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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb continuer

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The English translation of the French verb continuer is “to continue.” It is pronounced “kohn-tee-nweh” in its infinitive form.

The word continuer comes from the Latin word “continuare,” which means “to connect” or “to keep on.” It was first recorded in French in the 13th century.

In everyday French, the verb continuer is most often used in the Futur Antérieur tense, which is the future perfect tense in English. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the future tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of how continuer is used in the Futur Antérieur tense in everyday French:

  1. Je continuerai à étudier le français jusqu’à ce que je sois bilingue. (I will continue studying French until I am bilingual.)

  2. Tu continueras d’aider ta mère quand tu auras fini tes études. (You will continue to help your mother when you finish your studies.)

  3. Ils auront continué à travailler même après la fermeture de l’entreprise. (They will have continued working even after the company closes.)

Note: In the Futur Antérieur tense, the past participle of continuer is “continué” when used with the auxiliary verb “avoir,” and “continu” when used with the auxiliary verb “être.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je j’aurai continué J’aurai continué à étudier. I will have continued to study.
tu tu auras continué Tu auras continué à danser. You will have continued to dance.
il il aura continué Il aura continué à travailler. He will have continued to work.
elle elle aura continué Elle aura continué à chanter. She will have continued to sing.
on on aura continué On aura continué à marcher. One/We will have continued to walk.
nous nous aurons continué Nous aurons continué à voyager. We will have continued to travel.
vous vous aurez continué Vous aurez continué à rire. You will have continued to laugh.
ils ils auront continué Ils auront continué à jouer. They will have continued to play.
elles elles auront continué Elles auront continué à lire. They will have continued to read.

Other Conjugations for Continuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb continuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Continuer – 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 continuer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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