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The future perfect continuous tense
Form
The future perfect continuous tense is formed using: will (or won't) + have + been + (verb)ING.
- I will have been learning English for five years come this July.
- It's too soon. I won't have been working for long by then. Come later.
- The next time we meet will be in 20 years! What will you have been doing by then?
Meaning
We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that will still be in progress at an imagined time in the future. We often use the future perfect continous in relation to talking about durations - especially with the prepositions 'for' and 'since'.
- At the start of the next scene, I will have been eating noodles for five minutes.
- At lunchtime, I'll have been working for five hours.
- She'll have been travelling to work on the same bus for 20 years.
Time
Unless obvious from the context, we often specify a time when using the future perfect continuous. Time expressions using 'by' are common, especially in relation to the end of a future time. E.g. by the end of the day.
- At the start of the next scene, I will have been eating noodles for five minutes.
- By the time I get home, she will have been working for 45 extra minutes.
- He won't have been travelling for very long by the end of November. Give him more time.
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