Will be gone vs "Will have gone"?

Question

1) "By the time you arrive, I'll already be gone "2 ) "By the time you arrive, I'll already have gone "I think both are grammatically correct but Are there any differences in meaning? And which one sounds better(more natural)?

Answer 1

Hi!

There are a couple of differences here:

First, it is best to get rid of the "already" as it only confuses things. So, we are left with "I'll be gone" (aka I will be gone) or "I'll have gone (aka I will have gone).

I will be gone --

This one is an example of the future tense using the verb "to be." So just as "I am" is a sentence, "I will be" is also a sentence. The word gone here acts as a predicate adjective describing the pronoun I.

I will have gone --

This is an example of the future perfect tense. It basically translates as an action that will be already completed by the time you get to the future. In this case, the word gone is part of the verb itself. Another example of this tense is "I will have eaten" (the eating will already be over with at the time of person arriving).

Does this make sense? In terms of which sounds more natural, it is safe to say that the nuances in meaning here have been lost in regular English speech. It sounds more colloquial (in my opinion) to say "I'll be gone." But if we are speaking very strictly in terms of grammar, the second option -- "By the time you arrive, I'll have gone." -- is more correct.

Let me know if you have more questions!

Elizabeth