The Future Perfect Continuous Tense – Definition, Rules, and Examples

Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to describe ongoing actions that will be completed at some point in the future.

In this blog post, we’ll be discussing when and how to use this tense, as well as some examples.

What is the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?

The future perfect continuous tense is a verb tense that indicates that an action or event will continue for a long time in the future and end before a specific time period.

This tense is formed using the future perfect tense (will have) + been + the present participle of the main verb (verb + -ing).

This tense emphasizes the duration of the action, which means how long an action will continue in the future before it ends. 

Regarding the start time of that action, it does not really matter. The future perfect continuous tense can be used in situations where some work will continue until the beginning of another work or for a long period of time in the future.

For example, “By the next year, Mona will have been working in this company for four years.”

In this example of future perfect continuous tense, the action started at some point in the past. That action is still going on and will continue in the future.

12 Tenses in English – Tense Chart!

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rule

As per the future perfect continuous tense rule, we have to use the combination of “will have been” and the main verb in the –ing form. You can use “will have been” with any “subject.”   

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Structure

Now, let’s understand the future perfect continuous tense structure that we use to make different types of sentences in this tense.

1. Affirmative Sentence Structure

Subject + will have been + verb (-ing)  + Object

• I will have been driving for 12 hours by midnight. 
• You will have been working here for five years by next month. 
• By the end of this month, we will have been living in this house for 25 years. 
• They will have been fighting the court case for a decade by the end of this year. 
• By next week, he will have been teaching in this school for three and a half years. 
• By eight O’clock, she will have been working for ten hours. 
• It will have been snowing for two weeks by tomorrow. 
• Emily will have been learning French till March 2025.  
• John and Julie will have been living together for three years by this Sunday. 

2. Negative Sentence Structure

Subject + will not have been + verb (-ing)  + Object

• I will not have been driving for 12 hours by midnight. 
• You will not have been working here for five years by next month. 
• By the end of this month, we will not have been living in this house for 25 years. 
• They will not have been fighting the court case for a decade by the end of this year. 
• By next week, he will not have been teaching in this school for three and a half years. 
• By eight O’clock, she will not have been working for ten hours. 
• It will not have been snowing for two weeks by tomorrow. 
• Emily will not have been learning French till March 2025.  
• John and Julie will not have been living together for three years by this Sunday. 

3. Interrogative (Question) Sentence Structure

Will + Subject + have been + verb (-ing)  + Object?

• Will I have been driving for 12 hours by midnight? 
• Will you have been working here for five years by next month? 
• By the end of this month, will we have been living in this house for 25 years? 
• Will they have been fighting the court case for a decade by the end of this year? 
• By next week, will he have been teaching in this school for three and a half years? 
• By eight O’clock, will she have been working for ten hours? 
• Will it have been snowing for two weeks by tomorrow? 
• Will Emily have been learning French till March 2025?  
• Will John and Julie have been living together for three years by this Sunday? 

4. Interrogative Negative Sentence Structure

Will + Subject + not have been + verb (-ing)  + Object?

• Will I not have been driving for 12 hours by midnight? 
• Will you not have been working here for five years by next month? 
• By the end of this month, will we not have been living in this house for 25 years? 
• Will they not have been fighting the court case for a decade by the end of this year? 
• By next week, will he not have been teaching in this school for three and a half years? 
• By eight O’clock, will she not have been working for ten hours? 
• Will it not have been snowing for two weeks by tomorrow? 
• Will Emily not have been learning French till March 2025?  
• Will John and Julie not have been living together for three years by this Sunday? 

Uses of Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Emphasizes the duration of time of action in the future

To emphasize the duration of an action or event that will continue for a long time in the future, we use the Future Perfect Continuous.

• Next July, I will have been working on this project for 18 months.
• Next year, we will have been living in this city for 30 years. 

Before another action in the Future

We also use this tense for an action that will continue for some time in the future before another action happens.

Note: Use the present simple for the action that will finish later.

• Before you reach, the meeting will have been going on for 4 hours. 
• Kids will have been sleeping for 10 hours before we reach home.

When not to use Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We cannot use this tense with stative verbs such as

Know

Believe

Love

Hate