Future perfect
B2Grammar path · Lesson 70 of 86 · Stage B2 · Perfect tenses and reported speech
The future perfect lets you stand at a point in the future and say what will already be done by then: by December I will have saved enough money. It also has a very common second use: guessing about something that has just happened, like 'she must have gone out'. You build it with haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habrán) plus a past participle (-ado/-ido): habré terminado. Learners often mix it up with the simple future: terminaré talks about the action itself happening later, while habré terminado stresses that it is finished before a given moment.
Practise this lesson · 9 sentences
Form
sujeto + habré/habrás/habrá/habremos/habrán + participiosujeto + no + habré/habrás/habrá/habremos/habrán + participio¿habré/habrás/habrá/habremos/habrán + participio + complemento?When to use it
Done before a future point
Use it when an action will be complete before a set time or another future event. The deadline usually comes with 'para' or 'cuando'.
Guessing about the past
The speaker is not sure and guesses what has happened, like 'must have' in English. This is very common in everyday conversation.
Predicting results after a span of time
Use it with 'dentro de' to say what will have changed or been achieved after a period of time. The focus is on the result, not the process.
Habré + past participle
Signal words
Don't confuse it with
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the future perfect in Spanish?
Put haber in the simple future and add the past participle: habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habrán + hablado/comido/vivido. The participle never changes with the subject.
Does habrá salido mean 'will have gone out' or 'must have gone out'?
Both, depending on context. With a future deadline like para las ocho it means 'will have gone out'; when you are wondering about the present situation it means 'must have gone out'.
Where do pronouns like se or lo go in the future perfect?
Put them before haber, never attached to the participle: se habrá ido, lo habré terminado.
Can I use habré after cuando when talking about the future?
No, after cuando you need the subjunctive: 'cuando hayas terminado', not 'cuando habrás terminado'. The future perfect goes in the main clause.
Do I need ya in a future perfect sentence?
It is not required, but ya often appears to stress that the action is already finished by then: 'Para entonces ya habré llegado'.