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Future Perfect - Definition & Examples

The future perfect describes an action that will be completed before a specific future moment, formed with will have + past participle (e.g. will have finished).

  • Negative: will not have / won't have + past participle → She won't have finished by then.
  • Question: Will + subject + have + past participle? → Will they have arrived by noon?

→ By the time you arrive, we will have started the meeting.

How to Form the Future Perfect

To form the future perfect, use will + have + past participle of the verb.

Structure:

will + have + past participle

Examples:

I will have completed the project by Friday.

She will have left before we arrive.

They will have traveled to five countries by the end of the year.

Common Regular Verbs in the Future Perfect

Infinitive Future Perfect Negative Question
to finish will have finished will not have finished Will she have finished?
to work will have worked will not have worked Will he have worked?
to start will have started will not have started Will they have started?
to clean will have cleaned will not have cleaned Will we have cleaned?
to watch will have watched will not have watched Will you have watched?
to open will have opened will not have opened Will it have opened?
to change will have changed will not have changed Will things have changed?
to complete will have completed will not have completed Will she have completed?
to learn will have learned will not have learned Will you have learned?
to travel will have traveled will not have traveled Will they have traveled?

Common Irregular Verbs in the Future Perfect

Infinitive Future Perfect Negative Question
to be will have been will not have been Will she have been?
to go will have gone will not have gone Will they have gone?
to do will have done will not have done Will you have done?
to make will have made will not have made Will he have made?
to take will have taken will not have taken Will she have taken?
to write will have written will not have written Will he have written?
to see will have seen will not have seen Will you have seen?
to give will have given will not have given Will she have given?
to know will have known will not have known Will they have known?
to come will have come will not have come Will he have come?

When to Use the Future Perfect

1. Before a Specific Future Time Use the future perfect when an action will be fully completed before a certain point in the future. The focus is on the finish of the action, not the action itself. → She will have graduated by next summer. / I will have finished the book by tonight.

2. Before Another Future Action Use the future perfect when two future actions are connected and one will be completed before the other begins. It helps clarify the order of events. → They will have left before you arrive. / He will have completed the report before the meeting starts.

3. To Emphasize Completion or Achievement Use the future perfect to highlight what someone will have accomplished or achieved by a certain time. It often expresses a sense of progress or milestone. → By 2030, scientists will have developed new climate technologies. / By the end of this year, she will have saved enough money to travel.

Future Perfect Overview

Subject Affirmative Negative Question
I I will have finished. I won't have finished. Will I have finished?
You You will have finished. You won't have finished. Will you have finished?
He He will have finished. He won't have finished. Will he have finished?
She She will have finished. She won't have finished. Will she have finished?
It It will have finished. It won't have finished. Will it have finished?
We We will have finished. We won't have finished. Will we have finished?
They They will have finished. They won't have finished. Will they have finished?

Negative Future Perfect To make a future perfect sentence negative, add not after will, or use the contraction won't have followed by the past participle. Structure: will not have / won't have + past participle → I won't have finished the article by tonight. / She won't have arrived before the meeting ends.

Questions in the Future Perfect To form a question in the future perfect, move will to the beginning of the sentence, before the subject. The rest of the structure stays the same. Structure: Will + subject + have + past participle? → Will she have completed the project by Friday? / Will we have arrived home by midnight?

Find out more

The future perfect is a verb tense used to show an action that will be finished before a certain time or event in the future.

Examples:

By next year, I will have lived in Tokyo for a decade.
(Completion before a future point.)

They will have eaten dinner before the movie starts.
(Action finishes before another future action.)

To form the future perfect, follow this structure:

Subject + will + have + past participle

Examples:

I will have finished the report by Friday.

They will have left before the meeting starts.

Negative:

Subject + will not have + past participle

Question:

Will + subject + have + past participle?