Back to: Spanish Verb Tenses Practice – Course
Lesson: Future Perfect Progressive in Spanish
In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate the Future Perfect Progressive tense in Spanish using the infinitives -ar, -er, and -ir. The Future Perfect Progressive is used to describe actions that will have been in progress for a certain amount of time by a specific point in the future. It is a compound tense that combines the future tense of the auxiliary verb haber, the verb estar in the future perfect form, and the present participle (gerund) of the main verb.
Formation of the Future Perfect Progressive Tense in Spanish
The Future Perfect Progressive tense is formed by combining three elements:
- The future tense of the auxiliary verb “haber”
- The future tense of the auxiliary verb “estar” (used to express ongoing actions)
- The present participle (gerund) of the main verb
Conjugation of “Haber” and “Estar” in the Future Tense
Conjugation of “Haber” (to have) in the Future Tense:
| Subject Pronoun | Haber (Future Tense) |
|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán |
Conjugation of “Estar” (to be) in the Future Tense:
| Subject Pronoun | Estar (Future Tense) |
|---|---|
| Yo (I) | estaré |
| Tú (You, informal) | estarás |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | estará |
| Nosotros (We) | estaremos |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | estaréis |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | estarán |
Conjugating Regular Verbs in the Future Perfect Progressive
1. -AR Verbs (e.g., Hablar – to speak)
The present participle for -ar verbs is formed by dropping the -ar and adding -ando.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré estado hablando | I will have been speaking |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás estado hablando | You will have been speaking |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá estado hablando | He/She will have been speaking |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos estado hablando | We will have been speaking |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis estado hablando | You all will have been speaking |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán estado hablando | They will have been speaking |
2. -ER Verbs (e.g., Comer – to eat)
The present participle for -er verbs is formed by dropping the -er and adding -iendo.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré estado comiendo | I will have been eating |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás estado comiendo | You will have been eating |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá estado comiendo | He/She will have been eating |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos estado comiendo | We will have been eating |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis estado comiendo | You all will have been eating |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán estado comiendo | They will have been eating |
3. -IR Verbs (e.g., Vivir – to live)
The present participle for -ir verbs is formed by dropping the -ir and adding -iendo.
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré estado viviendo | I will have been living |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás estado viviendo | You will have been living |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá estado viviendo | He/She will have been living |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos estado viviendo | We will have been living |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis estado viviendo | You all will have been living |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán estado viviendo | They will have been living |
Irregular Verbs in the Future Perfect Progressive
Some verbs have irregular stems in the future tense which will affect the conjugation of the Future Perfect Progressive. Below are some common irregular future stems:
| Verb | Future Stem | Present Participle | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decir | dir- | diciendo | saying |
| Hacer | har- | haciendo | doing |
| Ver | ver- | viendo | seeing |
| Escribir | escrib- | escribiendo | writing |
| Poner | pondr- | poniendo | putting |
| Romper | romp- | rompiendo | breaking |
Examples with Irregular Verbs
- Decir (to say) – Future Perfect Progressive
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré estado diciendo | I will have been saying |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás estado diciendo | You will have been saying |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá estado diciendo | He/She will have been saying |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos estado diciendo | We will have been saying |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis estado diciendo | You all will have been saying |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán estado diciendo | They will have been saying |
- Hacer (to do) – Future Perfect Progressive
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | habré estado haciendo | I will have been doing |
| Tú (You, informal) | habrás estado haciendo | You will have been doing |
| Él/Ella (He/She) | habrá estado haciendo | He/She will have been doing |
| Nosotros (We) | habremos estado haciendo | We will have been doing |
| Vosotros (You all, informal, Spain) | habréis estado haciendo | You all will have been doing |
| Ellos/Ellas (They) | habrán estado haciendo | They will have been doing |
Usage of the Future Perfect Progressive
The Future Perfect Progressive tense is used to describe actions that will have been ongoing for a certain period of time by a specific point in the future. This tense is often used with time expressions such as “para” (by), “dentro de” (within), or “en el futuro” (in the future).
Examples:
- Para el próximo año, habré estado trabajando en este proyecto durante cinco años.
(By next year, I will have been working on this project for five years.) - Dentro de una hora, habrás estado estudiando durante dos horas.
(Within one hour, you will have been studying for two hours.)
Conclusion
The Future Perfect Progressive tense is used to describe actions that will have been in progress for a certain period of time by a specific point in the future. It is formed by combining the future tense of haber and estar with the present participle (gerund) of the main verb. With regular practice, you will be able to express actions that will have been ongoing for a duration up until a future moment in Spanish.
Good luck with your learning process!