Module 6: Mastering Verb Tenses - Lesson 6.6: Future Perfect Simple

Module 6: Mastering Verb Tenses - Lesson 6.6: Future Perfect Simple

Lesson 6.6: Future Perfect Simple

Welcome to Lesson 6.6! Today, we are learning about the Future Perfect Simple tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that will be completed before a specific point in the future. The Future Perfect Simple allows us to project forward in time and describe events that will be finished by a certain future moment. It is useful for planning, making predictions about completion, and setting timeframes for future actions.

What is the Future Perfect Simple?

The Future Perfect Simple tense is used to indicate:

  • Action Completed Before a Specific Point in the Future: It describes an action that will be finished or completed at some point before a specific time in the future.
  • Future Completion: It emphasizes the completion of an action in the future, looking forward from now to a future deadline or point in time.
  • Predictions and Plans with Future Deadlines: Often used to make predictions about future completion or to talk about plans that will be finalized by a future time.

Forming the Future Perfect Simple

The Future Perfect Simple is formed using:

Formula: will have + Past Participle

  • 'will have' is used for all subjects: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Past Participle: This is the third form of a verb. For regular verbs, it ends in '-ed'; for irregular verbs, it varies.
Contraction is common: 'll have is used for 'will have' with all subjects (e.g., "I'll have finished," "She'll have gone"). So, I'll have, you'll have, he'll have, she'll have, it'll have, we'll have, they'll have (e.g., "By next year, I'll have lived here for ten years.")

Examples of Future Perfect Simple Formation:

  • Affirmative:
    • I will have finished work by 5 PM. (I'll have finished)
    • She will have gone home by the time you arrive. (She'll have gone)
    • We will have eaten dinner before the movie starts. (We'll have eaten)
    • They will have already left by next week. (They'll have already left)
    • He will have lived here for five years next month. (He'll have lived)
  • Negative: (Adding 'not' after 'will')
    • I will not have finished the report by Monday. (I won't have finished)
    • She will not have seen the results by then. (She won't have seen)
    • We will not have eaten all the food. (We won't have eaten)
    • They will not have arrived by tomorrow morning. (They won't have arrived)
    • He will not have lived here for long, even by next year. (He won't have lived)
  • Question: (Inverting 'will' and the subject)
    • Will you have finished by tomorrow?
    • Will she have gone to bed by then?
    • Will we have eaten everything?
    • Will they have left by next Friday?
    • Will he have lived here for many years by 2025?

Key Uses of Future Perfect Simple:

  1. Action Completed Before a Specific Future Time:

    The primary use is to indicate that an action will be completed before a certain point in the future. This future point is often indicated by time expressions starting with 'by' or 'before'.

    Common Time Expressions: by (then/tomorrow/next week/5 PM/etc.), before (then/that time), by the time, in (a week/two years/etc.)

    Examples:

    • "I will have finished this book by next week." (Action of finishing book will be completed before next week) - Future completion deadline.
    • "She will have left for work before you wake up." (Action of leaving for work will be completed before the future event of you waking up) - Future completion relative to another future event.
    • "By the end of the year, they will have built 20 new houses." (Action of building houses will be completed by the end of the year) - Quantity completed by a future time.
    • "By the time you read this, I will have already arrived in Paris." (Action of arriving in Paris will be completed before the future event of you reading this) - Future completion relative to another future action of reading.
    • "We will have eaten all the cake in five minutes if you don't stop us!" (Action of eating cake will be completed within a future timeframe) - Future completion within a short period.
  2. Duration Up to a Future Point:

    Similar to Present Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Simple for duration, Future Perfect Simple can express the duration of an action or state that will continue up to a specific point in the future. It shows how long something will have lasted by then.

    Common Time Expressions: for (duration) by (future time), by then, by that time, when (used to indicate future point)

    Examples:

    • "Next month, I will have lived in this city for ten years." (Duration of living in city up to a future point - next month) - Future anniversary of duration.
    • "By the time she retires, she will have worked here for 30 years." (Duration of working up to a future point - retirement) - Long service duration by a future event.
    • "By 2025, they will have been married for 25 years." (Duration of marriage up to a future year) - Future anniversary of relationship duration.
    • "In July, we will have been learning English for six months." (Duration of learning English up to a future month) - Milestone in learning duration. - Note: Future Perfect Continuous is also possible and more common to emphasize ongoing duration, but Future Perfect Simple can also express completed duration by a future point).
    • "By this time tomorrow, you will have been travelling for 24 hours." (Duration of travel up to a specific future time tomorrow) - Length of travel by a future time. - Again, Future Perfect Continuous is also possible for emphasizing the ongoing nature of travel, but Simple focuses on the completed duration by that point).
  3. Making Predictions about Completed Actions in the Future:

    Future Perfect Simple can be used to make predictions or assumptions about actions that will be completed by a certain time in the future. It's about forecasting future completion.

    Often used with: I expect, I hope, I imagine, I think, probably, certainly (to soften or emphasize the prediction)

    Examples:

    • "I expect they will have finished the project on time." (Prediction - expecting completion by a future deadline) - Forecasting successful completion.
    • "Do you think she will have heard the news by now?" (Question as a prediction - asking if completion of hearing news is likely by now) - Inquiring about future likely completion.
    • "I imagine he will have already left by the time we call." (Prediction - imagining completion of leaving before a future action of calling) - Anticipating completion before another event.
    • "They probably won't have announced the winner by tomorrow morning." (Negative prediction - forecasting non-completion of announcement by a future time) - Predicting non-completion.
    • "By next week, we will certainly have received your payment." (Confident prediction - certain completion of receiving payment by a future date) - Assurance of future completion.

Future Perfect Simple vs. Simple Future (Will + Base Verb) - Key Difference: Completion by Future Time

  • Future Perfect Simple: Describes actions that will be completed by a specific time in the future. Focus is on completion *before* a future point.
  • Simple Future (Will + Base Verb): Describes actions that will happen at some point in the future, without necessarily specifying completion by a certain time. Focus is on the action happening in the future, not necessarily its completion relative to another time.

Examples Highlighting the Difference:

  • "I will finish the book next week." (Simple Future - Action of finishing the book will happen in the future - next week, but not necessarily *by* the end of next week. Focus on future action). - Future action, timing is general.
  • "I will have finished the book by next week." (Future Perfect Simple - Action of finishing the book will be completed *before or by* the end of next week. Focus on completion before a future deadline.) - Completion by future deadline emphasized.
  • "She will leave work at 5 PM." (Simple Future - Action of leaving work will happen at 5 PM in the future. Focus on future event at a time). - Future event at a time.
  • "She will have left work by 5 PM." (Future Perfect Simple - Action of leaving work will be completed *before or by* 5 PM. Focus on completion before a future time.) - Completion before a future time.

Key takeaway: Future Perfect Simple (will have + past participle) describes actions that will be completed *before* a specific point in the future. It is used to emphasize future completion, duration up to a future point, and predictions about future completed actions. Remember to use Future Perfect Simple when you need to stress that a future action will be finished by a certain time or when looking back from a future point to a completed action. Next, we will explore Lesson 6.7: Future Perfect Continuous!