Future perfect in French

When do we use the future perfect tense in French?

The futur antérieur (English: future perfect) is used to describe that an action will have been completed by a certain point in the future. Also it is often utilized to express probability.

Some common signal words that are used with the future antérieur are:

• quand (when)
• après que (having)
• aussitôt que (as soon as)
• dés que (as early as)
• tant (as)

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Forming the future antérieur

The future antérieur is formed by using:

• the future tense of the auxiliary verbs avoir or être
• the past participle

Most French verbs are being formed with avoir. Whereas the auxiliary verb être is mostly used for reflexive verbs and verbs of directional movement.

Examples of using the future antérieur with avoir and être

Test your knowledge about the future antérieur with our online exercises!