It is time to learn another one of the English language’s 12 tenses! This month, CISL is focusing on the Future Perfect.

Think of an action. Think of this action continuing into the future. Now, you want to express how long the action will be continuing. How do you do so? With the Future Perfect!

The Future Perfect (Statement)

will + have + past participle

be going to + have + past participle

Examples:

  • We are driving to Vegas tomorrow. By this time tomorrow night, we will have completed our drive.
  • By next month, I will have taken my IELTS test.
  • By the end of the summer, I will have completed all 10 levels at CISL. Crazy!
  • If I learn a phrasal verb every day, by this time next month I will have learned 30 new phrasal verbs.
  • She is going to have eaten all of the BBQ before we arrive!
  • We are going to have learned all 12 of the English tenses before April of this year.
  • I am going to have traveled to 10 U.S. states before my trip finishes.
(Notice how each of the sentences includes a “time” marker, like “before” or “by.”)

The Future Perfect (Negative Statement)

will + not + have + past participle

be + not + going to + have + past participle

Examples:

  • Even after going to a different beach every day, I will not have seen all of the beaches by the end of next week.
  • You can try a different brunch every Sunday but  you still will not have tried every brunch item after a few months.

The Future Perfect (Question)

will + subject + have + past participle . . . ?

be + subject + going to + have + past participle . . . ?

Examples:

  • Will you have finished your homework before we leave?
  • Will he have run the marathon by this time tomorrow?
  • Is she going to have learned surfing by the end of the day?
  • Are you going to have read that John Steinbeck novel before the plane lands?
  • Am I going to have gotten a great tan before I go back home?

 

What will you have accomplished by the end of this month? This year? This decade? Express your hopes for the future using the Future Perfect, and by the end of February, you will have mastered this tense! (Get it?)