How do we make the future perfect tense in English?
Note:This is also called the future perfect simple tense.
Positive form
Use the future simple of have and then the past participle.
| Full form | Short form |
| I will have played | I’ll have played |
| you will have played | you’ll have played |
| he will have played | he’ll have played |
| she will have played | she’ll have played |
| it will have played | it’ll have played |
| we will have played | we’ll have played |
| they will have played | they’ll have played |
For example:
- I will have finished my work by 4 pm.
- She’ll have gone before you get there.
- We’ll have had dinner by the time you arrive.
Some notes on short forms:
1. We usually contract will with personal pronouns in speaking and informal writing: I’ll, you’ll, he’ll, etc.
2. We usually contract will with the words that, this, those and these in speaking, and sometimes in informal writing: that’ll, those’ll etc.
3. We often contract will with nouns and other words in speaking, but not in writing. For example, we do not usually write: John’ll, the dog’ll, nobody’ll, etc.
4. We do not usually contract verbs in writing if we have a compound subject: John and I’ll.
Negative form
Put not after will.
| Full form | Short forms | |
| I will not have played | I won’t have played | *I’ll not have played |
| you will not have played | you won’t have played | you’ll not have played |
| he will not have played | he won’t have played | he’ll not have played |
| she will not have played | she won’t have played | she’ll not have played |
| it will not have played | it won’t have played | it’ll not have played |
| we will not have played | we won’t have played | we’ll not have played |
| they will not have played | they won’t have played | they’ll not have played |
*The structure in the third column is sometimes used in British English, but it is rarely used in other varieties of English. When used in other varieties, it sounds quite formal.
For example:
- I won’t have arrived by noon.
- You will not have had your break before then.
- James won’t have graduated by next year. (he won’t have graduated)
- They‘ll not have started the meeting yet.
Question forms
Invert the subject and will, and then put a question word (what, who, etc.) at the beginning for wh- questions.
| Yes/No questions | |
| Will I have played? | |
| Will you have played? | |
| Will he have played? | |
| Will she have played? | |
| Will it have played? | |
| Will we have played? | |
| Will they have played? | |
| Wh- questions | |
| What Who Where When Why How etc. | will I have played? |
| will you have played? | |
| will he have played? | |
| will she have played? | |
| will it have played? | |
| will we have played? | |
| will they have played? | |
For example:
- Will I have received it by then?
- Will you have completed the project by Friday?
- Will the bus have left by 6:30? (will it have left)
- What will you have done before Wednesday?
- How many books will she have read by the end of the year?
- How long will we have lived here by next month?