We use the future perfect continuous in two ways.
1. We use it to show that something will continue until a certain time or event in the future. This action or event started in the past and will continue into the future.
- They will have been working for 24 hours in a row by the time they finish.
- He is going to have forgotten everything by the time he actually gives his speech.
These sentences usually have two separate time phrases: 1) “for” and “since” 2) by + (time/deadline)
2. We can use the future perfect continuous to show the cause of something in the future.
- He will be tired because he will have been training all day.
- They are going to be experts by next year because they will have been studying every day for 2 years.
There are two ways to make the future perfect continuous tense. We can use “will” or we can use “going to”.
Here are the two sentence patterns.
Subject + will have been + present participle…
Subject + be verb + going to have been + present participle…
These sentences often have two separate time phrases in them. One will usually be “for” or “since, and the other will usually be “by”, “before”, or “when”. However, this is not true for every sentence.
- I will have been living in Korea for 10 years by the time I move back to America next year.
- She is going to have been working for that company for 10 years when it finally closes next month.
We do not always need to put the future perfect continuous at the beginning of the sentence.
- When I move back to America, I will have been living in Korea for over 10 years.
- By next year, she is going to have been working as a doctor for 3 years.
- He will be excited if he wins because he will have been preparing for the competition for over 1 year.
We can use the same contractions that we always can use with “will” and “going to”.
- By this time tomorrow, I’ll have been working for 36 hours straight.
- She’s going to have been married for 5 years next year.
The best way to learn and get better at grammar, especially difficult grammar, is to spend a lot of time looking at examples and making your own sentences.
Example Sentences
- We will have been working together for 5 years next year.
- She will have been running for 5 hours by the time she finishes the marathon.
- They will have been studying for 5 hours by the time the library closes.
- I will be tired next week because I will have been working the entire weekend.
- She will be excited because she will have been thinking about this day for a long time.
- I am going to have been driving for 5 hours by the time we get there.
- She’s going to have been watching TV for 24 straight hours by the time her mother gets home.
- They’re going to have been fighting for hours by the time they finally stop.
- By the time we leave, we are going to have been playing video games for 3 hours.
- He will be great at English in a few years because he will have been studying for over 5 years.
English Conversation 1
A) Your English is so good. How do you speak so well?
B) I will have been studying English for 10 years after this year. So, I have spent a lot of time studying and practicing.
A) Do you have any advice for me?
B) Speak English every chance you get and do not be afraid to make mistakes.
English Conversation 2
A) By the time she comes, we will have been waiting for over an hour.
B) I know. She is always late.
A) Well, what can we do?
B) We should leave without her. That will teach her not to be late.
Improve your English grammar and learn to speak fluently with this simple practice. Finish the sentences below and then practice making your own sentences. It is the best way to learn English fast!
Tip: Say the sentences aloud. This will help you practice speaking English and improve your pronunciation and fluency.
I will have been _______________ for __________ by _______________.
I am going to have been _______________ for ________ by _______________.
By _______________, he will have been _______________.
By _______________, they are going to have been _______________.
He will be tired because he will have been _______________.
They are going to be tired because they will have been _______________.
