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Le Futur Antérieur – French Future Perfect Tense
This is a tense that you can use to talk about something that will have happened at some point in the future. The action will have had a beginning and an ending. This tense is called the future perfect in English.
What does the futur antérieur look like, and how is it formed?
Follow the exact same rules as for the passé composé. This tense is composed of a helping verb and a past participle.
Most of the time avoir is used as helping verb
Rather than using the helping verb in the present tense, as you do when forming the passé composé, you need to now use it in the futur simple.
Avoir in the futur simple tense:
| j’aurai | nous aurons |
| tu auras | vous aurez |
| il – elle – on aura | ils – elles auront |
Example – REGARDER Use avoir as a helping verb.
| J’aurai regardé I will have watched |
| Tu auras regardé You will have watched |
| Il – Elle – On aura regardé He – She – We will have watched |
| Nous aurons regardé We will have watched |
| Vous aurez regardé You will have watched |
| Ils auront regardé They will have watched |
Sometimes être is used as helping verb
Rather than using the helping verb in the present tense, as you do when forming the passé composé, you need to now use it in the futur simple.
Être in the futur simple tense:
| je serai | nous serons |
| tu seras | vous serez |
| il – elle – on sera | ils – elles seront |
Example – ARRIVER – Follow this pattern with all verbs that use être as a helping verb.
| Je serai arrivé(e) I will have arrived |
| Tu seras arrivé(e) You will have arrived |
| Il – Elle – On sera arrivé(e) He – She – We will have arrived |
| Nous serons arrivé(e)s We will have arrived |
| Vous serez arrivé(e)(s) You will have arrived |
| Ils – Elles seront arrivé(e)s They will have arrived |
Example – SE COUCHER – Follow this pattern with all reflexive verbs
| Je me serai couché(e) I will have gone to bed |
| Tu te seras couché(e) You will have gone to bed |
| Il – Elle – On se sera couché(e) He – She – We will have gone to bed |
| Nous nous serons couché(e)s We will have gone to bed |
| Vous vous serez couché(e)(s) You will have gone to bed |
| Ils – Elles se seront couché(e)s They will have gone to bed |
Examples in context using avoir as helping verb
| J’aurai pris mon temps en apprenant cette leçon. I will have taken my time learning this lesson. |
| Tu auras lu tous les romans de cet écrivain. You will have read all of this writer’s novels. |
| Elle aura bien suivi le mode d’emploi. She will have followed the user’s manual. |
| Nous aurons appris à parler français. We will have learned to speak French. |
| Vous aurez mis la table? Will you have set the table? |
| Ils auront répondu à toutes les questions. They will have responded to all of the questions. |
Examples in context using être as helping verb
| Je serai rentré(e) avant minuit. I will have come home before midnight. |
| Tu te seras déjà lavé / brossé les dents. You will already have brushed your teeth. |
| Il sera déjà parti quand tu arriveras. He will have already left when you (will) arrive. |
| Nous nous serons déjà endormi(e)s. We will have already fallen asleep. |
| Vous serez déjà venu(e)(s) chez nous. You will have already come to our house. |
| Ils se seront déjà garé(s). They will have already parked. |
Examples using negation and pronouns
| Je n’aurai pas appris ma leçon avant demain. I will not have learned my lesson by tomorrow. Je ne l’aurai pas apprise avant demain. I will not have learned it by tomorrow. |
| Tu ne seras jamais arrivé(e) au bureau à l’heure. You will never have arrived at the office on time. Tu n’y seras jamais arrivé(e) à l’heure. You will never have arrived (there) on time. |
| Elle n’aura eu qu’un enfant. She will only have had one child. Elle n’en aura eu qu’un. She will only have had one. |
| Nous ne nous serons pas vu(e)s au concert. We will not have seen each other at the concert. Nous ne nous y serons pas vu(e)s. We will not have seen each other (there). |
| Vous n’aurez pas encore acheté les tomates. You will not have bought the tomatoes yet. Vous ne les aurez pas encore achetées. You will not have bought them yet. |
| Ils ne seront jamais allés à Paris. They will never have gone to Paris. Ils n’y seront jamais allés. They will never have been there. |
Use the futur antérieur or the futur simple after the following conjunctions when referring to the future:
| QUAND | WHEN |
| LORSQUE | WHEN |
| AUSSITÔT QUE | AS SOON AS |
| DÈS QUE | AS SOON AS |
| APRÈS QUE | AFTER |
| UNE FOIS QUE | ONCE |
| QUAND Quand tu auras fini de ranger ta chambre, tu pourras partir. When you have finished cleaning up your room, you can leave. |
| LORSQUE Lorsque vous vous serez lavé les cheveux, il faudra les sécher. When you have washed your hair, you have to dry it. |
| AUSSITÔT QUE Elle m’appellera aussitôt qu’elle sera arrivée. She will call me as soon as she has arrived. |
| DÈS QUE Dès que j’aurai coupé les patates, je ferai les frites. As soon as I have cut the potatoes, I will make the fries. |
| APRÈS QUE Après que je lui aurai parlé, je te raconterai tout. After I have talked to her / him, I will tell you everything. |
| UNE FOIS QUE Une fois que nos copains seront partis, on fera la vaisselle. Once our friends have left, we will do the dishes. |
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