LingoLadder Search
English grammar

Future Perfect (will have done)

Updated 27 Oct 2026 4 min read LingoLadder Editorial Team
Cover: Future perfect — by 2030 she will have retired, an action finished before a future point
Short answer

The future perfect says an action will be finished before a point ahead. Form: will have + past participle, usually with by or by the time. For example, By 2030 she will have retired — the retirement is complete before that date.

On this page10 sections · tap to jump
  1. 01The rule
  2. 02Forms
  3. 03Example sentences
  4. 04Common mistakes
  5. 05A short conversation
  6. 06Usage notes
  7. 07Compared with…
  8. 08Practice
  9. 09Quiz
  10. 10Recap cheat-sheet

Level: B2. The future perfect lets you stand at a point in the future and look back at something already finished by then. It answers the question: what will be done before that moment?

The rule

A tense tells us when an action happens; a past participle is the third form of a verb (done, gone, finished, written). The future perfect joins them: will have + past participle. It describes an action that will be complete before a point in the future — not the point itself, but the moment it is already behind you.

Because the future perfect points to a finishing line, it almost always travels with a time marker that names that line: by Monday, by the end of the year, by the time you arrive, in two hours. The word by means at or before that moment, so “I will have finished by six” means the finishing happens at six or earlier.

Note the clause with by the time. The time clause uses the present simple, even though it points to the future, and the main clause uses the future perfect: “By the time the train leaves, we will have found our seats.” You never put will in the by the time clause.

You can also add a duration with for: “By December I will have worked here for ten years.” Here the action continues up to the future point, and the future perfect measures how much will be behind you by then. For an on-the-spot assumption about now, will have + participle expresses a confident guess: “They will have landed by now.”

Forms

Form Pattern Example
positive will have + past participle She will have finished by six.
negative won’t have + past participle They won’t have arrived by then.
question Will + subject + have + pp Will you have left by noon?
short answer Yes, I will. / No, I won’t. — will I have? Yes, I will.
contraction ’ll have + pp I’ll have done it by Monday.
with duration will have + pp + for … By May I’ll have lived here for a year.

Example sentences

  1. By six o'clock I will have finished work.
    The finishing is complete before six.
  2. She will have left by the time you get there.
    Her leaving happens before your arrival.
  3. We'll have eaten before the film starts.
    Contraction 'll have; dinner is over first.
  4. They won't have arrived yet at nine.
    Negative: the arrival is not complete by nine.
  5. Will you have read the report by Friday?
    Question form for a future deadline.
  6. By 2030 she will have retired.
    A whole career complete before that year.
  7. By the time we land, the shops will have closed.
    By the time + present simple; main clause future perfect.
  8. In two hours the paint will have dried.
    A process complete after a stretch of time.
  9. By next month I'll have saved enough for the trip.
    A goal reached before a future point.
  10. He will have forgotten my name by then.
    A prediction about a later moment.
  11. By December I will have worked here for ten years.
    Duration with for, measured up to the future point.
  12. We won't have finished the project by the deadline.
    A negative prediction about a deadline.
  13. The builders will have put up the walls by spring.
    Construction complete before a season.
  14. Don't call at eight — she will have gone to bed.
    will have gone, not will have went.
  15. By the end of this course you will have written five essays.
    A count of what is complete by a future point.
  16. They will have been married for fifty years next June.
    will have been for a long state; a milestone.
  17. I'll have packed everything before the taxi comes.
    One action complete before another future event.
  18. Will the guests have left by midnight?
    A yes/no question about a future deadline.
  19. By this time tomorrow we will have crossed the border.
    A journey complete at a named future moment.
  20. You will have mastered the basics by the end of the week.
    An encouraging prediction about progress.
  21. The letter will have reached them by now.
    A confident assumption about the present.
  22. If nothing goes wrong, we'll have sold the house by August.
    A conditional prediction with a future-perfect result.

Common mistakes

  • ❌ By the time you arrive, I will finish. → ✅ By the time you arrive, I will have finished. The action is complete before arrival, so use the future perfect, not the plain future.
  • ❌ By the time the train will leave, we will have boarded. → ✅ By the time the train leaves, we will have boarded. The by the time clause takes the present simple, never will.
  • ❌ I will have went by six. → ✅ I will have gone by six. After have you need the past participle (gone), not the past simple (went).
  • ❌ I will have finished until Friday. → ✅ I will have finished by Friday. Use by for a deadline; until means an action continues up to a point, which is a different idea.
  • ❌ By 2030 she will retired. → ✅ By 2030 she will have retired. Don’t drop have; the future perfect is always will have + participle.
  • ❌ Will you have finish the report? → ✅ Will you have finished the report? The question still needs the past participle after have.

A short conversation

A: Shall we visit Grandma at nine tonight? B: Too late — she’ll have gone to bed by then. A: Fine, tomorrow morning. By the time we get there, will she have had breakfast? B: Probably. She’ll have been up for hours by eight.

Usage notes

  • by vs by the time. Use by before a noun or time (by Monday, by 6 p.m.) and by the time before a clause (by the time you call). The by the time clause uses the present simple.
  • with for. Add for + a period when the action continues up to the future point: “By May I will have lived here for a year.” This counts the length of time, not a single finish.
  • assumption about now. Will have + participle can mean a confident guess about the present: “They will have landed by now” = I’m sure they have already landed.
  • future perfect continuous. To stress the ongoing activity rather than the finished result, use will have been + -ing: “By June I will have been teaching for twenty years.” Use the simple future perfect for a completed action or a number.

Compared with…

  • Future continuous describes an action in progress at a future moment: “At 8 p.m. I will be eating” (I’m in the middle of it). The future perfect describes an action already over: “By 8 p.m. I will have eaten” (dinner is finished). The clearest test is the time marker: at a moment → continuous; by a moment → perfect. See Future Continuous (will be doing).
  • Present perfect also looks back at a finished action, but from now, not from a future point: “I have finished” (looking from today) versus “I will have finished by Friday” (looking from Friday). See Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never).

Recap card for the English future perfect lesson showing will have plus past participle and the by time marker

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Practice

Future perfect practice

Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.

1 Choose the correct future perfect sentence.
Show answer

By Friday I will have finished the report. — will have + past participle (finished) for an action complete before a future point.

Hint: will have + past participle

Show answer

will have closed — The closing is complete before ten: will have closed.

Hint: present simple after 'by the time'

Show answer

arrive — The 'by the time' clause uses the present simple, not will: arrive.

4 Put the words in order to make a question.

Show answer

Will you have left by noon ? — Will + subject + have + past participle: Will you have left by noon?

5 Match each start to its finish.

  • By 2030 she
  • They won't
  • By May I'll have
  • Don't call late — he
Show answer
  • By 2030 she → will have retired.
  • They won't → have arrived by nine.
  • By May I'll have → lived here for a year.
  • Don't call late — he → will have gone to bed.

Each result uses will (not) have + past participle for an action complete before a future point.

6 Which sentence is correct?
Show answer

I will have gone by six. — After have you need the past participle gone, not went or go.

Quiz

Check yourself

Future perfect quiz

12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.

0/12 0 answered
  1. 1Complete: 'By the time the train leaves, we ___ our seats.'
    Show answer

    will have found — The finding is complete before the train leaves: will have found.

  2. 2Which clause is correct after 'by the time'?
    Show answer

    By the time you arrive — The 'by the time' clause uses the present simple: you arrive.

  3. 3Choose the correct word: 'I'll have finished ___ Friday.'
    Show answer

    by — Use by for a deadline; until would mean the action continues up to that day.

  4. 4Make it negative: 'They ___ the project by the deadline.'
    Show answer

    won't have finished — The negative is won't have + past participle: won't have finished.

  5. 5Which sentence is WRONG?
    Show answer

    By six I will have went. — 'will have went' is wrong — the past participle of go is gone.

  6. 6Complete the question: '___ the guests have left by midnight?'
    Show answer

    Will — The future-perfect question starts with Will + subject + have + past participle.

  7. 7Which adds a duration correctly?
    Show answer

    By May I'll have lived here for a year. — Use for + a period with the future perfect: for a year.

  8. 8What does 'They will have landed by now' mean?
    Show answer

    I'm confident they have already landed. — will have + participle can express a confident assumption about the present.

  9. 9Choose the correct contraction.
    Show answer

    I'll have done it by Monday. — 'll have + past participle: I'll have done it by Monday.

  10. Show answer

    will have written — A count complete before a future point: will have written.

  11. 11Which time marker fits the future perfect best?
    Show answer

    by the end of the week — The future perfect needs a future finishing line, such as 'by the end of the week'.

  12. 12Correct the error: 'By 2030 she will retired.'
    Show answer

    By 2030 she will have retired. — Don't drop have: the future perfect is will have + past participle.

Recap cheat-sheet

Part Form Example
positive will have + past participle I will have finished by six.
negative won’t have + past participle They won’t have arrived.
question Will + subject + have + pp Will you have left?
time marker by / by the time / in … by Friday, by the time you call
meaning complete before a future point looking back from the future

Next

Your English course

All English grammar topics

Every grammar point in order, from your first sentence to advanced structures. Pick one and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.

Grammar path

125 topics 125 ready now
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
  1. 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
  2. 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
  3. 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
  4. 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
  5. 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
  6. 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
  7. 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
  8. 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
  9. 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
  10. 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
  11. 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
  12. 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
  13. 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
  14. 14 Can and Can't for Ability
  15. 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
  16. 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
  17. 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
  18. 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
  19. 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
  20. 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
  21. 21 How Much vs How Many
  22. 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
  23. 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
  24. 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
  25. 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
  26. 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
  27. 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
  28. 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
  29. 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
  30. 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
  2. 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
  3. 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
  4. 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
  5. 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
  6. 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
  7. 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
  8. 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
  9. 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
  10. 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
  11. 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
  12. 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
  13. 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
  14. 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
  15. 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
  16. 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
  17. 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
  18. 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
  19. 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
  20. 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
  21. 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
  22. 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
  23. 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
  24. 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
  25. 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
  1. 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
  2. 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
  3. 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
  4. 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
  5. 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
  6. 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
  7. 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
  8. 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
  9. 64 Reported Questions
  10. 65 Reported Commands and Requests
  11. 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
  12. 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
  13. 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
  14. 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
  15. 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
  16. 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
  17. 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
  18. 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
  19. 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
  20. 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
  21. 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
  22. 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
  23. 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
  24. 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
  25. 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
  26. 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
  27. 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
  1. 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
  2. 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
  3. 85 Mixed Conditionals
  4. 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
  5. 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
  6. 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
  7. 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
  8. 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
  9. 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
  10. 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
  11. 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
  12. 94 Future Perfect (will have done) You are here
  13. 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
  14. 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
  15. 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
  16. 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
  17. 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
  18. 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
  19. 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
  20. 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
  21. 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
  22. 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
  23. 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
  24. 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
  25. 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
  1. 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
  2. 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
  3. 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
  4. 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
  5. 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
  6. 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
  7. 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
  8. 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
  9. 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
  10. 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
  11. 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
  12. 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
  13. 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
  14. 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
  15. 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
  16. 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
  17. 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
  18. 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)