The "future perfect" with "past simple"

Question

Can you tell me how to say this? I read it on a site and I thought it was weird.1 Your Product License will have been emailed to you when you purchased it.Thank you

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Can you tell me how to say this? I read it on a site and I thought it was weird.

1 Your Product License will have been emailed to you when you purchased it.

It's valid as written.

Future perfect passive (it will have been mailed) is used here to show that the past action is not known for certain, but is a matter of logical speculation or possibility.

In other words, "I didn't actually see your specific licence mailed with my own eyes, but I know that we always mail them".

Here's a soimpler eample to consider.

eg

A: Did Tom arrive yet? He's late.

B: He promised to come. He will have been delayed, I expect.

Compare this to the certainty of

'He was delayed' or 'He has been delayed'.

Clive

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you Clive,

how about

The product license would have been/was mailed to you when you bought it.

Thank you

Clive · Answer

Hi,

The product license would have been/was mailed to you when you bought it.

The product license would have been mailed to you when you bought it.

Makes the statement of prediction/possibilty weaker than with 'will have been'.

The product license was mailed to you when you bought it.

States it as a fact.

Clive

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you clive,

I had just one other question regarding the future perfect in the following sentence.

If you work 4 days and have one day off and work another 4 days, but this time, you might have to work that one day you have off.

1 If I also work tomorrow (my only day off) I'll have worked 8 days in a row by next sunday./I'll be working 8 days in a row./I'll work 8 days in a row.

How would you say this?

Thank you Clive

Clive · Answer

Hi,
I had just one other question regarding the future perfect in the following sentence.

If you work 4 days and have one day off and work another 4 days, but this time, you might have to work that one day you have off. This is not a correct sentence. I don't know what it means.
Its basis structure is like saying 'If I cook dinner, but I might have to eat it'. Meaningless.

1 If I also work tomorrow (my only day off) I'll have worked 8 days in a row by next sunday./I'll be working 8 days in a row./I'll work 8 days in a row.

How would you say this? I might say this.
1 If I also work tomorrow, which is my only day off, I'll have worked 8 days in a row by next Sunday./I'll be working 8 days in a row./I'll work 8 days in a row.
Note that the last two options do not have quite the same meaning as the first, because only the first mentions 'by next Sunday'.

Don't get into the habit of putting things in parentheses.

Clive

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you clive,

just to make sure

1 If I also work tomorrow, which is my only day off, I'll have worked 8 days in a row by next Sunday./I'll be working 8 days in a row./I'll work 8 days in a row.

These 3 all work but the last 2 are different from the first in that it mentions "next Sunday"?

Can you use "in that" like this? "...are different from the first in that it mentions..."

One last thing please:

I'll have worked/I'll have been working 6 of the last 7 days by the time I'm done working tomorrow.

Which would you say and when do you use the future perfect continuous please?

Thank you Clive

Clive · Answer

Hi,
Just to make sure

1 If I also work tomorrow, which is my only day off, I'll have worked 8 days in a row by next Sunday./I'll be working 8 days in a row./I'll work 8 days in a row.

These 3 all work but the last 2 are different from the first in that it mentions "next Sunday"?

Can you use "in that" like this? "...are different from the first in that it mentions..." Are you asking me if what I write is correct? Yes, it is.

One last thing please:

I'll have worked/I'll have been working 6 of the last 7 days by the time I'm done working tomorrow.

Which would you say The former, since the intentions seems to me to be to refer to the completion of the activity. Also, the repetition of the word 'working' does not seem very elegant to me.

and when do you use the future perfect continuous please? I wouldn't say the continuous is wrong. It stresses the duration a bit more, if that's what you want to focus on. To me, it lacks the clarity and precision of 'I'll have worked'.

Clive

The "future perfect" with "past simple"

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