Grammar: Advanced Future Tenses
B2 Lesson 6: Future Perfect Simple
Why It Matters: Looking Back from the Future
We use the Future Perfect to talk about future deadlines and achievements. It allows us to look forward to a point in the future and imagine an action is already finished.
Imagine this timeline:
Example: "By 10 PM tonight (deadline), I will have finished my homework (action)."
The Grammar Rules 📖
Rule 1: The Structure
The structure is the same for all subjects: will have + Past Participle.
| Positive: | I will have finished all my homework. |
| Negative: | She won't have saved enough money. |
| Question: | Will you have completed the report? |
Rule 2: The Main Use
We use this tense to show an action will be finished before a specific future time. You must include a future time reference.
Common signal phrases are: by..., by the time..., and in... time.
- "By the time you arrive, we will have eaten all the cake!"
- "In three years' time, they will have built the new bridge in Battambang."
- "By the end of this year, she will have learned basic graphic design."
💡 Pro Tip: Future Simple vs. Future Perfect
Future Simple: "I will finish my homework at 10 PM."
(The action happens AT 10 PM).
Future Perfect: "I will have finished my homework by 10 PM."
(The action happens BEFORE 10 PM).
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
Exercise: Future Completion
Complete the sentences with the Future Perfect Simple form of the verbs in brackets.
- By this time next year, I _______ (graduate) from university.
→ will have graduated - Call me after 9 PM. I _______ (finish) my meeting by then.
→ will have finished - Do you think you _______ (complete) the project by Friday?
→ will have completed - By the time you read this letter, I _______ (arrive) in France.
→ will have arrived - He _______ (not save) enough for a motorbike by the end of this year.
→ won't have saved
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
Your Future Achievements
Answer these questions about yourself using the Future Perfect Simple.
- What is one important thing you will have done by the end of this week?
(Example: By the end of this week, I will have finished reading my book.) - Think about your life one year from now. What is one goal you will have achieved?
(Example: By this time next year, I will have improved my English speaking skills.)
Key Vocabulary
- Future Perfect Simple A tense for an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future.
- Deadline The latest time by which something should be completed.
- Signal Phrase Words (like 'by the time') that give a clue about which tense to use.
- Completion The state of being finished.