Perfect modal

[henryh]

Hello there,

Yesterday, Henz988 raised an issue I am also interested in, but he hasn't got the answer to one of his questions yet.

This is what I want to express:
Perhaps he will have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow.
(Perhaps not, I don't know.)
Can I express the same meaning with a perfect modal by saying:
He may have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow.

Is it okay to say a sentence like this?
Or should I simply say: He may arrive by five o'clock tomorrow.

So, can I use a perfect modal to imply that an action may / might / should be completed before another action in the future?

I think I'll have further questions on the issue, but first, can I get feedback from native speakers on this, please?

Thanks, a lot.

 

[louhevly]

Hello there,

Yesterday, Henz988 raised an issue I am also interested in, but he hasn't got the answer to one of his questions yet.

This is what I want to express:
Perhaps he will have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow.
(Perhaps not, I don't know.)
Can I express the same meaning with a perfect modal by saying:
He may have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow.

Is it okay to say a sentence like this?
Or should I simply say: He may arrive by five o'clock tomorrow.

So, can I use a perfect modal to imply that an action may / might / should be completed before another action in the future?

I think I'll have further questions on the issue, but first, can I get feedback from native speakers on this, please?

Thanks, a lot.

I would say that "Perhaps he will have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow" and "He may have arrived by 5 o'clock tomorrow" are basically the same. Some speakers might consider that the second was a little more probable.