Futur II, or Future Perfect, is used to talk about actions that will already be completed by a specific future time or event.
- Describes what will have happened before a future moment.
- Can express assumptions about completed actions.
- Uses auxiliary verbs “werden” + past participle + “sein” or “haben” (depending on the verb).
- The auxiliary “sein” or “haben” goes at the end of the sentence.
- The auxiliary “werden” is conjugated to match the subject.
Usage in Context
- By 10 AM, I will have finished my homework.
- They will have left the party before we arrive.
- She will have written the report by next week.
- The train will have departed by the time we get to the station.
- He will have called you before dinner.
The verb werden is conjugated for the subject. The past participle goes in the middle, followed by haben or sein at the end.
Conjugation pattern:
| Subject | German Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ich | Ich werde das Buch gelesen haben. | I will have read the book. |
| Du | Du wirst gegangen sein. | You will have gone. |
| Er/Sie/Es | Sie wird das Essen gekocht haben. | She will have cooked the food. |
| Wir | Wir werden angekommen sein. | We will have arrived. |
| Ihr | Ihr werdet geschlafen haben. | You (pl) will have slept. |
| Sie | Sie werden gearbeitet haben. | They will have worked. |
Some irregular verbs change their stem in the past participle form.
| Verb (Infinitive) | Past Participle | Example | Example Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| schreiben | geschrieben | Ich werde den Brief geschrieben haben. | I will have written the letter. |
| sehen | gesehen | Du wirst den Film gesehen haben. | You will have seen the movie. |
| kommen | gekommen | Er wird schon gekommen sein. | He will have already come. |
| gehen | gegangen | Wir werden gegangen sein. | We will have gone. |
| essen | gegessen | Ihr werdet gegessen haben. | You will have eaten. |
| German Example | English Example |
|---|---|
| Ich werde die E-Mail geschrieben haben. | I will have written the email. |
| Du wirst das Zimmer aufgeräumt haben. | You will have tidied the room. |
| Er wird das Meeting beendet haben. | He will have finished the meeting. |
| Wir werden die Tickets gekauft haben. | We will have bought the tickets. |
| Ihr werdet das Auto repariert haben. | You will have repaired the car. |
| Sie werden das Problem gelöst haben. | They will have solved the problem. |
| German Example | English Example | |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | Ich werde kommen. | I will come. |
| Future Perfect (Futur II) | Ich werde angekommen sein. | I will have arrived. |
- Present: Ich lerne Deutsch. (I am learning German.)
- Future: Ich werde Deutsch lernen. (I will learn German.)
- Future Perfect: Ich werde Deutsch gelernt haben. (I will have learned German.)
Q: How do I know whether to use “haben” or “sein” in Futur II?
- Use sein for verbs that indicate movement or a change of state (e.g., gehen, kommen, sterben).
- Use haben for most other verbs.
Q: Can I use time expressions with Futur II?
- Yes! Futur II often appears with time expressions like bis dahin (by then), schon (already), in zwei Stunden (in two hours), etc.
Q: Is Futur II common in spoken German?
- It’s more common in written or formal contexts, but it can also be used in speech to emphasize that something will be completed.
- Use Futur II for actions that will be completed by a future time.
- Form with werden + past participle + haben/sein (sein or haben goes at the end).
- Choose sein for movement/change verbs; haben for most others.
- Can express completion or assumptions about the past in the future.
Translate these into German:
- By tomorrow, I will have finished the project.
- She will have left before noon.
- We will have eaten by the time you arrive.
- They will have written the report by next week.
- He will have gone to bed already.
For more practice and examples, check out:
Translate into German: 'We will have eaten by the time you arrive.'
Wir werden gegessen haben, bis du ankommst.
‚Werden gegessen haben‘ is Futur II. ‚Bis du ankommst‘ means ‘by the time you arrive’.
Translate into German: 'She will have left before noon.'
Sie wird vor Mittag gegangen sein.
‚Gehen‘ takes ‚sein‘ in perfect tenses. Futur II form is ‚wird gegangen sein‘. ‚Vor Mittag‘ means ‘before noon’.
Where does the auxiliary verb haben or sein appear in a German Futur II sentence?
At the very end of the sentence.
In German Futur II sentences, the older auxiliary (haben or sein) goes to the final position.
Conjugate the sentence: 'You will have gone.' (Du / gehen)
Du wirst gegangen sein.
Because ‚gehen‘ is a movement verb, it uses ‚sein‘ in the perfect tense. In Futur II, ‚sein‘ appears at the end.
Flashcards (1 of 14)
- Subject: Ich
- English Example: I will have read the book.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
