Future Continuous and Future Perfect

What are the future continuous and the future perfect?

These two tenses help you talk about a specific moment in the future.

• The future continuous (will be + -ing) describes an action that will be in progress at that moment.
• The future perfect (will have + past participle) describes an action that will be finished before that moment.

At 8 p.m. tonight, I will be watching the hockey game. By 10 p.m., the game will have finished.

If you need to review will and going to first, see Future: Will vs. Going To.

How to form the future continuous

The form is will be + verb-ing. It is the same for all subjects.

You can also use be going to be + -ing: This time next week, we**'re going to be lying** on a beach.

How to form the future perfect

The form is will have + past participle. It is the same for all subjects.

The past participle is the third form of the verb: finish → finished, go → gone, write → written.

When to use the future continuous

1. An action in progress at a future time

• This time tomorrow, I**'ll be flying** to Halifax.
• Don't call at seven — we**'ll be having** dinner.
• At midnight, most people will be sleeping.

2. An action in progress when something else happens

The other action uses the present simple:

• When you arrive, I**'ll be waiting** at the gate.
• I**'ll be cooking** when the guests come, so just walk in.

3. Polite questions about someone's plans

Will you be + -ing? sounds more polite and less direct than Will you...? It asks about plans, not a favour:

• Will you be using the car tonight? (I'd like to borrow it.)
• Will you be staying for lunch?
• Compare: Will you lend me the car? (a direct request)

4. Things that will happen as part of the normal routine

• I**'ll be seeing** Jenna at work tomorrow, so I can give her the keys.
• The store will be closing in ten minutes.

When to use the future perfect

1. An action finished before a future time

Use by + a time (= not later than):

• I**'ll have finished** the report by Monday.
• By 2030, they will have built the new subway line.
• The package will have arrived by the weekend.

2. With by the time + present simple

• By the time you get home, I**'ll have made** dinner.
• By the time we arrive, the film will have started.

3. Negative: not finished yet at a future time

• I won't have finished my degree by June.
• Call after six — she won't have left the office before then.

4. Duration up to a future time (stative verbs)

With stative verbs like know, be and have, use the future perfect simple for duration:

• In May, we**'ll have known** each other for ten years.
• Next month, I**'ll have been** in Canada for two years.

Future perfect continuous (briefly)

The future perfect continuous (will have been + -ing) looks back from a future time and focuses on how long an activity has lasted:

• By June, I**'ll have been working** here for five years.
• When she retires, she will have been teaching for thirty years.

It is like the present perfect continuous, but measured up to a future point instead of now.

Future continuous vs future perfect

Compare:

• At 5 p.m., I**'ll be packing**. (I'm in the middle of packing.)
• By 5 p.m., I**'ll have packed**. (Packing is done before 5.)

Time clauses take the present, not will

After when, by the time, before, after, until and as soon as, use a present tense, even though the meaning is future:

• Wrong: By the time you will arrive, we'll have eaten.
• Correct: By the time you arrive, we'll have eaten.
• Wrong: I'll call you when I will have finished.
• Correct: I'll call you when I have finished. / when I finish.

The present perfect (when I have finished) is used in a time clause to show that the first action will be complete.

Common mistakes

1. Using will in the time clause

• Wrong: When she will get here, we'll be eating.
• Correct: When she gets here, we'll be eating.
• Reason: time clauses use the present simple for the future.

2. Forgetting "have" or "be"

• Wrong: I will finished by Friday.
• Correct: I will have finished by Friday.
• Reason: the future perfect needs will have + past participle.

3. Using "until" instead of "by"

• Wrong: I'll have finished the project until Friday.
• Correct: I'll have finished the project by Friday.
• Reason: by = not later than; until = up to that time, for a continuing action.

4. Using the past simple instead of the past participle

• Wrong: By Friday, she will have wrote all the reports.
• Correct: By Friday, she will have written all the reports.
• Reason: will have + past participle (written, gone, seen), not the past simple.

5. Using a stative verb in the continuous

• Wrong: This time next year, I'll be knowing much more English.
• Correct: This time next year, I**'ll know** much more English.
• Reason: know is a stative verb, so it is not used in continuous forms.

Quick reference

Common questions

What is the difference between 'I will finish' and 'I will have finished'?

"I'll finish at 5" says when the action ends. "I'll have finished by 5" says the action will be complete at some time before 5, maybe earlier.

Why do people say 'Will you be using the car?' instead of 'Will you use the car?'

The future continuous asks about someone's plans without asking them to do anything, so it sounds softer and more polite.

Can I use 'going to' instead of 'will' in these tenses?

Yes, but it is less common: "I'm going to be working late" and "I'm going to have finished by then" are both correct. Will is the usual choice, especially for the future perfect.

Practise next

• Future: Will vs. Going To — the basic ways to talk about the future.
• Present Perfect Continuous — the same "how long" idea, measured up to now.
• Past Perfect — finished before a moment in the past.
• B1 Perfect Tenses Quiz — practise all the perfect forms.