The French Futur Antérieur is a compound future tense used to express actions that will have been completed before another future action or point in time.

The futur antérieur is a compound tense used to describe actions that will have been completed before another action or moment in the future. It is similar to the English construction "will have done."

Summary

Used to express an action that will be completed before another future action or time
Can indicate cause and effect in the future or make assumptions about completed actions
Formed with the future tense of avoir or être + past participle

Example

Quand tu arriveras, j’aurai fini mes devoirs.

(When you arrive, I will have finished my homework.)

When to Use

The futur antérieur is used in several key situations.

. To express an action that will be completed before another future action

Elle sera partie quand tu arriveras.

(She will have left when you arrive.)

. To indicate a cause or reason for a future situation

Il sera fatigué; il aura trop travaillé.

(He will be tired; he will have worked too much.)

. To make a supposition or assumption about something that will already be done

Aura-t-il terminé à temps ?

(Will he have finished on time?)

How to Form

The futur antérieur is formed with:

The future tense of the auxiliary verb (avoir or être)
+ the past participle of the main verb

Formula

``` [auxiliary in futur simple] + [past participle] ```

Examples

Parler → J’aurai parlé
Finir → Tu auras fini
Aller → Elle sera allée

Choosing the Auxiliary

Most verbs use avoir, but all reflexive verbs and many movement verbs use être. The past participle must agree in gender and number when using être.

Examples

Je serai parti(e) à huit heures.

(I will have left at eight o’clock.)

Ils se seront levés tôt.

(They will have gotten up early.)

Tu auras mangé avant de sortir.

(You will have eaten before going out.)

Conjugation Tables

Below are examples with parler (to speak), finir (to finish), and aller (to go). Use avoir for parler and finir, être for aller.

Parler (to speak)

French Pronoun	French Conjugation	English Conjugation	French Example	English Example
Je	J’aurai parlé	I will have spoken	J’aurai parlé avant midi.	I will have spoken before noon.
Tu	Tu auras parlé	You will have spoken	Tu auras parlé avec lui.	You will have spoken with him.
Il/Elle	Il aura parlé	He/She will have spoken	Elle aura parlé à tout le monde.	She will have spoken to everyone.

Finir (to finish)

French Pronoun	French Conjugation	English Conjugation	French Example	English Example
Je	J’aurai fini	I will have finished	J’aurai fini le travail.	I will have finished the work.
Tu	Tu auras fini	You will have finished	Tu auras fini avant de sortir.	You will have finished before going out.
Nous	Nous aurons fini	We will have finished	Nous aurons fini à temps.	We will have finished on time.

Aller (to go) — Uses être

French Pronoun	French Conjugation	English Conjugation	French Example	English Example
Je	Je serai allé(e)	I will have gone	Je serai allé au marché.	I will have gone to the market.
Tu	Tu seras allé(e)	You will have gone	Tu seras allé chez le médecin.	You will have gone to the doctor’s.
Elles	Elles seront allées	They will have gone	Elles seront allées au musée.	They will have gone to the museum.

Past Participle Agreement

When using être as the auxiliary, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.

Il sera parti. (masculine singular)
Elle sera partie. (feminine singular)
Ils seront partis. (masculine plural)
Elles seront parties. (feminine plural)

With avoir, the past participle agrees only if a direct object comes before the verb.

J’ai vu les filles. → Je les ai vues. (féminin pluriel)
J’ai parlé aux filles. → Je leur ai parlé. (no agreement because “aux filles” is indirect)

Time Expressions Commonly Used

The futur antérieur often appears with certain time phrases that signal one action will be completed before another.

French Time Expression	English Translation	Example
quand	when	Quand tu arriveras, j’aurai fini.
après que	after	Après qu’il aura mangé, il sortira.
d’ici là	by then	D’ici là, elles seront parties.
une fois que	once	Une fois que tu auras signé, envoie-moi le document.
avant que (+ subjunctive)	before	Finis avant qu’ils n’arrivent.

Common Mistakes

. Using the incorrect auxiliary

Je aurai allé → ✅ Je serai allé

. Forgetting past participle agreement with être

Elle sera allé au marché → ✅ Elle sera allée au marché

. Confusing futur simple with futur antérieur

Je finirai = I will finish
Je aurai fini = I will have finished

Summary

The futur antérieur is an essential French tense for expressing actions that will be completed before another point in the future. Use the future tense of avoir or être plus the past participle, and remember agreement rules with être. Time expressions like "quand," "après que," and "une fois que" often signal the need for futur antérieur.

Flashcards (1 of 14)

English Conjugation: I will have spoken
English Example: I will have spoken before noon.

Next Up: Conditional Tenses

Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025