How do we make the future perfect continuous tense in English?
Note:This is also called the future perfect progressive tense.
Positive form
Use the future perfect of be (will have been) and then the verb-ing form.
| Full form | Short form |
| I will have been playing | I’ll have been playing |
| you will have been playing | you’ll have been playing |
| he will have been playing | he’ll have been playing |
| she will have been playing | she’ll have been playing |
| it will have been playing | it’ll have been playing |
| we will have been playing | we’ll have been playing |
| they will have been playing | they’ll have been playing |
For example:
- I will have been living in this house for five years this July.
- He’ll have been driving for six hours when he gets to Boston.
- They’ll have been learning English for two years by next month.
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 been playing | I won’t have been playing | *I’ll not have been playing |
| you will not have been playing | you won’t have been playing | you’ll not have been playing |
| he will not have been playing | he won’t have been playing | he’ll not have been playing |
| she will not have been playing | she won’t have been playing | she’ll not have been playing |
| it will not have been playing | it won’t have been playing | it’ll not have been playing |
| we will not have been playing | we won’t have been playing | we’ll not have been playing |
| they will not have been playing | they won’t have been playing | they’ll not have been playing |
*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:
- You will not have been working here for six months by then.
- She won’t have been studying every day.
- They’ll not have been waiting long when you arrive.
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 been playing? | |
| Will you have been playing? | |
| Will he have been playing? | |
| Will she have been playing? | |
| Will it have been playing? | |
| Will we have been playing? | |
| Will they have been playing? | |
| Wh- questions | |
| What Who Where When Why How etc. | will I have been playing? |
| will you have been playing? | |
| will he have been playing? | |
| will she have been playing? | |
| will it have been playing? | |
| will we have been playing? | |
| will they have been playing? | |
For example:
- Will I have been playing basketballfor three years in August?
- Will it have been raining for a week tomorrow?
- How long will you have been cleaning the apartment by midnight?
- What will he have been doing before the meeting?
- Where will they have been staying?
Short answers
| Positive | Negative |
| Yes, I will. | No, I won’t. |
| Yes, you will. | No, you won’t. |
| Yes, he will. | No, he won’t. |
| Yes, she will. | No, she won’t. |
| Yes, it will. | No, it won’t. |
| Yes, we will. | No, we won’t. |
| Yes, they will. | No, they won’t. |