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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb couver

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The English translation of the French verb couver is “to brood” or “to incubate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “koo-vay.”

The word couver comes from the Latin word “covare,” meaning “to hatch” or “to brood.” It is most often used in its literal sense to refer to the act of a bird sitting on and keeping its eggs warm until they hatch. In everyday French, it can also be used figuratively to describe someone who is very protective or possessive.

In the Futur Antérieur tense, couver is used to express an action that will have been completed in the future. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Je couverai mes œufs avant de les laisser éclore. (I will have brooded my eggs before letting them hatch.)
  2. Tu couveras ton secret jusqu’à l’arrivée de ta famille. (You will have kept your secret until your family arrives.)
  3. Il couvera son projet jusqu’au dernier moment avant de le dévoiler. (He will have brooded over his project until the last moment before revealing it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je j’aurai couvé J’aurai couvé les oeufs. I will have brooded the eggs.
tu tu auras couvé Tu auras couvé les poussins. You will have brooded the chicks.
il il aura couvé Il aura couvé le nid. He will have brooded the nest.
elle elle aura couvé Elle aura couvé les petits. She will have brooded the little ones.
on on aura couvé On aura couvé les oeufs. One/We will have brooded the eggs.
nous nous aurons couvé Nous aurons couvé les poussins. We will have brooded the chicks.
vous vous aurez couvé Vous aurez couvé le nid. You will have brooded the nest.
ils ils auront couvé Ils auront couvé les oeufs. They will have brooded the eggs.
elles elles auront couvé Elles auront couvé les petits. They will have brooded the little ones.

Other Conjugations for Couver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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