friday.

The committee will have finalized the proposal by Friday. (Workplace productivity)

Neutral
I will have finished the report by the end of the day.

I will have finished the report by the end of the day. (Workplace productivity)

Informal
I'll have it done by tonight.

I'll have it done by tonight. (Workplace productivity)

Slang
I'll have it knocked out by 5.

I'll have it knocked out by 5. (Workplace productivity)

The Timeline of Future Perfect

Future Perfect

Time Markers

  • By No later than
  • By the time Before the moment

Structure

  • Will Future modal
  • Have Perfect auxiliary
  • V3 Past Participle

Future Simple vs. Future Perfect

Future Simple
I will eat Action starts in the future
Future Perfect
I will have eaten Action is finished by a future point

Should I use Future Perfect?

1

Is the action in the future?

YES
Go to next step
NO
Use Past or Present
2

Is there a specific deadline/cutoff?

YES
Go to next step
NO
Use Future Simple
3

Will the action be finished by that deadline?

YES
Use Future Perfect!
NO
Use Future Continuous

Common Time Expressions

With 'By'

  • By 5 PM
  • By next year
  • By then
📅

With 'In'

  • In two weeks' time
  • In ten years
  • In a few months

Examples by Level

1

By 6:00, I will have finished.

2

I will have eaten by then.

3

Will you have finished your homework?

4

She will have gone to bed.

1

By next week, we will have moved house.

2

I won't have finished the book by tomorrow.

3

Will they have arrived by dinner time?

4

By noon, he will have cleaned the car.

1

By the time you read this, I will have left.

2

In two years, I will have completed my degree.

3

They will have built the new bridge by 2025.

4

Will you have saved enough money by summer?

1

By next month, I will have been with the company for five years.

2

The movie will have started by the time we get to the cinema.

3

Won't you have finished your exams by the end of June?

4

By the time she retires, she will have taught thousands of students.

1

You will have noticed that the market has shifted recently.

2

By the end of the decade, technology will have transformed our lives.

3

The package will have been delivered by now, surely.

4

By the time the government acts, the damage will have been done.

1

Doubtless, he will have anticipated our every move.

2

By the turn of the century, these traditions will have all but vanished.

3

The architect will have intended for the light to hit the altar at noon.

4

Should you arrive late, the ceremony will have already concluded.

Easily Confused

English Future Perfect: Will Have Done (Future Perfect) vs Future Continuous

Learners use 'will be doing' when they mean the action is finished.

English Future Perfect: Will Have Done (Future Perfect) vs Present Perfect

Both use 'have + V3', but one is for the past and one is for the future.

English Future Perfect: Will Have Done (Future Perfect) vs Future Simple

Simple future doesn't emphasize the 'before' relationship.

Common Mistakes

By 5:00 I will finish.

By 5:00 I will have finished.

Simple future doesn't show completion before a time.

I will have finish.

I will have finished.

You must use the past participle (V3), not the base form.

He will has finished.

He will have finished.

After 'will', we always use 'have', never 'has'.

I will have went.

I will have gone.

Use the past participle 'gone', not the past simple 'went'.

By the time he will arrive, I will have finished.

By the time he arrives, I will have finished.

In time clauses with 'by the time', use the Present Simple, not 'will'.

I will have been finished.

I will have finished.

Don't add 'been' unless you want the passive voice.

Will have you finished?

Will you have finished?

The subject must come between 'will' and 'have' in questions.

I will have finished since two hours.

I will have finished in two hours.

Use 'in' for future periods, 'since' is for past starting points.

I will have finished until 5 PM.

I will have finished by 5 PM.

'Until' is for duration; 'by' is for a deadline.

By next year I will have had a car.

By next year I will have bought a car.

Using 'had' implies you already owned it; 'bought' implies the completion of the act.

They will have arrived by yesterday.

They will have arrived by now.

Future perfect for assumptions refers to 'now' or 'future', not 'yesterday' (use 'must have' for yesterday).

Sentence Patterns

By the time ___, I will have ___.

In ___ years' time, she will have ___.

Will you have ___ by ___?

The ___ will have been ___ by ___.

Real World Usage

Job Interviews very common

By this time next year, I will have completed my certification.

Project Management constant

We will have migrated all data by the end of the weekend.

Travel Planning common

We'll have reached the border by sunrise.

Academic Writing very common

This study will have demonstrated the link between the two variables.

Texting Friends occasional

I'll have finished my shower in 10 mins, then I can talk.

Financial Forecasting common

The company will have doubled its revenue by 2030.

💡

The 'By' Rule

If you see the word 'By' followed by a future time, there is a 90% chance you should use the Future Perfect.
⚠️

No 'Will' in Time Clauses

Never say 'By the time I will arrive.' Always use the Present Simple: 'By the time I arrive.'
🎯

Stative Verbs

Use Future Perfect for stative verbs (know, be, have) to show duration up to a future point. 'I will have known her for a year.'
💬

Spoken vs. Written

In casual speech, people often use 'will be done' or 'will finish.' Use 'will have finished' to sound more precise and educated.

Smart Tips

Use the Future Perfect to describe your expected graduation or certification dates to sound professional.

I will finish my MBA in 2025. By June 2025, I will have completed my MBA.

Check if you are using a stative verb like 'be' or 'live'. If so, Future Perfect is likely needed.

Next year I will be here for 10 years. Next year I will have been here for 10 years.

If you forget the V3, use a synonym that is regular. Instead of 'written', use 'completed'.

I will have writ... (struggling) I will have finished the document.

Always tap your watch. 'By the time' is a trigger for the Future Perfect in the other half of the sentence.

By the time you arrive, I cook dinner. By the time you arrive, I will have cooked dinner.

Pronunciation

/wɪl əv/

The 'Will Have' Reduction

In natural speech, 'will have' is often reduced to 'wull-uv' or even 'wuv'.

I'll have FINished.

Contraction Stress

When using 'I'll have', the stress is usually on the past participle, not the auxiliary.

Rising-Falling for Statements

By tomorrow, I will have finished ↘

Conveys certainty and completion.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'W.H.P.' — Will Have Participle. It's the 'What Has Passed' in the future.

Visual Association

Imagine a finish line in the future. You are standing past the finish line, looking back at the race you just completed. That 'looking back' is the Future Perfect.

Rhyme

By the time the clock strikes ten, I will have put away my pen.

Story

Imagine a robot named 'Will-Have'. Will-Have only talks about things he finishes. 'By tomorrow, I will have cleaned the planet,' he says. He always looks at his watch and then at a completed task.

Word Web

willhavebyfinisheddeadlinemilestonealready

Challenge

Write down three things you will have accomplished by the end of this year using 'I will have...'

Cultural Notes

British speakers use the Future Perfect more frequently as a modal of deduction (e.g., 'You will have seen the news').

Highly common in 'corporate speak' to emphasize accountability and deadlines.

Often shortened significantly in casual speech, sometimes omitting 'have' entirely in very broad accents (though not grammatically correct).

The Future Perfect in English developed from the combination of the modal 'will' (originally meaning 'to want') and the perfect aspect 'have + participle'.

Conversation Starters

What will you have accomplished by the time you are 50?

By the end of this month, what will you have learned in English?

If you travel to Japan next year, what cities will you have visited by the end of your trip?

By the time the next election happens, what will have changed in your country?

Journal Prompts

Write about your 'Perfect Future Self'. By this time next year, what will you have changed about your life?
Imagine you are an architect. Describe a building project. What will have been completed by month 6, month 12, and month 24?
Write a letter to your future self 10 years from now. List 5 things you hope you will have done.
Predict the state of the world in 2100. What technologies will have been invented?

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of the verb in Future Perfect.

By next month, I ___ (finish) my English course.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will have finished
The structure is will + have + past participle (finished).
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She will have arrived by now.
We always use 'have' (not 'has') and the past participle 'arrived'.
Find the error in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

By the time you will get here, I will have cooked dinner.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will get
In a 'by the time' clause, we use the present simple ('get'), not 'will get'.
Change the sentence to Future Perfect. Sentence Transformation

I am going to finish the report before 5 PM.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I will have finished the report by 5 PM.
Future Perfect expresses completion before a specific time.
Match the tense to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Continuous = In progress; Perfect = Completed
Future Continuous is for ongoing actions; Future Perfect is for finished ones.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Can we meet at 7 PM? B: No, I ___ (not/finish) my gym session by then.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: won't have finished
Negative Future Perfect: won't + have + V3.
Is this rule true or false? True False Rule

You can use 'has' in the Future Perfect if the subject is 'he' or 'she'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is always 'will have', regardless of the subject.
Put the words in the correct order. Sentence Building

have / they / by / arrived / will / noon / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Will they have arrived by noon?
Question order: Will + Subject + have + V3.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of the verb in Future Perfect.

By next month, I ___ (finish) my English course.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will have finished
The structure is will + have + past participle (finished).
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She will have arrived by now.
We always use 'have' (not 'has') and the past participle 'arrived'.
Find the error in the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

By the time you will get here, I will have cooked dinner.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will get
In a 'by the time' clause, we use the present simple ('get'), not 'will get'.
Change the sentence to Future Perfect. Sentence Transformation

I am going to finish the report before 5 PM.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I will have finished the report by 5 PM.
Future Perfect expresses completion before a specific time.
Match the tense to the meaning. Match Pairs

Match 'I will be working' and 'I will have worked'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Continuous = In progress; Perfect = Completed
Future Continuous is for ongoing actions; Future Perfect is for finished ones.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Can we meet at 7 PM? B: No, I ___ (not/finish) my gym session by then.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: won't have finished
Negative Future Perfect: won't + have + V3.
Is this rule true or false? True False Rule

You can use 'has' in the Future Perfect if the subject is 'he' or 'she'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It is always 'will have', regardless of the subject.
Put the words in the correct order. Sentence Building

have / they / by / arrived / will / noon / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Will they have arrived by noon?
Question order: Will + Subject + have + V3.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Choose the correct form. Fill in the Blank

When you arrive, I ___ the whole apartment.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will have cleaned
Choose the correct form. Fill in the Blank

By her 30th birthday, she ___ around the world.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: will have traveled
Find and fix the mistake. Error Correction

We won't has finished the project by next Monday.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: We won't have finished the project by next Monday.
Find and fix the mistake. Error Correction

By the end of the year, I will save enough for a new car.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: By the end of the year, I will have saved enough for a new car.
Which sentence is correct? Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: When she arrives, I will have cooked.
Which sentence is correct? Multiple Choice

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Will they have finished their presentation by 4 PM?
Type the correct English sentence. Translation

Translate into English: 'Para el próximo mes, habré leído tres libros.'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["By next month, I will have read three books.","By next month, I'll have read three books."]
Type the correct English sentence. Translation

Translate into English: 'Cuando llegue ella, la cena estará lista.' (Focus on completion by arrival)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ["When she arrives, dinner will have been made.","When she arrives, dinner will have been cooked."]
Put the words in order. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words into a sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: They will have finished the project before the deadline.
Put the words in order. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words into a sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: By tomorrow, I will have sent her the package.
Match the beginning of the sentence with the correct Future Perfect ending. Match Pairs

Match the phrases:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched
Match the beginning of the question with its appropriate Future Perfect ending. Match Pairs

Match the questions:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: matched

Score: /12

FAQ (8)

In casual speech, yes, but it changes the meaning. `I will finish` means you start finishing at that time. `I will have finished` means it is already done.

This is a rule for all future time clauses (when, before, after, by the time). We use the present tense to refer to the future in these specific clauses.

Not always. It can be the Future Perfect of the verb 'to be' (e.g., `I will have been here for an hour`). It is only passive if followed by another past participle.

It is moderately common. You'll use it most when talking about work deadlines, travel arrivals, or life milestones.

`By` is for a deadline (one point in time). `Until` is for a duration (an action that continues up to a point). You use `by` with Future Perfect.

Yes, but it is very formal and mostly used in British English with 'I' or 'We'. `I shall have finished` is correct but rare.

Most verbs are regular and end in `-ed`. For irregulars, you must memorize the third column of the verb table (e.g., go-went-`gone`).

Yes, in reported speech or conditional sentences (e.g., `He said he would have finished`). This is the 'Future in the Past'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Futuro Compuesto (Habré cantado)

Spanish uses it more frequently for probability in the present/past.

French high

Futur Antérieur (J'aurai fini)

French requires 'être' for certain verbs of motion, whereas English always uses 'have'.

German moderate

Futur II (Ich werde abgeschlossen haben)

German speakers usually replace it with the 'Perfekt' (Present Perfect) for simplicity.

Japanese low

〜てしまっているだろう (~te shimatte iru darou)

Japanese relies on context and aspect rather than a dedicated future perfect tense.

Arabic moderate

سيكون قد (Sa-yakunu qad...)

The particle 'qad' is essential to signal the completion aspect.

Chinese none

已经...了 (Yǐjīng...le)

Meaning is entirely derived from time words (e.g., 'Tomorrow I already finish').

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Was this helpful?

Comments (0)

Login to Comment
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!