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English grammar lessons › Level B2 › Verbs

By then I'll have finished / This time tomorrow I'll be flying

The future perfect for things done before a future time, and the future continuous for things in progress at a future time

What you'll be able to do

Make plans and promises with deadlines, and describe where you'll be and what you'll be doing at a moment in the future.

Future perfect: will have + past participle

Something will be complete before a time in the future.

  • By Friday, I'll have finished the report.done before Friday
  • By the time you arrive, we'll have eaten.before you arrive
  • In June, they'll have been married for ten years.up to that time

Future continuous: will be + -ing

Something will be in progress at a time in the future.

  • This time tomorrow, I'll be flying to Nairobi.in progress then
  • Don't call at eight; we'll be having dinner.in progress at eight
  • Will you be using the car this evening?a polite question about plans

by and by the time

By + time and by the time + clause usually signal the future perfect. After by the time, use the present tense: by the time you arrive, never by the time you will arrive.

Common mistakes

  • By Monday I will finish the project. For completion before Monday: I will have finished.
  • By the time she will arrive, we'll have left. → By the time she arrives…
  • At 9 tomorrow I'll work. For something in progress at that moment: I'll be working.

Practice

  1. By the end of the year, I _____ enough money for the trip.
    Options: will have saved · will save · am saving
    Show the answer

    will have saved — Complete before a future time: will have + past participle.

  2. Don't phone at seven. We _____ dinner then.
    Options: will be having · will have had · have
    Show the answer

    will be having — In progress at a future time: will be + -ing.

  3. By the time you _____, the film will have started.
    Options: arrive · will arrive · will have arrived
    Show the answer

    arrive — After by the time, the present simple.

  4. This time next week, I _____ on a beach in Goa.
    Options: will be lying · will have lain · lie
    Show the answer

    will be lying — In progress at that future moment: will be + -ing.

  5. By 2030, the city _____ (build) three new metro lines.
    Show the answer

    will have built — Complete before 2030: will have + past participle.

In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, then practised with questions you answer by choosing or typing. It comes back for review on later days, until you can use it without help.
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More on this topic: Talking about the future in English