Future Perfect Tense

In Latin, the future perfect tense is a verbal tense used to indicate actions or states that will be completed before a specified future time. It describes an action that will have happened prior to another future event. The future perfect tense is often translated into English as "will have + verb-ed.”

To form the future perfect tense in Latin, you need the perfect stem of the verb and the appropriate set of endings.

Perfect First Person Singular (3rd Principal Part): amāvī (I loved)

Perfect Stem: amāv-

Here is the general formula: Perfect Stem minus ‘i’ + Perfect Endings

The future perfect endings:

  • First Person Singular: -erō (I will have)

  • Second Person Singular: -eris (you will have)

  • Third Person Singular: -erit (he/she/it will have)

  • First Person Plural: -erimus (we will have)

  • Second Person Plural: -eritis (you all will have)

  • Third Person Plural: -erint (they will have)

Here is an example using the verb "amāre" (to love) in the future perfect tense:

  • amāverō (I will have loved)

  • amāveris (you will have loved)

  • amāverit (he/she/it will have loved)

  • amāverimus (we will have loved)

  • amāveritis (you all will have loved)

  • amāverint (they will have loved)

The future perfect tense indicates actions that will be completed before a specified future point. It is often used to express the following:

  1. Actions Completed Before a Future Event: It describes actions that will have been finished before another future action or event occurs.

    • Antequam vēnit, litterās scrīpserō. (Before he/she arrives, I will have written the letters.)

  2. Anticipation of a Future Completion: It indicates an action that will be fully completed in the future, emphasizing its finality.

    • Cum mē vidēs, diū mē absentem esse nōn putāveris. (When you see me, you will not have thought that I have been absent for long.)