[little sage]

"By the time" expresses the idea that one event has been finished before another event.

You can use this expression to talk about the past or future, but remember to use the perfect forms.

Here are some examples.

Past
"By the time the girl arrived, it had started raining".
(First it started raining and later the girl arrived).

Future
"By the time she arrives, Max will have cleaned the house."
(First Max will clean the house. When the girl arrives she will see that Max has cleaned it).

For more information about the Future Perfect Tense, you can click here.

*I have to go out now. I will answer question #3 when I get back home.