Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commencer

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The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to begin” or “to start.” It is pronounced “koh-mahn-say.”

The word commencer comes from the Latin word “cominitiare,” which means “to initiate.” In everyday French, commencer is used to express the act of starting or initiating something. It can also be used to indicate the beginning of an action or process.

In the Futur Antérieur tense, commencer is used to talk about an action that will have started at a specific point in the future. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the future tense followed by the past participle of commencer.

Example 1:
Je commencerai mes études universitaires l’année prochaine.
I will have started my university studies next year.

Example 2:
Tu auras commencé ton nouveau travail dans deux semaines.
You will have started your new job in two weeks.

Example 3:
Ils auront commencé à rénover leur maison avant l’été.
They will have started to renovate their house before summer.

Table of the Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of commencer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je j’aurai commencé J’aurai commencé mon travail. I will have started my work.
tu tu auras commencé Tu auras commencé le cours. You will have started the class.
il il aura commencé Il aura commencé la réunion. He will have started the meeting.
elle elle aura commencé Elle aura commencé le projet. She will have started the project.
on on aura commencé On aura commencé le film. One/We will have started the movie.
nous nous aurons commencé Nous aurons commencé la construction. We will have started the construction.
vous vous aurez commencé Vous aurez commencé votre voyage. You will have started your trip.
ils ils auront commencé Ils auront commencé leur chantier. They will have started their construction site.
elles elles auront commencé Elles auront commencé leur récolte. They will have started their harvest.

Other Conjugations for Commencer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer (this article)

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Commencer – About the French Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense

The French futur antérieur tense is a compound tense used to express actions or events that will have occurred in the future before another action takes place. It is formed by using the future tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” (depending on the main verb) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Construction

1. For most verbs, use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Subject + future tense of “avoir” + past participle
Example with the verb “manger” (to eat):
– J’aurai mangé (I will have eaten)
– Tu auras mangé (You will have eaten)
– Il/elle/on aura mangé (He/She/One will have eaten)
– Nous aurons mangé (We will have eaten)
– Vous aurez mangé (You will have eaten)
– Ils/elles auront mangé (They will have eaten)
2. For a select group of verbs, use “être” as the auxiliary verb. These are typically verbs of motion or state-changing verbs (e.g., aller, venir, naître, mourir, partir, etc.). The formation is the same, but the auxiliary verb is “être.”
Example with the verb “partir” (to leave):
– Je serai parti(e) (I will have left)
– Tu seras parti(e) (You will have left)
– Il/elle/on sera parti(e) (He/She/One will have left)
– Nous serons parti(e)s (We will have left)
– Vous serez parti(e)(s) (You will have left)
– Ils/elles seront parti(e)s (They will have left)

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. The futur antérieur is used to express an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future. For example:
   – Je partirai dès que j’aurai fini mon travail. (I will leave as soon as I have finished my work.)
   – Ils seront rentrés avant que la pluie commence. (They will have returned before the rain starts.)
2. It is often used with time expressions that indicate when the action will occur relative to another future action, such as “dès que” (as soon as), “avant que” (before), “une fois que” (once), etc.

Interactions with Other Tenses

– The futur antérieur tense is commonly used in combination with the future simple (futur simple) and other tenses to indicate the sequence of actions in the future. The futur antérieur typically refers to the action that will have been completed before another action takes place.

For example

– Quand tu auras terminé ton devoir, tu pourras sortir. (When you have finished your homework, you can go out.)
– J’irai te voir après que tu seras rentré. (I will visit you after you have returned.)

Summary

The futur antérieur tense is used to express completed actions in the future that will occur before another specified future action or event. It’s a crucial tense for describing the chronological order of events in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb commencer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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