Understanding the Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future perfect continuous tense describes an action that will keep happening up until a certain future time. It's also called the future perfect progressive tense because it shows how an action will be ongoing until a specific point in the future.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Definition

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, is used to talk about an activity or event that will have been ongoing up until a future point, and it emphasises how long this activity or event will have lasted by then.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Structure and Formula

Here’s how to form sentences in the future perfect continuous tense:

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Formula

Subject + Helping Verbs (will + have + been) + Present Participle Form of the Main Verb + the Rest of the Sentence.

Use this formula to understand how the sentence structure changes in different formats: positive, negative, interrogative, and negative interrogative. Refer to the table below for examples.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rules or Key Points to Remember While Using

• The future perfect continuous tense is rarely used in English.

• Despite its rarity, it's useful to learn how to use it, as it might be needed at some point.

• This tense includes three auxiliary verbs: will, have, and been.

• The main verb is used in its present participle form (ending in -ing).

• The future perfect continuous tense is used only with action verbs, not stative verbs.

Usage of Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future perfect continuous tense can be used to:

• Show an action or event that will continue up to a specific future time or another future event.

• Illustrate how one action or event will lead to another action or event in the future.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Examples

Reviewing several examples will help you understand better. Here are a few examples to show how to use the future perfect continuous tense.

Showing an Action that will Keep Going Until a Specific Time

• By next year, I will have been working at this company for ten years.

• They will have been studying all night by the time the exam starts.

• She will have been cooking for hours by the time the guests arrive.

• By next month, we will have been living in this house for five years.

• He will have been running for over an hour by the time he finishes his marathon.

Showing an Action or Event that will Cause Another Action or Event to Happen in the Future.

• By next year, I will have been studying for my exams for six months, which will help me ace the tests.

• By the time you arrive, they will have been working on the project for several hours, so it will be nearly finished.

• By the end of the month, she will have been practising daily, which will make her performance much better.

• By next summer, we will have been saving for a year, which will allow us to go on a long vacation.

• By the time the event starts, they will have been preparing for weeks, ensuring everything goes smoothly.

• By the time the report is due, he will have been gathering data for months, providing a thorough analysis.

To know more about different tenses in Future Tense please refer to the Youtube video provided by Vedantu. And it is completely FREE.

Here are Few Future Perfect Continuous Tense Sentences to Test Your Knowledge

1. Sentence Construction:

Write five sentences using the future perfect continuous tense.

Example: By next month, I will have been learning Spanish for a year.

2. Identify and Correct Errors:

1. Review the following sentences and correct any errors in the use of the future perfect continuous tense.

2. By next week, she will have been work on the project for a month.

3. By the time you arrive, they will have been studied all night.

3. Complete the Sentences:

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in future perfect continuous tense.

1. By the time he finishes his degree, he __________ (study) for over 10 years.

2. By the end of the year, we __________ (travel) across 15 countries.

4. Transform Sentences:

Change the following sentences from present continuous or past continuous tense to future perfect continuous tense.

1. I am preparing for the exam.

2. They were working on the new design.

5. Create a Timeline:

Create a timeline of events and use the future perfect continuous tense to describe what will have been happening at specific points.

Example: By the time I graduate in 2025, I will have been working on my thesis for two years.

6. Compare Tenses:

Write a paragraph describing a future event and use future perfect continuous tense to show the ongoing nature of the action. Compare it with a sentence in the future continuous tense to see the difference.

Example: By 2025, I will have been living in this city for five years. vs. By 2025, I will be living in this city.

Here You Go—Check if Your Answers Match the Ones Below!

1. Sentence Construction

• By next year, I will have been practising yoga for five years.

• By the time we finish this project, we will have been working on it for months.

• By 2023, she will have been working at the company for a decade.

• By the end of this year, they will have been saving for their house for two years.

• By next week, I will have been cooking every day for a month.

2. Corrected Sentences:

• By next week, she will have been working on the project for a month.

• By the time you arrive, they will have been studying all night.

3. Complete the Sentences:

• By the time he finishes his degree, he will have been studying for over 10 years.

• By the end of the year, we will have been travelling across 15 countries.

4. Transform Sentences:

• I will have been preparing for the exam for three months by the time it starts.

• They will have been working on the new design for six weeks by the time it's unveiled.

5. Create a Timeline:

• January 2023: I will have been learning guitar for 6 months.

• June 2023: I will have been practising daily for a year.

• December 2023: I will have been performing in public for the first time.

6. Compare Tenses:

• Future Perfect Continuous: By 2025, I will have been living in this city for five years.

• Future Continuous: By 2025, I will be living in this city.

Takeaways from This Page

• Learn how to describe actions or events that will be ongoing up to a specific point in the future. For example, "By next year, she will have been studying at the university for four years."

• Understand that this tense is used only with action verbs, not stative verbs. For instance, "By 2025, I will have been running daily for a decade."

• Students can apply the future perfect continuous tense to practical situations, like planning projects or predicting future activities. For example, "By the end of this year, they will have been renovating their house for six months."

• Recognise the structure of the tense, which includes three auxiliary verbs: "will," "have," and "been," followed by the present participle (verb + -ing). For example, "They will have been working on the project for several months."