subject + will + have + been + verb-ing + duration/time pointUse one fixed chain for all subjects: will have been + verb-ing. Add a duration phrase and a future point when needed.
Future Perfect Continuous
C1Future Perfect Continuous shows how long an activity will have been in progress before a future point: by July, for two years, since Monday.
What you'll learn
- Show duration up to a future moment.
- Build will have been + verb-ing for any subject.
- Make negatives with will not have been + verb-ing.
- Ask questions with Will + subject + have been + verb-ing.
- Recognize markers like for, since, and by.
- Choose Future Perfect Continuous when duration matters more than completion.
Structure
subject + will not + have + been + verb-ingPut not after will. Keep have been, and keep the main verb in the -ing form.
Will + subject + have + been + verb-ing + ?Front will to make the question. After the subject, use have been for everyone.
Build a sentence
Subject
Verb
Shewillhavebeen working
By July, she will have been working here for a year.
The form stays the same with she: will have been.
When to use
Measured duration
Use it when you count how long an activity will continue before a future time. By noon, Tom will have been studying for five hours.
Long projects
Use it for work, study, travel, or living situations that continue over time. By next summer, Anna will have been living in Chicago for ten years.
Checking duration
Use questions to ask about the expected length of an activity by a future point. Will Maria have been waiting long by the time we arrive?
Markers
for two hoursfor a yearsince Mondaysince 2020by noonby next summerby the time
In contrast
vs future-perfect
Future Perfect Continuous focuses on the activity and its duration before a future point. Future Perfect focuses on the finished result by that point.
vs present-perfect-continuous
Present Perfect Continuous measures duration up to now. Future Perfect Continuous measures duration up to a future time.
Common mistakes
Wrong
By June, Anna will have working here for six months.
Correct
By June, Anna will have been working here for six months.
The full form needs been before the -ing verb.
Wrong
By noon, Tom will have been study for three hours.
Correct
By noon, Tom will have been studying for three hours.
After been, use the -ing form, not the base verb.
Wrong
Will he has been working here for a year by July?
Correct
Will he have been working here for a year by July?
After will, use have for all subjects.
Wrong
By May, he will have been living here since three years.
Correct
By May, he will have been living here for three years.
Use for with a length of time. Use since with a starting point.
Wrong
By noon, Sara will have worked for six hours.
Correct
By noon, Sara will have been working for six hours.
Use the continuous form when the sentence highlights the ongoing activity and its duration.
Common misconceptions
❝ If the sentence is about the future, Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous mean the same thing. ❞
They do not. Future Perfect Continuous highlights duration and ongoing activity before a future point; Future Perfect highlights completion by that point.
❝ Because we say he has now, we should say he will has been in future forms. ❞
After will, the next verb is always have, never has.
Skills in this rule (6)
USE_DURATION_UP_TO_FUTURE_POINTw5Use Future Perfect Continuous for duration up to a future point
Use this form when an activity continues over time and you measure that time before a specific future moment. The focus is on how long the activity will have been in progress by then.
BUILD_WILL_HAVE_BEEN_INGw5Build statements with will have been + -ing form
Use will + have + been + verb-ing for all subjects. The form does not change with I, you, he, she, we, or they.
NEGATIVE_WONT_HAVE_BEEN_INGw4Make negatives with will not have been + -ing form
Put not after will: will not have been working. Keep been and keep the main verb in the -ing form.
QUESTION_WILL_SUBJECT_HAVE_BEEN_INGw4Ask questions with Will + subject + have been + -ing form
Start the question with Will, then add the subject, have been, and the -ing form. Do not change have to has.
PICK_FOR_SINCE_BY_MARKERSw3Recognize markers like for, since, and by
This form often appears with duration phrases and a future reference point: for two hours, since Monday, by noon, by next summer. These markers show ongoing time measured up to the future point.
CHOOSE_CONTINUOUS_NOT_FINISHED_RESULTw5Choose the continuous form when the activity duration matters
Use Future Perfect Continuous when you want the listener to notice the ongoing activity and its length by a future point. If you want the finished result by that point, use Future Perfect instead.