The Future Perfect in French

Quick Answer

Le futur antérieur(the future perfect) is a temps composé(compound tense) used to describe an action that will already have been completed before another future action or specific time. It is formed with an auxiliaire(auxiliary) conjugated in the futur simple(simple future), followed by a participe passé(past participle).

examples
Quand tu arriveras, j’aurai déjà fini mes devoirs. When you arrive, I will already have finished my homework.
Elle sera partie avant le lever du soleil. She will have left before sunrise.

examples

Quand tu arriveras, j’aurai déjà fini mes devoirs.

When you arrive, I will already have finished my homework.

Elle sera partie avant le lever du soleil.

She will have left before sunrise.

In this article you’ll learn how to form the future perfect, when to use it, how it compares to other tenses, and how it can be used to show both completion and probability. C’est parti !(Let’s get started!)

Questions This Article Answers

What is the futur antérieur?

How do you form the futur antérieur in French?

When do you use the future perfect in French?

Can the futur antérieur be used to express assumptions?

What’s the difference between the futur antérieur and other future or past tenses?

How to Form the Futur Antérieur

Le futur antérieur(the future perfect) is a compound tense, and all compound tenses follow the same formation rule in French.

Formation Rule for Compound Tenses in French

Choose the right auxiliary: avoir(to have) or être(to be), based on the main verb you're using.

Conjugate the auxiliary you selected in the appropriate tense.

Add the past participle form of your verb after the auxiliary.

All you need to know is that the futur antérieur uses the futur simple(simple future) for the auxiliary. There you go! You've got your verb conjugated in the futur antérieur!

Here's a refresher on how to conjugate avoir(to have) and être(to be) in the futur simple. You'll need this to conjugate any verb you want in the futur antérieur.

Auxiliaries Avoir and Être in the Futur Simple

Subject	avoir	être
je	aurai	serai
tu	auras	seras
il, elle, on	aura	sera
nous	aurons	serons
vous	aurez	serez
ils,  elles	auront	seront

Now that you've got your auxiliary, just add the past participle and you're good to go!

examples
Nous aurons terminé ce projet d'ici la fin du mois. We will have finished this project by the end of the month.
Ils auront étudié tous les chapitres avant l'examen. They will have studied all the chapters before the test.
Dès que j’aurai reçu le colis, je te passerai un coup de fil. As soon as I've received the package, I'll give you a call.
Nous serons restés à l’hôtel jusqu’à la fin de la grève. We will have stayed at the hotel until the end of the strike.

Did you forget how to choose between avoir and être in compound tenses? No problem! Take a look at the section called "Être and Avoir as Auxiliary Verbs" in this article!

The Difference Between Être and Avoir

This article also includes agreement rules that you need to be aware of when conjugating a verb in a compound tense in French. All the examples are in the passé composé(compound past), but know that all the agreement rules that apply to the passé composé also apply to the futur antérieur—and, in fact, to all compound tenses!

When Is the Futur Antérieur Used?

The futur antérieurexpresses anteriority in the future (something that will happen before something else in the future). It can also be used to express probability about a past action.

#1. Future Anteriority

You use the futur antérieur to say that one future action will be completed before another. The other action is often in the futur simple. In other words, the futur antérieur action happens first; the futur simple action happens second. The French futur antérieur is the equivalent of the English future perfect (e.g., Marie will have told me the story before we go out.)

The futur antérieur often pairs with conjunctions that highlight the chronology of events. The table below shows the most common ones.

Conjunctions Commonly Used with the Futur Antérieur

Conjunctions	Translation
aussitôt que	as soon as
dès que	as soon as
lorsque	when
quand	when
une fois que	once

examples
Elle te téléphonera dès qu’elle aura lu ton message. She will call you as soon as she's read your message.
Je nettoierai la cuisine quand tu auras fini de manger. I'll clean the kitchen when you've finished eating.
Tu comprendras le problème une fois que tu auras vu les chiffres. You will understand the problem once you’ve seen the numbers.

The Futur Antérieur with When, As Soon As, and Once

In English, when we want to refer to a completed action in the future, the present perfect tense (e.g., you've finished your homework) or simply the present tense (e.g., your father fixes the car) is used after the words when, as soon as, and once. In French, however, the futur antérieur is used after quand(when), lorsque(when), dès que(as soon as), aussitôt que(as soon as), and une fois que(once) in the same context.

examples
On regardera un film quand tu auras fini tes devoirs. We’ll watch a movie when you’ve finished your homework.
On partira en voyage dès que ton père aura réparé la voiture. We’ll go on a trip as soon as your father fixes the car.

examples

On regardera un film quand tu auras fini tes devoirs.

We’ll watch a movie when you’ve finished your homework.

On partira en voyage dès que ton père aura réparé la voiture.

We’ll go on a trip as soon as your father fixes the car.

#2. Probability (Assumptions about the Past)

In some cases, the futur antérieur can be used to make assumptions or gauge the probability of an action. In this case, it is not about the future. It’s a polite or cautious way to guess what probably happened in the past. However, note that this use of the futur antérieur is not very common in everyday speech anymore. You'll encounter it in novels, formal writing, and news reports.

examples
Ils auront oublié de venir. They must have forgotten to come.
Tu auras laissé les clés à l’intérieur. You must have left the keys inside.
Le train aura eu du retard. The train must have been late.
Elle aura mal compris l’heure du rendez-vous. She must have misunderstood the meeting time.

French Conversation

Let’s take a look at an example of a French conversation using the futur antérieur! Mathilde and Fortunée are talking about preparing for a big presentation at work next week.

Mathilde:

Tu penses que tout sera prêt pour la réunion de mardi matin ?

Do you think everything will be ready for the meeting on Tuesday morning?

Fortunée:

Oui, bien sûr. On aura terminé les diapositives pour la présentation d’ici vendredi.

Yes, of course. We will have finished the slides for the presentation by Friday.

Mathilde:

Et tu crois que Claire aura relu tous les documents à temps ?

And do you think Claire will have reviewed all the documents in time?

Fortunée:

Oui. Une fois qu’elle aura corrigé les fautes, je les imprimerai.

Yes. Once she has corrected the mistakes, I’ll print them out.

Mathilde:

Parfait. Comme ça, on aura tout préparé avant lundi.

Perfect. That way, we’ll have prepared everything before Monday.

Fortunée:

Exactement. Et dès que Paul aura validé le budget, on pourra l'envoyer à Daniel.

Exactly. And as soon as Paul has approved the budget, we can send it to Daniel.

Mathilde:

Génial. Merci pour ton aide, Fortunée !

Awesome. Thanks for your help, Fortunée!

Fortunée:

Avec plaisir. On sera prêtes à temps, j’en suis sûre.

My pleasure. We’ll be ready on time; I’m sure of it.

Need More Practice?

Try conjugating verbs in the futur antérieur with our Conjugation Drill! With a little practice, the futur antérieur will become a natural part of your conversations in French.