Think about the end of this school year. In June you will write your last exams; by the end of June, those exams will be over. English marks that difference with will have: By July, I will have finished high school. The finishing is still in the future from where you stand today, but it is already in the past from where you will stand in July. French has a tense built for exactly that double view, the futur antérieur (the earlier future). You already own every piece of it. In Grade 11 you looked back from a past moment with the plus-que-parfait (j'avais fini, I had finished) and from an imagined moment with the conditionnel passé (j'aurais fini, I would have finished). The futur antérieur is the third member of that family: the auxiliary goes into the futur, and the participle stays the same: j'aurai fini, I will have finished.
Forming it: futur of avoir or être plus a past participle
| Subject | finir (avoir) | partir (être) | se lever (pronominal, être) |
|---|---|---|---|
| je / j' | j'aurai fini | je serai parti(e) | je me serai levé(e) |
| tu | tu auras fini | tu seras parti(e) | tu te seras levé(e) |
| il / elle / on | il aura fini | elle sera partie | il se sera levé · elle se sera levée |
| nous | nous aurons fini | nous serons parti(e)s | nous nous serons levé(e)s |
| vous | vous aurez fini | vous serez parti(e)(s) | vous vous serez levé(e)(s) |
| ils / elles | ils auront fini | elles seront parties | ils se seront levés · elles se seront levées |
What it is used for
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Done before a future point. Often with d'ici (by), avant (before), à la fin de (by the end of) or dans + a length of time. | D'ici vendredi, nous aurons rendu le projet. · Dans quelques mois, j'aurai fini mes études secondaires. | By Friday, we will have handed in the project. · In a few months, I will have finished high school. |
| 2. The earlier of two future actions, after quand, lorsque, dès que, aussitôt que, une fois que (the next lesson). | Quand j'aurai fini mes études secondaires, je pourrai m'inscrire à l'université. | When I have finished high school, I will be able to register at university. |
| 3. A guess about something that has already happened. Mainly in writing and careful speech; in conversation a dû + infinitive is more common. | Marc n'est pas encore là? Il aura raté son autobus. | Marc isn't here yet? He must have missed his bus. |
- Dans un an, je finirai mes études. (In a year, I will finish my studies: the finishing takes place in a year.)
- À 18 h, nous mangerons. (At 6 p.m., we will eat: the meal starts at six.)
- En juin, elle partira pour Moncton. (In June, she will leave for Moncton.)
- Dans un an, j'aurai fini mes études. (In a year, I will have finished: by then it is over.)
- À 18 h, nous aurons mangé. (By 6 p.m., we will have eaten: the meal is over at six.)
- En juin, elle sera déjà partie pour Moncton. (By June, she will already have left for Moncton.)
Pronouns, negation and questions
- Object pronouns go before the auxiliary: Je l'aurai fini avant lundi. (I will have finished it before Monday.)
- Ne… pas wraps the auxiliary: Ils n'auront pas terminé à temps. (They will not have finished in time.)
- Both together: Je ne l'aurai pas fini avant lundi. (I won't have finished it before Monday.)
- Déjà, encore and other short adverbs usually go between the auxiliary and the participle: Tu y seras déjà allée. (You will already have gone there.)
- Inversion moves the auxiliary: Aurez-vous terminé avant midi? (Will you have finished before noon?)
- In everyday speech, especially in Québec, you will also hear aller + avoir + participle: Je vais avoir fini à cinq heures. (I'll have finished at five.) In formal writing, use the futur antérieur.
Translation: Hi Amélie! In three weeks, Léa and I will have left on an exchange program in Rimouski. By then, I will have written my exams, I will have handed in my last history project and I will finally have packed my bags. My mother says I will have forgotten half my things before I even get there! When you read this message, I will probably already have booked our bus tickets. I'll write to you as soon as we have arrived. See you soon, Maya. Every futur antérieur names something that will be finished by a future moment (dans trois semaines, d'ici là, avant même d'arriver, quand tu liras ce message). Parties and arrivées agree because Maya and Léa are two girls and the verbs take être. Je t'écrirai is a futur simple: the writing will happen then, not be finished by then.