The futur antérieur (future perfect) is used in French to express an action that will be completed before another specified future time or event. It combines the idea of future tense with a completed action, providing a way to talk about what will have happened by a certain point.
Formation
The futur antérieur is formed using the auxiliary verbs avoir or être in the futur simple tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Choose être for reflexive verbs and most movement verbs (e.g., aller, venir, partir), and avoir for all others.
Usage
- To express an action that will have been completed before another future event.
- To indicate a supposition or conjecture about a past action from a future point of view.
- To show cause in a future event (the earlier action causes the later one).
Examples
- J’aurai fini le travail avant midi.* — I will have finished the work before noon.
- Ils seront partis quand tu arriveras.* — They will have left when you arrive.
- Tu n’as pas répondu ? Elle aura dû s’endormir.* — You didn’t answer? She must have fallen asleep.
In what way does the futur antérieur show cause and effect between two future actions?
It shows that one future action will be completed before another, often explaining why the second action will happen
The **futur antérieur** can indicate that one action will have been completed and thus causes or allows the subsequent future action to occur, establishing a clear chronological sequence.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
