Italian grammar · Intermediate
Futuro Anteriore
The futuro anteriore is the Italian future perfect: it describes an action that will be complete before another future moment, like English I will have finished. It is built with the future of avere or essere plus the past participle (avrò finito, sarò partito). Italian also uses it to guess about the past: avrà perso il treno means he must have missed the train.
Quando avrò finito di lavorare, ti chiamerò.
When I've finished work, I'll call you.
What it is
The futuro anteriore looks back from a point in the future. It says that one action will already be complete when something else happens, or by a certain time. English often uses the present perfect here (when I've finished), but Italian marks the future clearly: quando avrò finito. The structure is the futuro semplice of avere or essere plus a past participle.
Appena saranno arrivati, mangeremo. (As soon as they've arrived, we'll eat.) The arrival comes first, so it takes the futuro anteriore.
How to spot it
Look for avrò, avrai, avrà, avremo, avrete, avranno, or sarò, sarai, sarà, saremo, sarete, saranno, followed by a past participle.
- Avremo finito per le sei. (We'll have finished by six.)
- Avrai già venduto la macchina? (Will you have sold the car already?)
- Saranno già partiti. (They'll have left already. / They must have left already.)
- Avrà dormito poco. (He must have slept very little.)
The same form can refer to the future or be a guess about the past. Context, and words such as forse, probabilmente, or già, tell you which.
Futuro Anteriore Quick Reference
Futuro anteriore: future of avere or essere + past participle
| Subject | parlare (avere) | vendere (avere) | partire (essere) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | avrò parlato | avrò venduto | sarò partito / partita |
| tu | avrai parlato | avrai venduto | sarai partito / partita |
| lui / lei / Lei | avrà parlato | avrà venduto | sarà partito / partita |
| noi | avremo parlato | avremo venduto | saremo partiti / partite |
| voi | avrete parlato | avrete venduto | sarete partiti / partite |
| loro | avranno parlato | avranno venduto | saranno partiti / partite |
Common Futuro Anteriore Examples in Italian
The futuro anteriore in real sentences:
Before Another Future Action
- Quando avrò finito di lavorare, ti chiamerò.
- When I've finished work, I'll call you.
- Appena saranno arrivati, mangeremo.
- As soon as they've arrived, we'll eat.
- Dopo che avrai letto il libro, dimmi cosa ne pensi.
- After you've read the book, tell me what you think of it.
Quando, appena, and dopo che introduce the action that comes first.
By a Future Deadline
- Entro venerdì avrò scritto la relazione.
- By Friday I'll have written the report.
- Fra un anno ci saremo trasferiti a Torino.
- In a year we'll have moved to Turin.
Entro (by) and fra (in) mark the future point by which the action is complete.
Guesses About the Past
- Non risponde: sarà già uscito.
- He isn't answering: he must have gone out already.
- Avrà perso il treno.
- She must have missed the train.
- Chi avrà mangiato tutti i biscotti?
- Who could have eaten all the biscuits?
This use has no future meaning. It is the past version of the guessing future: sarà a casa, he's probably at home.
How the Italian Future Perfect Is Built
The future of the helper verb, the participle you already know, and the usual agreement rules.
Future of the Helper + Past Participle
Conjugate avere or essere in the futuro semplice (avrò, sarò) and add the past participle. Irregular participles stay irregular: avrò fatto, avrò detto, avrò visto.
Per stasera avrò fatto tutto.
By tonight I'll have done everything.
ho fatto → avrò fatto.
Same Choice of Avere or Essere
A verb that uses essere in the passato prossimo uses it here too: movement, change of state, staying, and reflexive verbs.
Alle nove saremo già arrivati.
By nine we'll have arrived already.
siamo arrivati → saremo arrivati.
Agreement With Essere
With essere, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
Giulia sarà tornata a casa.
Giulia will have gone home. / Giulia must have gone home.
tornato, tornata, tornati, tornate.
After quando, appena, and dopo che
When two actions are both in the future and one finishes first, the first one takes the futuro anteriore and the second takes the futuro semplice. English uses the present perfect for the first action.
Ti presterò il libro quando l'avrò finito.
I'll lend you the book when I've finished it.
First action: futuro anteriore. Second: futuro semplice.
A Guess About the Past
The futuro anteriore can express a guess about something that has already happened. English uses must have or probably.
Sarà stato stanco.
He must have been tired.
avrà perso = must have lost.
Common Mistakes with Futuro Anteriore
Incorrect: Quando avrò arrivato, ti chiamerò. (When I've arrived, I'll call you.)
Correct: Quando sarò arrivato, ti chiamerò. (When I've arrived, I'll call you.)
Arrivare is a verb of movement, so it takes essere in every compound tense, including the futuro anteriore.
Incorrect: Quando ho finito, uscirò. (When I've finished, I'll go out.)
Correct: Quando avrò finito, uscirò. (When I've finished, I'll go out.)
English uses the present perfect after when, but in Italian the passato prossimo would place the action in the past. A future action that comes first takes the futuro anteriore.
Incorrect: Lucia sarà già partito. (Lucia will have left already. / Lucia must have left already.)
Correct: Lucia sarà già partita. (Lucia will have left already. / Lucia must have left already.)
With essere, the participle agrees with the subject. Lucia is feminine, so the participle ends in -a.
Helper Verbs and Common Verbs in the Futuro Anteriore
The helper verbs are in the futuro semplice, with their irregular stems avr- and sar-. The second table shows four common verbs, two with avere and two with essere.
Avere and Essere in the Futuro Semplice
These are the helper forms. Note the accent on the io and lui / lei / Lei forms.
| Pronoun | avere | essere |
|---|---|---|
| io | avrò | sarò |
| tu | avrai | sarai |
| lui / lei / Lei | avrà | sarà |
| noi | avremo | saremo |
| voi | avrete | sarete |
| loro | avranno | saranno |
Essere uses itself as the helper: sarò stato, I will have been.
Common Verbs
Finire and fare take avere; arrivare and uscire take essere and agree with the subject.
| Pronoun | finire | fare | arrivare | uscire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| io | avrò finito | avrò fatto | sarò arrivato / arrivata | sarò uscito / uscita |
| tu | avrai finito | avrai fatto | sarai arrivato / arrivata | sarai uscito / uscita |
| lui / lei / Lei | avrà finito | avrà fatto | sarà arrivato / arrivata | sarà uscito / uscita |
| noi | avremo finito | avremo fatto | saremo arrivati / arrivate | saremo usciti / uscite |
| voi | avrete finito | avrete fatto | sarete arrivati / arrivate | sarete usciti / uscite |
| loro | avranno finito | avranno fatto | saranno arrivati / arrivate | saranno usciti / uscite |
Finire takes essere when it has no object: lo spettacolo sarà finito, the show will be over.
Guesses About the Past, and Simpler Spoken Options
The futuro anteriore is common in two very different situations, and in one of them speech often avoids it.
Guesses about the past
Use the futuro anteriore to suggest a likely explanation for something that has already happened. It sounds less certain than the passato prossimo.
- Le luci sono spente: saranno andati a letto.
- The lights are off: they must have gone to bed.
- Avrà dimenticato l'appuntamento.
- He must have forgotten the appointment.
- Quanto avrà pagato quella macchina?
- I wonder how much he paid for that car.
In a question, the guessing future means I wonder: chi avrà chiamato? I wonder who called.
Simpler options in speech
In relaxed conversation, many Italians replace the futuro anteriore after quando and appena with the present tense, and the main verb with the present or the future. The meaning stays clear from the context.
- Quando finisco, ti chiamo.
- When I finish, I'll call you.
- Appena arrivo, ti scrivo.
- As soon as I arrive, I'll text you.
In writing and careful speech, the futuro anteriore is still the standard choice.
Quick Check: Futuro Anteriore
Put the verb in brackets into the futuro anteriore.
1. Quando (tu / finire) ___ i compiti, potrai uscire.
Answer: avrai finito
avere, the first of two future actions
2. Appena (loro / arrivare) ___, cominceremo.
Answer: saranno arrivati
essere: movement
3. Entro giugno (noi / vendere) ___ la casa.
Answer: avremo venduto
a future deadline
4. Marco non è qui: (uscire) ___.
Answer: sarà uscito
a guess about the past
5. Dove (io / mettere) ___ le chiavi?
Answer: avrò messo
a question meaning I wonder; irregular participle messo
Futuro Anteriore FAQs
- What is the futuro anteriore in English?
- It is the Italian future perfect, the equivalent of English will have plus a participle: avrò finito means I will have finished. Italian also uses it where English uses the present perfect after when or as soon as: quando avrò finito, when I've finished.
- How do you form the futuro anteriore?
- Use the futuro semplice of avere or essere (avrò, sarò) followed by the past participle. The choice of helper verb is the same as in the passato prossimo. With essere, the participle agrees with the subject: sarò partito, sarà partita, saremo partiti.
- When is the futuro anteriore used?
- For a future action that will be complete before another future action (quando avrò mangiato, uscirò), for something complete by a future deadline (entro lunedì avrò finito), and for guesses about the past (avrà perso il treno, he must have missed the train).
- Do Italians use the futuro anteriore in speech?
- Yes, especially for guesses: sarà già partito, he must have left already, is very common in conversation. After quando and appena, everyday speech often uses the present instead (quando finisco, ti chiamo), but the futuro anteriore is always correct.
- How does the futuro anteriore express probability?
- It works like the guessing use of the futuro semplice, one step further back. Sarà a casa means he is probably at home; sarà tornato a casa means he has probably gone home. English usually translates it with must have.