Future Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

by
Published on by Grammargeek
2 min read
B2 English

The lesson covers the future perfect continuous tense, including how to use it and the time expressions related to it. It aims to provide detailed information and rules to help you use this tense accurately.

You will also find examples and pictures to illustrate the tense. This information will support you in forming grammatically correct sentences.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Continuous TensePin
Future Perfect Continuous Tense – Created by 7ESL

The Future Perfect Continuous describes actions that will continue up to a certain point in the future. It is formed by combining the modal “will“, the auxiliary verb “have“, “been“, and the present participle of the main verb (ending in -ing).

Positive sentence structure:

S + will + have + been + V-ing (present participle) + …

Example:

  • We will have been living in this house for 10 years by next month.

Negative Sentence Structure:

S + will + not + have + been + V-ing (present participle) + …

Example:

  • I won’t have been travelling to New York for 2 years by the end of October.

Question Form:

Will + S + have + been + V-ing (present participle) + …?

Example:

  • Will you have been eating vegetables for three months?

Using this tense helps you focus on the continuous nature of the action all the way until a specific point in the future. Be sure to use the correct structure for positive, negative, and question forms to clearly convey your message.

How to Use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that will continue up to a specific point in the future. You often use this tense to show the duration of an ongoing activity or when something ends just before another action.

Examples:

  • James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia.
  • I will be tired when I get home because I will have been walking for over an hour.

Time Expressions Used with Future Perfect Progressive

  • By this year/ month/ week
  • Next year/ month/ week
  • For + an hour, for 5 years
  • By then
  • Since morning, since 1995
  • By tomorrow
B2 Knowledge Check · 5 questions

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Practice Quiz (B2)

1 / 5
Q1

Question 1: By next summer, she ___ in this company for five years.

Question 1 options
'will have been working' is correct because the future perfect continuous is formed with 'will + have + been + present participle (-ing)'. 'will be working' is future continuous, 'will have worked' is future perfect simple, and 'will work' is simple future — none of these show ongoing duration up to a future point.
Q2

Question 2: Which situation is best described using the future perfect continuous tense?

Question 2 options
The future perfect continuous is used to emphasise the duration of an ongoing activity that will still be in progress up to a specific point in the future. It is not used for completed past actions, single future events, or general habits.
Q3

Question 3: A: 'Why do you think Tom will be so exhausted at the party tonight?' B: 'Because he ___ all day without a break.'

Question 3 options
'will have been rehearsing' is correct because the context asks for a reason based on an ongoing activity leading up to a specific future point (the party tonight), which is the core use of the future perfect continuous. The other options either lack duration focus or use incorrect tense forms for this context.
Q4

Question 4: By the end of this decade, scientists ___ on this vaccine project for over fifteen years.

Question 4 options
'will have been working' is the most natural and grammatically correct completion because the phrase 'by the end of this decade' signals a future deadline, and 'for over fifteen years' indicates duration — both hallmarks of the future perfect continuous. The other options do not correctly combine both a future deadline and duration of an ongoing action.
Q5

Question 5: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.

Question 5 options
She will have been teaching for ten years by next autumn.
They will not have been living here for long by the time they move.
Will he have been driving for six hours by the time he arrives?
By tomorrow morning, we will have been travelling for over a day.
Future perfect continuous — positive statement with duration
Future perfect continuous — with 'by' time expression
Future perfect continuous — negative statement
Future perfect continuous — question form

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

The future perfect continuous can appear in positive, negative, and question forms, and is often used with time expressions like 'by' and 'for' to highlight the duration of an action up to a future point.

Quick Feedback

Is this article helpful?

Related posts

Other Students Also Like