Conjugation & verb forms of the future perfect continuous
(Formation of the future perfect progressive tense in English)
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Formation of the future perfect continuous
The future perfect continuous or progressive is formed by combining the auxiliary verbs ‘will’ + ‘have been’ and the progressive form (ing-form) of the corresponding verb. Compare the following example sentences and the full conjugation shown in the table below:
- Some examples showing the formation of the future perfect continuous:
- “By the time the train comes, they will have been waiting there for about two hours.”
- “Michael will have been studying for five years when he graduates.”
- Be careful here in the second part of the sentence: In this type of sentence (time clause), which is introduced with ‘when’, the verb is usually conjugated in the present simple tense.
Verb forms of the future perfect continuous/progressive
Example verb: ‘to drive’
Positive/affirmative sentences
| Person/pronoun | Positive | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | He will have been driving. | He’ll have been driving. | Will he have been driving? | – |
| you (singular) | ||||
| he/she/it | ||||
| we/you/they |
Negative sentences
| Person/pronoun | Negative | Short form | Interrogative form | Short form of question |
| I | They will not have been driving. | They won’t have been driving. | Will they not have been driving? | Won’t they have been driving? |
| you (singular) | ||||
| he/she/it | ||||
| we/you/they |
Further explanations related to the ‘Formation of the future perfect progressive’
The following explanations relate to the topic ‘Conjugation & verb forms of the future perfect progressive/continuous’ and could also be helpful for you: