How to use future perfect properly

What is future perfect

The future perfect tense is a verb form used to describe actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future. It is structured as will have + the past participle of the main verb. For example: "By next month, she will have finished her thesis," or "They will have left by the time you arrive." In these sentences, will have finished and will have left are future perfect verbs, emphasizing actions completed prior to a future moment.

The future perfect is categorized into affirmative ("I will have completed"), negative ("I will not have completed"), and interrogative ("Will you have completed?"). These forms differ in purpose: affirmatives state anticipated completion, negatives deny it, and interrogatives ask about it. Additionally, it is used for projections ("By 2030, scientists will have discovered a cure") or assumptions ("He will have read the email by now"), each implying certainty about future outcomes.

Some most common uses of future perfect verbs in English

Below are some most frequent used English future perfect verbs.

Will have finished (to complete)

Will have left (to depart)

Will have written (to create text)

Will have started (to begin)

Will have achieved (to accomplish)

Will have submitted (to present formally)

Will have graduated (to complete a degree)

Will have built (to construct)

Will have decided (to make a choice)

Will have prepared (to make ready)

In formal contexts, future perfect verbs like will have concluded ("The trial will have concluded by Friday") or will have implemented ("We will have implemented the system by Q3") are common. Informal usage often includes contractions, such as 'll have finished ("I 'll have finished by noon") or won't have started ("They won't have started yet"). Regional variations exist: British English may use shall have in formal writing ("The committee shall have approved the plan"), while American English prefers will have ("The committee will have approved"), both meaning "completed before a future time."

When to use future perfect

The future perfect is appropriate for actions completed before a future deadline ("By December, I will have saved $5,000"), assumptions about past actions from a future perspective ("She will have noticed the error by now"), or sequential future events ("When you arrive, we will have eaten"). For example: "They will have retired by 2040," "The package will have arrived tomorrow," or "He will have repaired the car before the trip."

Misusing the tense can confuse timelines. Saying "I will have finished yesterday" incorrectly places a past action in the future perfect. Avoid using it without a future reference point ("They will have completed the task" is vague; add "by tomorrow"). Overusing it for ongoing actions ("They will have been working for hours" requires future perfect continuous) also creates ambiguity.

How to evaluate my knowledge on future perfect

All verbs can form the future perfect tense, totaling thousands of possibilities. Categories range from simple (will have eaten) to complex with irregular past participles (will have written, will have begun). Self-assessment methods include rewriting sentences with future deadlines ("By X time, Y will have..."), identifying errors ("She will has finished -> will have"), or writing paragraphs about future milestones ("I will have graduated by 2025"). Peer-reviewed exercises, such as explaining why "They will have submit the report" is incorrect (-> "submitted"), and creating timelines to visualize completion points also test proficiency.

One simple way to check your current knowledge level of future perfect is by testing your skills. Try out to guess what are the expressions on the sentences gaps below:

1. By tomorrow, she ______ (finish) the report.

2. They ______ (leave) by 8 PM.

3. I ______ (complete) the course by June.

4. He ______ (not/submit) the application by Friday.

5. We ______ (build) the house by next year.

6. The train ______ (depart) by the time we arrive.

7. The contract ______ (sign) by both parties by Monday.

8. She ______ (publish) her research by the conference.

9. All tickets ______ (sell) by the event date.

Sentences from 1 to 3 uses beginner level future perfect. Their answers are: 1. will have finished | 2. will have left | 3. will have completed. Sentences 4 to 6 are intermediate level, their answers are: 4. won\u2019t have submitted | 5. will have built | 6. will have departed. Sentence 7 to 9 are advanced level, their answers are: 7. will have been signed | 8. will have published | 9. will have been sold. Check how much you guessed right on each level and you will have a clue on how much you know and which is your current knowledge level on future perfect. Of course this is a very simple test and it is very high biased. You should take a longer test, using a wide range of future perfect verbs to have a more accurate score.

Ways to improve my knowledge on future perfect

Improvement strategies include reading project timelines or academic papers ("The study will have concluded by 2024"), writing journals about future goals ("By December, I will have learned Spanish"), and practicing irregular past participles (write -> written). Role-playing scenarios ("What will you have achieved in five years?") enhances conversational skills. Grammar workbooks with sentence-rephrasing exercises ("Change 'She finishes' to future perfect: She will have finished"), group discussions about long-term plans ("What will you have accomplished by 2030?"), and self-created timelines ("I will have... by X date") reinforce understanding. Peer feedback on written work and recording oral summaries of future achievements ("By next year, I will have...") also solidify mastery.

You could learn them by listening to podcasts, watching videos on youtube or reading online news focused on the audience you are looking to be part of. Focusing situations and audience will shrink the amount of common used future perfect verbs you have to learn at the beginning of your learning journey. Don't be afraid on not kowing all of things you hear or read. Don't be afraid to ask or search online the meaning of new expressions. Ask natives: Clarify new words you hear in conversations. Stay curious: Note down unfamiliar words in a "expression diary." Finally, embrace mistakes: Misusing it can become a funny learning moment!"

Learninn is a great way to get in touch with English future perfect. Articles and videos hosted on our platform include most common future perfect, if not all existent ones. Every content consumed on our platform is recorded and used in the future for your learning.