Quick answer. Use the Future Perfect for an action that will be complete before a stated future time: will have + past participle. Example: By Friday, I will have finished the report. The deadline is in the future, but the action is viewed as already completed from that point.
- build affirmative, negative and question forms;
- use by, before and by the time correctly;
- separate completion from an action in progress;
- check irregular past participles.
Future Perfect formula
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | subject + will have + V3 | She will have completed the course by June. |
| Negative | subject + will not have + V3 | They will not have arrived by noon. |
| Question | will + subject + have + V3? | Will you have finished before dinner? |
| Short answer | Yes, subject will. / No, subject will not. | Yes, I will. |
Have does not change after will. The main verb must be a past participle: written, not wrote; gone, not went.
By, before and by the time
- by + time: no later than that point — by 8 p.m.
- before + event/time: earlier than it — before the meeting.
- by the time + Present Simple clause: By the time you arrive, I will have cooked dinner.
Do not use will in the time clause after by the time: by the time you will arrive. The future meaning is already supplied by the connector and the main clause.
Exercise 1: complete the form
- By next Monday, we ___ the project. (finish)
- She ___ all ten chapters before the exam. (read)
- They ___ the new bridge by 2030. (not/build)
- ___ you ___ the application by noon? (send)
- By the time I get home, the children ___. (go to bed)
- He ___ enough money before the trip. (save)
Answers to Exercise 1
- will have finished
- will have read
- will not have built
- Will / have sent
- will have gone to bed
- will have saved
Future Simple, Future Continuous or Future Perfect?
| Meaning | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| prediction or future fact | will + verb | I will work tomorrow. |
| action in progress at a future moment | will be + -ing | At 10, I will be working. |
| action complete before a future moment | will have + V3 | By 10, I will have finished. |
Exercise 2: choose the future form
- At 9 tomorrow, I ___ to the airport. (drive)
- By 9 tomorrow, I ___ at the airport. (arrive)
- I think the journey ___ two hours. (take)
- This time next week, they ___ on the beach. (sit)
- Before the guests come, we ___ the room. (clean)
- Do not call at six; she ___ the lesson. (teach)
Answers with reasons
- will be driving — in progress at 9
- will have arrived — complete by 9
- will take — prediction
- will be sitting — in progress at that time
- will have cleaned — complete before the event
- will be teaching — in progress at six
Exercise 3: correct the mistake
- By Friday, I will have finish the report.
- Will have they arrived by then?
- She won’t has completed the task.
- By the time you will arrive, we will have eaten.
- He will have went home before midnight.
Corrections
- By Friday, I will have finished the report.
- Will they have arrived by then?
- She won’t have completed the task.
- By the time you arrive, we will have eaten.
- He will have gone home before midnight.
Exercise 4: translate into English
- К пятнице мы закончим первую часть.
- Она ещё не вернётся к десяти часам.
- Ты прочитаешь книгу до экзамена?
- К тому времени, когда они приедут, встреча уже начнётся.
Model translation
- By Friday, we will have finished the first part.
- She will not have returned by ten o’clock.
- Will you have read the book before the exam?
- By the time they arrive, the meeting will have started.
Exercise 5: write from a deadline
Choose a real future point: tonight, the end of this week or the end of the year. Write three sentences about things that will be complete and one thing that will still be in progress. This contrast prevents the Future Perfect from becoming only a formula exercise.
Model set
By Friday, I will have answered all important emails. I will have finished one chapter. I will not have completed the whole course. At six on Friday, I will be travelling home.
Typical mistakes for Russian-speaking learners
- Using Future Simple for a completed-before-deadline meaning.
- Using the second form instead of the past participle:
will have wrote. - Adding will after by the time.
- Forgetting that by means no later than, not necessarily exactly at that time.
Self-check
One-minute test
Explain the difference between At 8 I will be cooking and By 8 I will have cooked. Then make a negative sentence and a question. You are ready to move on when all three use have + V3 and the time clause contains no unnecessary will.
Related practice
Continue with Future Continuous exercises, Future Simple exercises, will and be going to, Past Perfect exercises, mixed tenses, tenses test and conditionals exercises.
