We will learn the future perfect will have + past participle, which expresses “something will have been completed by a certain point in the future,” and the future progressive will be + ing, which expresses “something will be in progress at a certain point in the future.”
Basic Rules
The three uses of the future perfect (will have + past participle):
① Completion: something will have been completed by a certain point in the future “By next week, I will have finished the project.”
② Experience: something will have been experienced by a certain point in the future “If I visit Kyoto again, I will have been there three times.”
③ Continuation: something will have continued up to a certain point in the future “By next April, I will have lived here for ten years.”
Future progressive (will be + ing):
① An action in progress at a certain point in the future “This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Paris.”
② A future that occurs naturally “I will be seeing him tomorrow. (I am scheduled to see him tomorrow.)” ← a polite expression that softens the intentional nuance of will
Time expressions: the future perfect works well with “by + a future point” (by next week / by 2030), while the future progressive works well with expressions indicating a specific point, such as “at this time + future” and “at 8 p.m. tomorrow.”
By the time you arrive, I will have prepared dinner. (By the time you arrive, I will have finished preparing dinner.) ← future perfect, completion
If I go to Hokkaido again, I will have been there four times. ← future perfect, experience
By 2030, she will have worked here for 25 years. ← future perfect, continuation
At 10 tomorrow, I will be taking the exam. (At 10 tomorrow, I will be taking the exam.) ← future progressive
Will you be using your car tonight? (Will you be using your car tonight?) ← polite request (the intention is to borrow it)
Points to Note
① In adverbial clauses (when / if / before / after, etc.), use the present tense even for the future: “By the time you arrive (× will arrive)” and “If it rains (× will rain) tomorrow.” This rule must be followed even in high school.
② Future perfect progressive will have been + ing: emphasizes continuation “By tomorrow, I will have been studying for 12 hours. (By tomorrow, I will have continued studying for 12 hours.)”
③ be going to + perfect form (be going to have done) is theoretically possible but rare. Usually, use will have done.
④ The natural-course use of the future progressive (will be doing) has the meaning of a plan and is useful when you want to avoid the intentional nuance of will. “I will see you tomorrow. (I intend to see you tomorrow = intention)” vs. “I will be seeing you tomorrow. (I am scheduled to see you tomorrow = plan).”
- Future perfect will have + past participle (completion/experience/continuation)
- Future progressive will be + ing (action in progress/natural-course future)
- Use the present tense for the future in adverbial clauses
- by + point → future perfect, at + point → future progressive
- will be doing is a polite expression of a scheduled plan that avoids intention
Practice
- Translate “By next spring, I will have been studying at this university for three years” into English.
- Translate “This time tomorrow, I will be on an airplane” into English (future progressive).
- Correct the error: By the time you will arrive, I will have finished.