The future perfect tense is a verb tense that is used for actions that will be completed before some other frame of time in the future. The future perfect tense is only for actions that will be complete before a specific point in the future. Generally, we use it when we don’t mention a deadline. If the deadline is set, we use the simple future tense instead of the future perfect tense.
What is the Future Perfect Tense?
The future perfect tense is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future. The future perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “will” plus the past participle of the main verb.
What are Future Perfect Tense Grammar Rules?
The Future Perfect tense can be used to create positive and negative sentences or a question sentence (interrogative sentence).
Forming the Future Perfect Tense:
The future perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “will” plus the past participle of the main verb. The structure is:
Subject + will + have + past participle of the main verb.
For example:
He will have tried all the good equipment in Germany.
She will have eaten most of the food in Japan.
I will have left already.
Forming Negative Sentences:
To make a negative sentence with Future Perfect Tense, we have to add “not” to the auxiliary verb “will”. We will use “won’t” in our sentences.
For example:
I won’t have finished my project.
She won’t have eaten all the food.
Asking Questions:
To form a question in the future perfect tense, we start with “will” and add subject to the sentence. After that we add “have” before the past participle of the verb.
For example:
Will you have prepared lunch already when we arrive ?
Will you have done your homework ?
For example:
Will they be attending the party next week?
Will we be watching a film tonight?
Structuring Sentences with Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future. The future perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “will” plus the past participle of the main verb. To structure sentences with the future perfect tense, we need to follow this simple formula:
Subject (He, She, It, I, You, We, They)+ will + have + past participle of the main verb.
Subject: We begin the sentence with the subject (the person or thing performing the action).
Will: We add “will” after the subject.
Auxiliary Verb: We use the correct form of the auxiliary verb as “Have”.
Main Verb: We add the main verb in its past participle form (V3).
Future Perfect Tense Positive Sentences
The future perfect tense is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future. The future perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “will” plus the past participle of the main verb. Here’s an explanation of how to form positive sentences in the future perfect tense:
We begin the sentence with the subject (the person or thing performing the action).
We add “will” after the subject.
We use the correct form of the auxiliary verb as “Have”.
We add the main verb in its past participle form (V3).
To structure sentences with the future perfect tense, we need to follow this simple formula:
Subject (He, She, It, I, You, We, They)+ will + have + past participle of the main verb.
For example: He (Subject) + will + have (Auxiliary verb) + tried (V3) all the good equipment in Germany (the rest of the sentence) .
| Subject | Will | Auxiliary Verb | Main Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| You | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| We | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| They | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| He | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| She | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| It | Will | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
By next month, I will have graduated from university.
The time you arrive, we will have finished lunch.
I will have been working in this store for five years by the end of this month,
By the time you get home, she will have cooked dinner.
The show will have started.
Future Perfect Tense Negative Sentences
To make a negative sentence with Future Perfect Tense, it will be sufficient to add “not” to the auxiliary verb “will”.
We begin the sentence with the subject (the person or thing performing the action).
We add “will not” or “won’t” after the subject.
We use the correct form of the auxiliary verb as “Have”.
We add the main verb in its past participle form (V3).
To structure sentences with the future perfect tense, we need to follow this simple formula:
Subject (He, She, It, I, You, We, They)+ will not + have + past participle of the main verb.
For example: He (Subject) + will not + have (Auxiliary verb) + graduated (V3).
| Subject | Will (Negative) | Auxiliary Verb | Main Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| You | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| We | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| They | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| He | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| She | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
| It | Won’t | Have | Past Participle of the Verb (V3) |
Here are some examples of negative sentences in the future perfect tense:
By next year, I will not have graduated from university.
The time you arrive, we will not have finished lunch.
I won’t have been working in this store for even a year.
By the time you get home, she will not have cooked dinner.
The show will not have started.
Future Perfect Tense Positive Interrogative Sentences
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. To structure interrogative sentences with the future perfect tense, we need to follow this simple formula:
Will + Subject + Auxiliary Verb (Have) + Main Verb (Past participle) + Object
For example: Will + you (Subject) + have (Auxiliary verb) + taken (Past participle) + your lesson already when we arrive (Object) + ?
| Will | Subject | Auxiliary Verb | Main Verb | Complement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will | I | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | You | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | We | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | They | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | He | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | She | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
| Will | It | Have | Main Verb (V3) | Object |
Here are some examples of interrogative sentences in the future perfect tense:
Will you have finished your project by the time the deadline hits?
Will you have taken your lesson already when we arrive?
Will you have been managing this place for six years by the end of this year?
Will you have cleaned the store by the time he gets home?
Will the show have started by the time she gets there?
Will biologists and doctors have found a cure for viruses by 2030?
Will you have climbed this mountain by the time we get to the town?
Will the teacher have canceled the lesson?
Future Perfect Tense Negative-Interrogative Sentences
To write a negative interrogative sentence in future perfect tense, you can use the formula below:
Will + Not + Subject +Auxiliary Verb (Have) + Main Verb (Past participle) + Object
For example: Won’t + he (Subject) + have (Auxiliary Verb) + studied (Verb + -ing) + until the time sun sets. (Object).
| Will (Negative) | Subject | Auxiliary Verb | Main Verb | Complement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Will not | I | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | You | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | We | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | They | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | He | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | She | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
| Will not | It | Have | Main Verb (Past Participle) | Object |
Here are some examples of negative-interrogative sentences in the future perfect tense:
Will you not have finished your project by the time the deadline hits?
Will you not have taken your lesson already when we arrive?
Will you not have been managing this place for six years by the end of this year?
Will you not have cleaned the store by the time he gets home?
Will the show not have started by the time she gets there?
Will biologists and doctors not have found a cure for viruses by 2030?
Will you not have climbed this mountain by the time we get to the town?
Will the teacher not have canceled the lesson?
Short answers in Future Perfect Tense
Positive Answers
| Confirmation Word | Subject | Will | Auxiliary Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, | I | Will | Have |
| Yes, | You | Will | Have |
| Yes, | We | Will | Have |
| Yes, | They | Will | Have |
| Yes, | He | Will | Have |
| Yes, | She | Will | Have |
| Yes, | It | Will | Have |
| Denial Word | Subject | Will | Auxiliary Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| No, | I | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | You | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | We | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | They | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | He | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | She | Will not (won’t) | Have |
| No, | It | Will not (won’t) | Have |
Wh- questions in Future Perfect Tense
Wh- questions are questions that begin with a Wh- question word such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. To form Wh- questions in Future Perfect Tense, we use this following structure:
Wh- question + will + subject + have + Main Verb (V3) + rest of the sentence
For example: What (Wh- question) + will + you (Subject) + have (Auxiliary verb) + added (Past participle) to your project before the deadline hits (The rest of the sentence) .
| Wh- question | Will | Subject | Auxiliary Verb | Main Verb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who | Will | I | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| Whose | Will | You | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| Which | Will | We | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| Where | Will | They | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| What | Will | He | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| Why | Will | She | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| When | Will | It | Have | Past participle of the verb (V3) |
| How |
Here are some examples of Wh- question sentences in the future perfect tense:
When will I have finished preparing this project?
Why will you have studied all the lessons at once by tomorrow?
When will he have been here?
How will we have met your brother by this evening?
When will we have left our houses?
The Adverbs of Time That Are Used in Future Perfect Tense:
To further specify what time the actions in question take place, we can add temporal adverbs. Some adverbs we can use with Future Perfect Tense are:
By next year,
By the end of this month,
By the time you arrive,
By the time they finish,
By the time the day ends.
Here are some example sentences that are formed with adverbs of time:
Why will you have studied all the lessons at once by tomorrow?
How will we have met your brother by this evening?
I will have been working in this store for five years by the end of this month.
By next month, I will have graduated from university.
By the time you get home, she will have cooked dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Future Perfect Tense
What is the Difference Between Future Perfect Tense and Present Continuous Tense?
We use the future perfect to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. But, we use the present continuous tense to describe an action that is happening now or in the near future.
What is the Difference Between Future Perfect Tense and Simple Past Tense?
We use the future perfect tense to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. But, we use the simple past tense to describe an action that was completed in the past.
What is the Difference Between Future Perfect Tense and Past Perfect Tense?
We use the future perfect tense to describe an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future. But, we use the past perfect tense to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.
What is Future Perfect Tense formula?
To structure sentences with the future perfect tense, we need to follow this simple formula: Subject (He, She, It, I, You, We, They)+ will + have + past participle of the main verb.
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