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Future Perfect Progressive Tense
What Is the Future Perfect Progressive Tense? (with Examples)
The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. For example:- John will have been baking a cake.
- They will have been painting the fence.
- By six o'clock, John will have been baking a cake for an hour. ("By six o'clock" specifies a time in the future. "For an hour" tells us the length of the activity.)
- They will have been painting the fence for two days by Saturday. ("By Saturday" specifies a time in the future. "For two days" tells us the length of the activity.)
Table of Contents
- Examples of the Future Progressive Tense
- Forming the Future Perfect Progressive Tense
- Interactive Verb Conjugation Tables
- Video Lesson
- Printable Test
Examples of the Future Progressive Tense
Here are some more examples of the future perfect progressive tense (shaded):- In July next year, you will have been studying for eight months. ("In July next year" is the specified time. "For eight months" tells us how long.)
- I will have been playing poker for 30 years by then. ("By then" is the specified time. "For 30 years" tells us how long.)
- By the time the boat arrives, they will have been living without proper food for two weeks. ("By the time the boat arrives" is the specified time. "For two weeks" tells us how long.)
Forming the Future Perfect Progressive Tense
The future perfect progressive tense is formed:[subject]
+ "will have been"
+ [present participle]
- At 10 pm, I will have been swimming for six hours.
- They will have been talking for two hours by then.
Forming the Present Participle
The word that ends "ing" in each example above is known as a present participle. It is formed like this:Add "ing" to most verbs:
- play > playing
- shout > shouting
- prepare > preparing
- ride > riding
- lie > lying
- untie > untying
- run > running
- forget > forgetting
The Negative Version
If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:[subject]
+ "will not have been"
+ [present participle]
- In July next year, you will not have been studying for three years.
- I will not have been playing poker for 30 years by then.
The Question Version
If you need to ask a question, you can use the following word order for a yes/no question:"will"
+ [subject]
+ "have been"
+ [present participle]
- In July next year, will you have been studying for 3 years?
- Will I have been playing poker for 30 years by then?
[question word]
+ "will"
+ [subject]
+ "have been"
+ [present participle]
- When will you have been studying for 3 years?
Top 10 Regular Verbs
Top 10 Irregular Verbs
All 4 Past Tenses
| Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
|
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
|
The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
|
The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
|
All 4 Present Tenses
| Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
|
The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
|
The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
|
The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
|
All 4 Future Tenses
| Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
|
The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
|
The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
|
The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
|
Other Future Tenses
The future perfect progressive tense is one of four future tenses. This table shows all four of the future tenses:| The 4 Future Tenses | Example |
|---|---|
| simple future tense | I will go |
| future progressive tense | I will be going |
| future perfect tense | I will have gone |
| future perfect progressive | I will have been going |
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See Also
Take a test on the future perfect progressive tense See all the tenses What is a verb phrase? Simple past tense Past progressive tense Past perfect tense Past perfect progressive tense Simple present tense Present progressive tense Present perfect tense Present perfect progressive tense Simple future tense Future progressive tense Future perfect tenseNext lesson >
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Description: Published by London's Octopus Publishing, "Smashing Grammar" is the third, and most comprehensive, grammar reference book written by Craig Shrives (the founder of the Grammar-Monster.com). It is divided into three sections:
- A-Z Grammar Glossary (This section explains grammar terminology, from the basics to advanced terms. It is especially useful because every entry concludes with a valuable and succinct explanation of why the grammar term matters for a writer.)
- A-Z of Punctuation (Packed with entertaining examples, this section provides definitive, well-explained rules for using all the principal punctuation marks. Punctuation should not be guesswork. There are rules.)
- A-Z of Easily Confused Words (This section covers all the homonyms and near homonyms that plague writers and offers tips on how to remember which to use.)
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