The Future Perfect: I will have finished

Spanish: El Futuro Perfecto: habré terminado

Level: B2 Upper-Intermediate

Category: verbs

Explanation

The future perfect (also called the compound future) is used to talk about an action that will be completed in the future, usually before another future moment or action. It is formed with the simple future of the verb "haber" (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle of the main verb (terminado, comido, vivido). For example: "Para las cinco ya habré terminado el trabajo" (By five I will already have finished the work) indicates that the finishing will happen and be completed before five. This tense also has a very common use in Spanish: expressing supposition or probability about something that has already happened. When we are not sure about something in the recent past, we use the future perfect to make a guess. For example: "No contesta el teléfono, habrá salido" means "he has probably gone out". It is the equivalent of "must have" or "probably has" in English. The past participle does not change: it always ends in -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido (for -er/-ir verbs). Unlike in some other compound forms, the participle never agrees in gender or number with the subject. Remember the most common irregular participles: hecho (hacer), dicho (decir), visto (ver), puesto (poner), vuelto (volver), escrito (escribir), abierto (abrir), roto (romper). The future perfect often appears with time markers such as "para entonces" (by then), "para las tres" (by three), "cuando llegues" (when you arrive), "dentro de un mes" (within a month) or "antes de que" (before). These markers signal the deadline before which the action will be completed.

Examples

• Para las diez ya habré desayunado en el café. - By ten I will already have had breakfast at the café.
• No queda café; el camarero se lo habrá servido a otro cliente. - There is no coffee left; the waiter must have served it to another customer.
• Cuando vuelvas a recepción, ya habremos preparado tu habitación. - When you come back to reception, we will already have prepared your room.
• La llave no está aquí; el huésped anterior se la habrá llevado. - The key is not here; the previous guest must have taken it.
• Para el mediodía los vendedores habrán vendido casi toda la fruta. - By midday the sellers will have sold almost all the fruit.