English Tenses · Further practice · Duration up to a future point
Future Perfect Continuous – Learn & Practise
“By June, I will have been studying for a year.” Look ahead and describe how long an activity will have continued by then.
100 questions · 10 per round · No sign-in needed
1. What is Future Perfect Continuous?
Use will + have + been + verb-ing to focus on the duration of an activity up to a future time. The activity may continue beyond that point. This is a less common form; study the simpler future forms first.
Duration at a future point
“By noon tomorrow, we will have been waiting for two hours.” Noon is the future reference point; two hours is the accumulated duration.
An activity before a future event
“By the time we arrive tomorrow, he will have been driving for five hours.”
A future anniversary
“By next May, she will have been working here for ten years.” The work may continue after May.
2. Choose the correct form
| Subject | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Every subject | will have been + verb-ing | I will have been working. She will have been working. They will have been working. |
3. Positive, negative and question patterns
+ Positive
Subject + will + have + been + verb-ing
By June, she will have been studying for a year.
− Negative
Subject + will not + have + been + verb-ing
By June, she won’t have been studying for a year.
? Question
Will + subject + have + been + verb-ing?
Will she have been studying for a year by June?
Keep have been after will for every subject. Use the -ing form of the main verb. Put not after will. In a question, move only will before the subject: “Will she have been working?”
4. Contractions
I will have been → I’ll have been
She will have been → She’ll have been
will not have been → won’t have been
Do not contract a positive short answer to “Yes, I’ll”: say “Yes, I will”.
5. Questions and short answers
Yes/No questions
“Will you have been waiting for an hour by noon?” → “Yes, I will.” / “No, I won’t.”
“Will she have been working here for a year by May?” → “Yes, she will.” / “No, she won’t.”
WH-questions
- How long will you have been studying by June?
- How long will she have been working here by next May?
- What will they have been practising for a month by Friday?
- Where will you have been living for a year by September?
6. Spelling and verb forms
Add -ing
work → working; study → studying.
Drop a silent e
write → writing; drive → driving.
Double some final consonants
run → running; sit → sitting.
British English
travel → travelling; practise → practising.
7. Time expressions and common mistakes
By next June · by noon tomorrow · by the time… · for two hours · since September
A future point and a duration
“By noon tomorrow, I will have been working for four hours.” Imagine looking back from noon tomorrow. The four hours accumulate before that point.
Compare three future forms
“At six, I will be cooking” describes an activity in progress. “By six, I will have cooked dinner” focuses on completion. “By six, I will have been cooking for two hours” focuses on duration; it does not guarantee that dinner is ready.
For and since
Use for with a length of time and since with a starting point. These words alone do not determine the tense. Some situations allow either perfect simple or perfect continuous, with a different emphasis.
State verbs and time clauses
Use “I will have known her for years”, not “will have been knowing”. Use a present form after by the time for this future meaning: “By the time he arrives tomorrow, I will have been waiting for an hour.”
Negatives with duration
“By noon, she won’t have been working for two hours” may mean her working time will be shorter than two hours. It does not necessarily mean she will do no work. Think about the context.
- “She will has been working.” → She will have been working.
- “He will have been drive.” → He will have been driving.
- “Will have you been waiting?” → Will you have been waiting?
- “They will not been studying.” → They will not have been studying.
- “I will have been knowing her.” → I will have known her.
Audio uses your device’s English (UK) voice when available. No sound plays automatically.
8. Your practice space
Choose an activity. Each round has 10 questions. Type answers, choose an option or build a sentence. Read the feedback before moving on.
Full forms and standard contractions are accepted. Capital letters and final punctuation do not affect your score. Each answer is checked once per round; you can practise missed questions afterwards.
The final assessment draws from the practice bank. It is a learning check, not a qualification test.
Your round
9. Your progress
Saved only in this browser on this device. No account or personal details are needed. On a shared or guest computer, progress may be cleared when you leave. This does not save to your Google account.
10. Print and practise
Use these questions for classwork or homework. The print version includes 20 questions followed by the answer key on a separate page. Use your print settings to save as PDF if you prefer.
View worksheet questions and answers
- Use future perfect continuous: I ___ English for a year by next June. (study)
Answer: will have been studying - Use future perfect continuous: We ___ for two hours by noon tomorrow. (wait)
Answer: will have been waiting - Use future perfect continuous: You ___ for six months by the date of the concert. (practise)
Answer: will have been practising - Use future perfect continuous: We ___ the event for six months by next Friday. (plan)
Answer: will have been planning - Use future perfect continuous: They ___ for twelve hours by the time they arrive tomorrow. (travel)
Answer: will have been travelling - Complete the future perfect continuous negative: I ___ English for a year by next June. (study)
Answer: will not have been studying - Complete the future perfect continuous negative: He ___ for five hours by the time he reaches Leeds tomorrow. (drive)
Answer: will not have been driving - Complete the future perfect continuous negative: My children ___ outside for an hour by five this afternoon. (play)
Answer: will not have been playing - Complete the future perfect continuous negative: We ___ the event for six months by next Friday. (plan)
Answer: will not have been planning - Complete the future perfect continuous negative: The students ___ for half an hour by the end of the lesson tomorrow. (read)
Answer: will not have been reading - Complete the question: ___ I have been studying English for a year by next June?
Answer: Will - Complete the question: ___ he have been driving for five hours by the time he reaches Leeds tomorrow?
Answer: Will - Complete the question: ___ the nurse have been helping patients for eight hours by the end of her shift tonight?
Answer: Will - Build a future perfect continuous question. Use all the words.
Words: Friday / next / by / months / six / for / event / the / planning / been / have / we / Will
Answer: Will we have been planning the event for six months by next Friday? - Build a future perfect continuous question. Use all the words.
Words: tonight / home / reach / we / time / the / by / hour / an / for / bag / heavy / that / carrying / been / have / you / Will
Answer: Will you have been carrying that heavy bag for an hour by the time we reach home tonight? - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: I will have been studying English for a year by next June.
Answer: I will not have been studying English for a year by next June. - Make this negative. Keep the same subject and details: They will have been living in Ilford for three years by next September.
Answer: They will not have been living in Ilford for three years by next September. - Make a yes/no question. Keep the same subject and details: He will have been repairing the roof for a week by next Monday.
Answer: Will he have been repairing the roof for a week by next Monday? - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: They will have been wait for two hours by noon.
Answer: They will have been waiting for two hours by noon. - Correct the mistake. Write the complete sentence: She will have been working for an hour by the time he will arrive tomorrow.
Answer: She will have been working for an hour by the time he arrives tomorrow.
Keep practising
Try another activity, revisit a rule or use a grammar video to support your learning.
ESOLish · Future Perfect Continuous
Name: ____________________ Date: ______________
Write your answers. Keep the same subject when changing sentences. Full forms and contractions are both correct.
Future Perfect Continuous · Answer key
More free learning: esolish.com/english-tenses/