The future perfect, habré with a participle, presents an action finished before a future moment, and guesses about the past. The action ends before another future moment, and the participle does not change: Para el viernes ya habré terminado.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at B2: choose B2 or a higher level.
CheatsheetB2–C2
| Point | Rule | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form | habré / habrás / habrá / habremos / habrán + past participle | Para las diez ya habremos cenado. | By ten o'clock we will have had dinner. | B2 |
| FormSpain | vosotros: habréis + past participle | ¿Habréis llegado para las ocho? | Will you have arrived by eight? | B2 |
| Form | irregular participles do not change: hecho, dicho, visto | Esta noche ya habré hecho la maleta. | I will have packed my suitcase by tonight. | B2 |
| Use | an action finished before a future moment | Antes de las ocho ya habremos salido. | We will have left before eight. | B2 |
| Use | a guess about a past event | Habrá tenido problemas. | He must have had problems. | B2 |
| Use | an objection about the past, with pero | Mi vecino habrá viajado mucho, pero no habla inglés. | My neighbour may well have travelled a lot, but he doesn't speak English. | C1 |
| Use | an uneasy doubt, with no | ¿No nos habremos equivocado de calle? | Could we have taken the wrong street? | C1 |
| Use | surprise, reproach or fear, in questions | ¿No habrás dicho eso delante de todos? | You didn't say that in front of everyone, did you? | C2 |
| Use | an emphatic statement, in exclamations | ¡Cuántas veces te lo habré dicho! | How many times have I told you! | C2 |
| With cuando | the present or perfect subjunctive after cuando | Cuando hayamos llegado, ya se habrá ido. | By the time we arrive, he will already have left. | B2 |
| Trap | the participle does not change for gender or number | Ellas habrán llegado ya. | They will have arrived by now. | B2 |
| Trap | cuando takes no future | Cuando llegues, ya habré salido. | By the time you arrive, I will have left. | B2 |
OverviewB2
- It has two values: an action finished before a future moment, and a guess about the past. Para el viernes ya habré terminado. / Habrán llegado ya.I will have finished by Friday. / They must have arrived by now.
- Grammars also call it futuro compuesto or antefuturo.
- habré has the stem habr- of the future of haber: see Simple Future.
Form: habré and the participleB2
| Person | haber | hablar | comer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | habré | habré hablado | habré comido | B2 |
| tú | habrás | habrás hablado | habrás comido | B2 |
| él / ella / usted | habrá | habrá hablado | habrá comido | B2 |
| nosotros / nosotras | habremos | habremos hablado | habremos comido | B2 |
| vosotros / vosotrasSpain | habréis | habréis hablado | habréis comido | B2 |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | habrán | habrán hablado | habrán comido | B2 |
- habré is the future of haber; the participle is the one of the present perfect and does not change. Ana habrá llegado. / Ellas habrán llegado.Ana will have arrived. / They will have arrived.
- Irregular participles stay irregular: hecho, dicho, visto, puesto. Esta noche ya habré hecho la maleta. / Para las ocho ya habré puesto la mesa.I will have packed my suitcase by tonight. / I will have set the table by eight.
- Pronouns and no go before habré; nothing goes between habré and the participle: Ya lo habré visto. / No se lo habré dicho.I will have seen it by then. / I won't have told him.
Use: before a future momentB2
| Use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| An action finished before a future moment | Para el viernes habré terminado el informe. / Antes de las ocho ya habremos salido. | I will have finished the report by Friday. / We will have left before eight. | B2 |
| After cuando: the present or perfect subjunctive | Cuando llegue Ana, ya habré terminado. / Cuando hayamos llegado, ya se habrá ido. | When Ana arrives, I will already have finished. / By the time we arrive, he will already have left. | B2 |
- The subjunctive with cuando: see Subjunctive after cuando, para que, antes de que.
- Latin America: The future perfect is often replaced by the preterite, by tener + past participle or by ir a: Para cuando vuelvas, ya lo habré arreglado. = Para cuando vuelvas, ya lo arreglé. = Para cuando vuelvas, ya lo tendré arreglado. = Para cuando vuelvas, ya lo voy a tener arreglado.By the time you're back, I'll have fixed it.
Use: probability in the pastB2
| Use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A guess about a past or just finished event | Luis llega tarde: habrá tenido problemas. / Ya habrán llegado. | Luis is late: he must have had problems. / They must have arrived by now. | B2 |
Use: expressive valuesC1–C2
| Use | Example | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| An objection or a contrast about the past: something is granted and pero follows | Mi vecino habrá viajado mucho, pero no habla inglés. / A ti no te habrá molestado, pero a mí sí. | My neighbour may well have travelled a lot, but he doesn't speak English. / It may not have bothered you, but it bothered me. | C1 |
| An uneasy doubt about the past, in questions with no | ¿No nos habremos equivocado de calle? / ¿No me habré dejado las llaves? | Could we have taken the wrong street? / Could I have left my keys behind? | C1 |
| Surprise, puzzlement or reproach, in questions | ¿No habrás dicho eso delante de todos? / ¿Cómo habrá podido hacernos esto? | You didn't say that in front of everyone, did you? / How could he have done this to us? | C2 |
| A warning or a fear about a past event | ¿No habrás creído que me fui sin despedirme? | You didn't think I left without saying goodbye, did you? | C2 |
| An emphatic statement, in exclamations: something happened many times | ¡Cuántas veces te lo habré dicho! / ¡No te lo habré dicho yo veces! | How many times have I told you! / I've told you that so many times! | C2 |
Compare: the simple future and the future perfectB2
| Simple future | Future perfect | |
|---|---|---|
| a future action; a guess about the present | an action finished before a future moment; a guess about the past | B2 |
| Mañana lo terminaré.I'll finish it tomorrow. | Para mañana lo habré terminado.I'll have finished it by tomorrow. | B2 |
| Ana no contesta: estará durmiendo.Ana isn't answering: she must be asleep. | Ana no contesta: se habrá dormido.Ana isn't answering: she must have fallen asleep. | B2 |
Typical errorsB2
| Wrong | Right | Rule | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuando habremos llegado, ya se habrá ido. | Cuando hayamos llegado, ya se habrá ido. | after cuando, a future event takes the subjunctive | B2 |
| Ellas habrán llegadas. | Ellas habrán llegado. | the participle of a compound tense does not change | B2 |
| Habré lo visto. | Ya lo habré visto. | the pronoun goes before habré | B2 |
| Ya habré hacido la tarea. | Ya habré hecho la tarea. | irregular participle: hacer → hecho | B2 |