What Is the Future Perfect Tense? (with Examples)

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future. For example:

John will have baked a cake.
They will have painted the fence.

The future perfect tense is often used with a time expression (shown in bold) that identifies a point in the future. For example:

John will have baked a cake before you arrive.
They will have painted the fence before I have a chance to speak to them.

A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the future perfect tense:

Infographic for the Future Perfect Tense

Here is an infographic explaining the future perfect tense:

Examples of the Future Perfect Tense

Here are some examples of the future perfect tense (shaded):

By the time you arrive, we will have finished the meal and the speeches.
I will have read every magazine in the waiting room before I see the dentist.
I hope that, when I leave this planet, I will have touched a few people in a positive way. (Actor Will Rothhaar)

Forming the Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is formed:

[subject]

"will have"

[past participle]

I will have completed my assignment by 3 o'clock.
After this event, Simon will have walked over 10,000 miles in those boots.

Forming the Past Participle (Regular Verbs)

If it's a regular verb, the past participle is the same as the simple past tense. In other words, it is formed like this:

Add "ed" to most verbs:

jump > jumped
paint > painted

If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add "ed":

chat > chatted
stop > stopped

If the final consonant is "w," "x," or "y," don't double it:

sew > sewed
play > played
fix > fixed

If last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add "ed":

incur > incurred
prefer > preferred

If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add "ed":

open > opened
enter > entered
swallow > swallowed

If the verb ends "e," just add "d":

thrive > thrived
guzzle > guzzled

If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":

cry > cried
fry > fried

Forming the Past Participle (Irregular Verbs)

If it's an irregular verb, the "past participle" is formed in all sorts of different ways. Here are some examples:

arise > arisen
catch > caught
choose > chosen
know > known

You just have to learn them.

Read more about irregular verbs (includes a list of the most common irregular verbs).

The Negative Version

If you need the negative version, you can use the following construction:

[subject]

"will not have"

[past participle]

By the time you arrive, we will not have finished the meal and the speeches.
I will not have readevery magazine in the waiting room before I see the dentist.

Remember that "will not" is sometimes written as the contraction "won't."

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"

[past participle]

By the time you arrive, will we have finished the meal and the speeches?
Will I have read every magazine in the waiting room before I see the dentist?

You can use the following word order for a question-word question:

[question word]

"will"

[subject]

"have"

[past participle]

Where will the guests have gathered by the time we arrive?
When will I have done enough work to make her happy?

Verb Tense Widget

Use this widget to learn about the different tenses. How do you use this widget? Well, if there's a button, a drop-down menu, or a

, you can click it!

to base form

( verb)

Select the tenses.

Present Tenses

Simple Present
The simple present tense is mostly used to describe facts and habits. More...(opens new tab)
I base form you base form he/she/it 3rd pers sing present we base form you base form they base form

Present Progressive Tense
The present progressive tense is used for an ongoing action in the present. More...(opens new tab)
I am present participle you are present participle he/she/it is present participle we are present participle you are present participle they are present participle

Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used for actions that began in the past. (Often, the actions continue into the present.) More...(opens new tab)
I have past participle you have past participle he/she/it has past participle we have past participle you have past participle they have past participle

Present Perfect Progressive Tense
The present perfect progressive tense is used for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently). More...(opens new tab)
I have been present participle you have been present participle he/she/it has been present participle we have been present participle you have been present participle they have been present participle

Past Tenses

Simple Past
The simple past tense is used to describe a completed activity that happened in the past. More...(opens new tab)
I past tense you past tense he/she/it past tense we past tense you past tense they past tense

Past Progressive Tense
The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action. More...(opens new tab)
I was present participle you were present participle he/she/it was present participle we were present participle you were present participle they were present participle

Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to emphasize that an action was completed before another took place. More...(opens new tab)
I had past participle you had past participle he/she/it had past participle we had past participle you had past participle they had past participle

Past Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive tense is used to show that an ongoing action in the past has ended. More...(opens new tab)
I had been present participle you had been present participle he/she/it had been present participle we had been present participle you had been present participle they had been present participle

Future Tenses

Simple Future
The simple future tense is used for an action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab)
I will base form you will base form he/she/it will base form we will base form you will base form they will base form

Future Progressive Tense
The future progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will occur in the future. More...(opens new tab)
I will be present participle you will be present participle he/she/it will be present participle we will be present participle you will be present participle they will be present participle

Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
I will have past participle you will have past participle he/she/it will have past participle we will have past participle you will have past participle they will have past participle

Future Perfect Progressive Tense
The future perfect progressive tense is used for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future. More...(opens new tab)
I will have been present participle you will have been present participle he/she/it will have been present participle we will have been present participle you will have been present participle they will have been present participle

Other Future Tenses

The future perfect 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

Slider Showing All the Tenses

The following slider shows all 12 tenses. The future perfect tense is highlighted with a yellow background.

Interactive Exercise

Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster

Do you disagree with something on this page?
Did you spot a typo?

Please tell us using this form.

"Smashing Grammar" (2019)
Written by the founder of Grammar Monster, "Smashing Grammar" includes a glossary of grammar essentials (from apostrophes to zeugma) and a chapter on easily confused words (from affect/effect to whether/if). Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real-life, entertaining examples. All entries conclude with a section highlighting why the grammar point is relevant for a writer and top-level bullet points summarizing the entry. [More�]

"Grammar for Grown-ups" (2011)
Vocational rather than academic, "Grammar for Grown-ups" is packed with real-life examples and keeps you engaged with a wealth of great quotations from Homer the Greek to Homer the Simpson. Straight talking and methodical, Craig Shrives draws on his years compiling Grammar Monster and as an army officer to present a comprehensive but light-hearted and easily digestible grammar reference guide. [More�]