Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo (Future Perfect Subjunctive Tense)

The futuro perfecto de subjuntivo is an extremely rare tense in modern Spanish, typically only found in legal or literary texts. It is used to express hypothetical actions that will have been completed at some point in the future, but whose outcome remains uncertain. In everyday Spanish, it has largely been replaced by other tenses such as the present perfect subjunctive or future indicative.

Mood:

The subjunctive mood expresses uncertainty, hypothetical situations, or wishes. The future perfect subjunctive tense refers to hypothetical actions that may have been completed by a certain point in the future, but its use is almost obsolete in contemporary language.

• Subjunctive mood = doubt, wishes, hypothetical or subjective situations
• Future perfect subjunctive tense = completed hypothetical actions in the future (rarely used)

Usage:

• The future perfect subjunctive is mostly used in formal or legal contexts. For example:
  • Si hubiere terminado su trabajo, estará libre. (If he has finished his work, he will be free.)
• It may also appear in conditional sentences or idiomatic expressions where an action is uncertain but will have been completed:
  • El testigo dijere la verdad, serás absuelto. (If the witness tells the truth, you will be acquitted.)
• In modern Spanish, the future perfect subjunctive is largely replaced by the present perfect subjunctive or future indicative.

Triggering Phrases:

Similar to other forms of the subjunctive, the future perfect subjunctive is triggered by conditional or hypothetical expressions, particularly in legal or formal writing:

• Si (if)
• Cuando (when)
• Como (as long as)

Regular Conjugation (Subjunctive):

Person	Haber (Future Subjunctive)	AR Verbs (Past Participle)	ER Verbs (Past Participle)	IR Verbs (Past Participle)
Yo	hubiere	hablado	comido	vivido
Tú	hubieres	hablado	comido	vivido
Él/Ella/Usted	hubiere	hablado	comido	vivido
Nosotros	hubiéremos	hablado	comido	vivido
Vosotros	hubiereis	hablado	comido	vivido
Ellos/Ustedes	hubieren	hablado	comido	vivido

Irregular Past Participles:

The same irregular past participles used in other perfect tenses apply here:

• Abrir (to open): abierto
• Decir (to say/tell): dicho
• Escribir (to write): escrito
• Hacer (to do/make): hecho
• Ver (to see): visto
• Poner (to put): puesto

Common Time Expressions:

• Si (if) (in legal or formal contexts)
• Cuando (when)
• Para entonces (by then)
• Antes de que (before)

Examples:

• Si hubiere cometido el delito, sería condenado. (If he had committed the crime, he would be convicted.)
• Para cuando hubiere llegado, ya todos se habrán ido. (By the time he arrives, everyone will have left.)
• El acuerdo será válido si las partes lo hubieren firmado. (The agreement will be valid if the parties have signed it.)