Future Perfect Continuous

​As with the other perfect continuous tenses, the future perfect continuous combines the ideas of the future perfect and the future continuous. We imagine a future time and then look back to an earlier time. We are also interested in the duration of the action. It probably isn’t used as often as the other future forms.

​Formation
future perfect = will + have + been + ___ing

Positive:
Work: I / you / he / she / it / we / they will have been working
(I'll / you'll / he'll / she'll / it'll / we'll / they'll have been working)
Take: I / you / he / she / it / we / they will have been taking

Negative:
Work: I / you / he / she / it / we / they will not have been working
(I / you / he / she / it / we / they won’t have been working)
Take: I / you / he / she / it / we / they will not have been taking

Questions:
Work: Will I / you / he / she / it / we / they have been working?
Take: Will I / you / he / she / it / we / they have been taking?

Use
To describe the duration of an action up to a certain time in the future. This action may continue after that time:
By the end of this week, we will have been studying English for six months.
By lunchtime, I'll have been teaching for five hours already and I have more classes in the afternoon!

Or the action may finish at or just before that time:
Oh no! By the time I arrive, she will have been waiting for me for two hours!
He’ll be tired when he gets home. He will have been working all day.
How long will you have been working here by the time you retire?
I don’t think he’ll pass his exam. He won’t have been studying for long enough.


​This is the last of the verb tenses and the end of this series! To see all the other tenses, click here.


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