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Advanced English Grammar (C1) Lesson 24 of 25

Future Perfect

Watch four videos using the future perfect in conversation.

Conversation 1

Man: So, how long have you been married?
Woman: This October it will have been 20 years.
Man: Nice. You got me beat by a few years.
Woman: Really? How long have you been married?
Man: Let's see. I'll have been married 18 years next week.
Woman: Oh, that's coming up. Happy anniversary.

Conversation 2

Woman: Can I use your car tomorrow?
Man: Sure. What time do you need it?
Woman: Around 6:00 in the evening.
Man: Okay. I need to run errands in the afternoon, but I should have finished by then.
Woman: Are you sure that's enough time?
Man: Yeah. Plenty of time. I need to run errands in the afternoon, but I'll have finished by then.

Conversation 3

Man: How long have you been working here?
Woman: I'll have been working here 20 years this coming ay.
Man: Really? 20 years.
Woman: Yeah. Time flies.
Man: So, you think you'll be here another 20 years?
Woman: Not a chance. I'll have retired by then.

Conversation 4

Woman: When do you get paid next?
Man: I get paid next Tuesday, and it could not come soon enough.
Woman: Really? Are you running low on cash?
Man: Yeah. I'm down to my last 100 bucks.
Woman: Oh, that should last you.
Man: Are you kidding? I'll have spent that by Sunday for sure.

Future Perfect

Point 1: The future perfect tense discusses an ongoing action in the future that will finish before a specified time.
  1. The game will have ended by the time I get home.
  2. The sun will have set but the time we get to the beach.
  3. We will have worked here three years next spring.
Point 2: The future perfect uses the following pattern:
will + have + past participle.
  1. Bob will have left already by the time we arrive.
  2. The movie will have ended long before the game starts.
  3. The train will have departed by the time we get there.
Point 3: In spoken English, the modal ‘will’ is often contracted or reduced. The auxiliary verb ‘have’ is heavily reduced.
  1. They’ll have left already by the time we arrive.
  2. The movie will have ended long before the game starts.
  3. The train will have departed by the time we get there.

Note: 'Have' sounds like ‘of’ when spoken naturally in this tense.

Point 4: The pattern usually is followed by time clauses or phrases with ‘by the time’ or ‘before’, which can start the sentence.
  1. By the time I graduate, I’ll have spent 30,000 dollars on my education.
  2. By this time next year, she’ll have visited.
  3. Before you retire, you’ll have helped millions of people.
  4. Prior to your retirement, you’ll have earned thousands of dollars.
Answer these questions about the interview.

More Grammar Conversations

C1-09
C1-21 Figurative Language
I saw it coming.
C1-09
C1-22 Cleft Sentences
It was Bill who caused trouble.
C1-09
C1-23 Fronting
But the story I hated.
C1-09
C1-24 Perfect Future
I'll have retired by then.
C1-09
C1-25 Future Perfect in the Past
It will have closed by now.

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