In German, we classically use the future perfect (Futur II) to talk about events that will have happened by some point in the future.
Bis heute Abend werde ich endlich meine Einkäufe erledigt haben.
By tonight, I will have finally finished my errands.
However, we also often use this tense to make assumptions about things that we think must have happened by now.
Die Straße ist nass. Es wird wohl letzte Nacht geregnet haben.
The road is wet. It must have rained last night.
lit. …It will have rained last night.
In this post, we’ll talk about how to form and when to use the German future perfect. Will you have learned it by the end of this post? We’ll find out!
The future perfect tense in German is formed as follows:
werden(will)
present tense
past participle
main verb
haben(to have) / sein(to be)
infinitive
Bis zum Ende des Monats werden viele Touristen den Hamburger Weihnachtsmarkt besucht haben.
By the end of the month many tourists will have visited the Hamburg Christmas market.
Ich werde noch vor meinem Geburtstag nach Schweden gereist sein.
I will have traveled to Sweden before my birthday.
Let’s look at the pieces to that puzzle: werden, the past participle, haben vs. sein, and the word order!
The conjugation of werden in the present tense is illustrated below. Pay close attention to the irregular forms when the subject is du(you, singular) or er/sie/es(he/she/it)!
ich werde | wir werden |
du wirst | ihr werdet |
er/sie/es wird | sie/Sie werden |
In German, past participles are most often formed by adding ge- to the beginning of the verb and -t or -en to the end. Often the vowel in the stem will also change:
Infinitive | Past Participle |
|---|---|
legen(to put) | gelegt |
wissen(to know) | gewusst |
singen(to sing) | gesungen |
However, there are a lot of irregular forms to learn. Check out our post on past participles in German for a full description!
In the future perfect, the choice of auxiliary verb, haben(to have) or sein(to be), follows the same rules as other tenses like the perfect tense:
sein → used mostly with verbs of movement or change of state, e.g. fahren(to drive) or gehen(to go)
haben → used with most other verbs, e.g. lachen(to laugh) or arbeiten(to work)
For more descriptions and examples, check out our post on haben vs. sein in German!
To use the right word order in the German future perfect, just remember that werden is the . This means that, just like in any other tense, werden will usually come first in a question and second in a statement, while the other verbs will come at the end of the clause.
Werdet ihr vor Weihnachten mit dem neuen Auto gefahren sein?
Will you have driven the new car before Christmas?
Ich werde meinen Schrank bis heute Abend ausgemistet haben.
By this evening I will have cleared out my wardrobe.
Check out our introduction to German word order to see how this tense plays into all the same rules as other tenses!
The future perfect tense has three main uses:
To talk about something that will have happened by some specific time in the future.
To talk about something that we assume must have already happened.
To talk about something that you hope or think hasn’t happened.
Let’s look at some examples of each use.
The classic use of future perfect is — as the name already suggests — to express that an event or action will have taken place and be completed before or by a point in the future.
(Bis) Morgen wirst du deine Erkältung überwunden haben.
By tomorrow you will have gotten over your cold.
In drei Wochen werdet ihr schon in Hamburg angekommen sein.
In three weeks from now you will have already arrived in Hamburg.
Oftentimes you see this use of the future perfect accompanied by future time designations like days of the week or months, introduced by prepositions like bis (zu)(until, by). This tense is also often used with adverbs of time like morgen(tomorrow).
The future perfect is also used to express that you assume something that has already happened or must have already happened.
Im Einkaufszentrum ist nicht viel los. Viele Geschäfte werden wohl / (wohl) schon geschlossen haben.
There is not much going on at the mall. Many shops will already have closed.
Es sind viele Wolken am Himmel. Es wird sicher / bestimmt vorhin geregnet haben.
There are many clouds in the sky. It must surely have rained earlier.
This use of the future perfect is usually accompanied by adverbs like schon(already), wohl(probably), sicher(surely), or bestimmt(certainly). These are placed after werden.
Note that while, in some cases, you can use the English future perfect to translate sentences, it can often be more natural to use a modal verb like “must” or “should” in these cases.
Using the future perfect with nicht(not) or kein(no, not a) to talk about something that you hope or believe hasn’t already happened.
Peter ist nicht zur Arbeit gekommen. Er wird hoffentlich nicht wieder krank geworden sein!
Peter didn’t come to work. Hopefully he hasn’t gotten sick again!
Sabine ist auch nicht im Büro. Sie wird doch keine Erkältung bekommen haben!
Sabine is not at the office either. She hasn’t caught a cold, surely!
Note that this use of the future perfect is almost never translated using the English future perfect, so this will likely take a bit more practice!
For more information on how to use nicht and kein, check out our post on German negation!
Germans often use the filler word (or particle) doch to emphasize the hope expressed by this use of the future perfect. Use it in these cases to sound like a real pro!
Peter ist nicht zur Arbeit gekommen. Er wird doch hoffentlich nicht wieder krank geworden sein!
Peter didn’t come to work. Hopefully he hasn’t gotten sick again!
To learn more about filler words in German, read our article on German particles.
Here are the main take-aways from this post on the German future-perfect:
The future perfect is formed with this equation:
werden(will)
present tense
past participle
main verb
haben(to have) / sein(to be)
infinitive
The future perfect is mostly used:
To talk about something that will have happened by some specific time in the future.
To talk about something that we assume must have already happened.
To talk about something that you hope or think hasn’t happened.
And now, time to practice! Check out our German future perfect activities to spend some more time with the future perfect in German!
