A future before the future
You are planning the evening: first you arrive, then you call. Both events lie in the future, but one is finished first. That is what the futuro anteriore shows: it puts one event before another, only in the future instead of the past. English has the same tense: I will have arrived.
First one thing, then the other
Quando sarò arrivato, ti chiamerò.
Once I have arrived, I'll call you.
Appena avrò finito il turno, uscirò.
As soon as I have finished my shift, I'm off.
Dopo che avremo mangiato, faremo due passi.
After we have eaten, we'll go for a little walk.
The forms
parlare and arrivare
| Person | with avere | with essere |
|---|---|---|
| io | avrò parlato | sarò arrivato / arrivata |
| tu | avrai parlato | sarai arrivato / arrivata |
| lui / lei / Lei | avrà parlato | sarà arrivato / arrivata |
| noi | avremo parlato | saremo arrivati / arrivate |
| voi | avrete parlato | sarete arrivati / arrivate |
| loro | avranno parlato | saranno arrivati / arrivate |
Futuro anteriore with both auxiliaries
English has one auxiliary, have, and its participle never changes. Italian picks the auxiliary: arrivare takes essere, parlare takes avere. With essere the participle agrees with the subject: a woman writes sarò arrivata, a group writes saremo arrivati. With avere it stays on -o: avremo finito, not avremo finiti.
When you need it
Most often the futuro anteriore sits in a time clause and says: this is finished before the next thing happens. The main clause then takes the futuro semplice or an imperative.
The words that introduce it
Order inside the sentence
Quando avrai letto il contratto, dimmi cosa ne pensi.
When you have read the contract, tell me what you think of it.
Non appena avranno deciso, ci faranno sapere.
As soon as they have decided, they'll let us know.
Ti restituirò il libro dopo che l'avrò letto.
I'll give you the book back after I have read it.
After quando and appena you will often hear the plain futuro semplice instead: Quando arriverò, ti chiamerò. That is not wrong. The futuro anteriore stresses that the first thing must be completely finished before the second begins. After dopo che it is the usual form.
Without a time clause, the futuro anteriore appears above all with a deadline: entro venerdì, per le otto, fra un mese. It then says that something will be finished by that point. Here English matches it word for word: by Friday we will have handed in everything.
Done by then
Per le otto avrò già cenato.
By eight I will already have had dinner.
Entro venerdì avremo consegnato tutto.
By Friday we will have handed everything in.
Fra un mese si sarà trasferita a Bologna.
In a month she will have moved to Bologna.
Where English sends you wrong
English has a firm rule that you follow without noticing: after when, as soon as and after the verb does not take will. You say when I have arrived or as soon as I finish, with a present perfect or present, and only the main clause is in the future.
Italian has no such rule. Both clauses point forward, so the verbs mark it: the time clause takes the futuro anteriore, the main clause the futuro semplice.
The same thought in Italian
Quando sarò arrivato, ti chiamerò.
When I have arrived, I'll call you.
Appena avrai finito, potremo uscire.
As soon as you have finished, we can go out.
In conversation it often gets simpler
Spoken Italian likes shortcuts. If the order of events is obvious anyway, both clauses can take the present, which is also where Italian lines up with your English instinct. That is not an error, just less precise. In writing and at work, for example in Le scriverò appena avrò ricevuto la conferma, you use the futuro anteriore.
Careful and casual
Quando avrò finito, ti chiamerò.
When I have finished, I'll call you. (careful)
Quando finisco, ti chiamo.
When I'm done I'll give you a ring. (casual)
