FlexiLingoIn one line
Put the auxiliary in the future and the participle after it — and in a
quandclause this tense is compulsory, not optional.
The forms on this page
| Form | Means | Sound |
|---|---|---|
j'aurai fini | I will have finished — done by a point in the future | /ʒo.ʁe fi.ni/ |
The table
With avoir | With être | |
|---|---|---|
je /ʒə/ | aurai fini /o.ʁe fi.ni/ | serai parti(e) /sə.ʁe paʁ.ti/ |
tu /ty/ | auras fini /o.ʁa fi.ni/ | seras parti(e) /sə.ʁa paʁ.ti/ |
il /il/ | aura fini /o.ʁa fi.ni/ | sera parti /sə.ʁa paʁ.ti/ |
nous /nu/ | aurons fini /o.ʁɔ̃ fi.ni/ | serons parti(e)s /sə.ʁɔ̃ paʁ.ti/ |
vous /vu/ | aurez fini /o.ʁe fi.ni/ | serez parti(e)(s) /sə.ʁe paʁ.ti/ |
ils /il/ | auront fini /o.ʁɔ̃ fi.ni/ | seront partis /sə.ʁɔ̃ paʁ.ti/ |
Every rule from the passé composé applies here too — which verbs take
être, participle agreement, where adverbs and negatives go.This is English "will have finished", and the two match — including the fact that both languages build it from an auxiliary plus a participle.
Two uses
1. Something completed by a point in the future
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Demain à midi, j'aurai fini. | by midday tomorrow I'll have finished | /də.mɛ̃ a mi.di ʒo.ʁe fi.ni/ |
Dans un an, il aura terminé ses études. | in a year he'll have finished his studies | /dɑ̃.z‿œ̃.n‿ɑ̃ il o.ʁa tɛʁ.mi.ne se.z‿e.tyd/ |
2. A guess about the past — "he must have"
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Il n'est pas là ; il aura oublié. | he's not here; he must have forgotten | /il nɛ pa la il o.ʁa u.bli.e/ |
Elle sera partie avant nous. | she'll have left before us | /ɛl sə.ʁa paʁ.ti a.vɑ̃ nu/ |
This second use is colloquial and common and has no future meaning at all — it is a guess about the past.
English does something similar with "will have" — "he'll have forgotten", "they'll have left by now" — so the use is recognisable, though English more often says "must have".
After quand — here it is compulsory
When two future actions follow one another, the first takes the future perfect:
| ❌ | ✅ |
|---|---|
Quand j'ai fini, je partirai. | Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai. |
Dès que tu arrives, appelle-moi. (about the future) | Dès que tu seras arrivé, appelle-moi. |
The conjunctions that require it:
quand · lorsque · dès que · aussitôt que · après que · une fois que
This is a real difference from English and it produces a predictable mistake. English says "when I have finished, I'll leave" — a present perfect, not a future perfect. French requires the future in both halves, because both events are in the future:
Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai.English never allows a future after "when" and French insists on one. So the rule to overwrite is exactly the one you follow automatically in English.
The order of the two actions
The future perfect is always the first action:
| Order | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|
Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai. | first I finish, then I leave | /kɑ̃ ʒo.ʁe fi.ni ʒə paʁ.ti.ʁe/ |
Dès qu'il sera arrivé, on mangera. | first he arrives, then we eat | /dɛ kil sə.ʁa a.ʁi.ve ɔ̃ mɑ̃ʒ.ʁa/ |
And if the two are simultaneous, both take the simple future:
Quand tu seras grand, tu comprendras.— simultaneous, so both simple
In the negative
Quand je n'aurai pas fini, je ne partirai pas.Il ne sera pas encore arrivé.
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I'll have finished by tomorrow. | Demain, j'aurai fini. | /də.mɛ̃ ʒo.ʁe fi.ni/ |
| When I've finished, I'll go. | Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai. | /kɑ̃ ʒo.ʁe fi.ni ʒə paʁ.ti.ʁe/ |
| As soon as you arrive, call me. | Dès que tu seras arrivé, appelle-moi. | /dɛ kə ty sə.ʁa.z‿a.ʁi.ve a.pɛl mwa/ |
| He must have forgotten. | Il aura oublié. | /i.l‿o.ʁa u.bli.je/ |
| In a year he'll have finished. | Dans un an, il aura terminé. | /dɑ̃.z‿œ̃.n‿ɑ̃ i.l‿o.ʁa tɛʁ.mi.ne/ |
| She'll have left before us. | Elle sera partie avant nous. | /ɛl sə.ʁa paʁ.ti a.vɑ̃ nu/ |
| When we've eaten, we'll leave. | Quand nous aurons mangé, nous partirons. | /kɑ̃ nu.z‿o.ʁɔ̃ mɑ̃.ʒe nu paʁ.ti.ʁɔ̃/ |
| He won't have arrived yet. | Il ne sera pas encore arrivé. | /il nə sə.ʁa pa.z‿ɑ̃.kɔ.ʁ‿a.ʁi.ve/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Quand j'ai fini, je partirai. | Quand j'aurai fini… | Both actions are in the future |
Quand je finirai, je partirai. | Quand j'aurai fini… | The first one has to be completed |
j'aurai parti | je serai parti | partir takes être |
elle sera parti | elle sera partie | Agreement with the subject |
Dès que tu arriveras, appelle. | Dès que tu seras arrivé… | The two actions are sequential |
Why French keeps this distinction
because the simple future does not show the order
If both verbs are in the simple future, it is unclear which comes first:
Quand je finirai, je partirai.— at the same time? one after the other?
The future perfect resolves that:
Quand j'aurai fini, je partirai.— first finish, then leave
It does for the future what the pluperfect does for the past:
| First action | Second action | |
|---|---|---|
| past | pluperfect — j'avais fini /ʒa.vɛ fi.ni/ | past — je suis parti /ʒə sɥi paʁ.ti/ |
| future | future perfect — j'aurai fini /ʒo.ʁe fi.ni/ | future — je partirai /ʒə paʁ.ti.ʁe/ |
A perfect symmetry. If you have understood plus-que-parfait, this is the same thing pointing the other way.
English builds half of this symmetry and then breaks it. It has "I had finished" for the past and "I will have finished" for the future — the same pair. But in a time clause English backs off and uses the present perfect: "when I have finished". French keeps the symmetry intact, which is why the French sentence has two future verbs where English has one.
The practical test for exams: every time you write quand or dès que with a future in the second clause, ask yourself:
Does the first action have to be finished before the second?
Yes → future perfect · No, they are simultaneous → simple future