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It's said that the future perfect (will + have + past participle) is used to say that something will be completed by a particular time, as in
- By next summer I'll have finished my degree.
But in the example
- It's 5.30. Will Jay have left work already?
it seems to me that the second sentence could be replaced by
- Has Jay left work already?
which is of the present perfect tense, without any significant change in meaning.
Please let me know if I'm correct.
You are correct.
A possible nuance is
Has Jay left work already?
is a normal unemphasized question, whereas
Will Jay have left work already?
might have the feeling
Will Jay have left work already?
I can't believe, has Jay left work already?
Sentence 3 is a straightforward request for information, and it assumes the hearer knows or will find out the answer. The answer is expected to be authoritative. Sentence 2 is expressed as a request for a prediction, and it does not assume the hearer knows the answer. An opinion, not an authoritative answer, is expected as the answer.
