The future perfect indicative can be used to talk about the future and the past. In this article, you will learn how to use some commonly used phrases related to the future perfect..
Spanish
English
No te apures, para cuando llegues yo ya habré comido.
Don't hurry, I will have eaten by the time you arrive.
Review of Future Perfect Form
Before we introduce the sentences, let's briefly review the form of the future perfect.
Rule 1. The futuro compuesto, as all the perfect tenses in Spanish, is formed with the verb haber and the main verb in its participle verb form.
Below is the future perfect conjugation of the verb haber.
| yo | habré |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás |
| él, ella, usted | habrá |
| nosotros, nosotras | habremos |
| vosotros, vosotras | habréis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | habrán |
| yo | habré |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás |
| él, ella, usted | habrá |
| nosotros, nosotras | habremos |
| vosotros, vosotras | habréis |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | habrán |
Spanish
English
Seguramente el evento ya habrá terminado para cuando lleguemos.
The event will probably be over by the time we arrive.
Phrases to Talk About Past Events in the Future
Rule 2. Speakers often use the following phrase to talk about an action that will have taken place before another in the future.
para cuando + verb in present subjunctive + (subject) +ya +haber +participle
Rule 3. The subject appears between parentheses, because in some contexts it can be omitted.
Spanish
English
No te apures, para cuando llegues (yo) ya habré comido
Don't hurry, by the time you arrive I will have eaten.
Here is an example without the subject.
Spanish
English
Para cuando regresen del viaje, ya habrán gastado todo su dinero.
By the time they return from the trip, they will have spent all their money.
Rule 4. Moreover, since this is a semi-fixed phrase, you can modify it. For instance, you can move the first part of the phrase (para + cuando + verb) to the end.
Spanish
English
Seguramente el evento ya habrá terminado para cuando lleguemos.
The event will probably be over by the time we arrive.
Rule 5. Since this construction has a certain level of uncertainty, the verb of para + cuando + verb is conjugated in the present subjunctive.
Phrases for Making Past Assumptions
Rule 6. As mentioned in the introduction, the future perfect can also be used to make assumptions about the past. In this case, the sentence you would use would be as follows:
facts +(indirect object pronoun) + haber + participle form
Spanish
English
Por el yeso en su pie, se habrá caído.
Because of the cast on his foot, he must have fallen.
In this example, the cast is the concrete fact, by which we can make the assumption that this person suffered an accident such as a fall.
Quiz
1/3
Para ______ lleguen, ya _______ comido.
0
correct answers.