You may already know Futur 1, but did you know that German has a second future tense? Futur 2 is a little different, and its name can be misleading.

So when do you actually need Futur 2, and how often do German speakers use it? In this article, you'll learn how this tense works, when to use it, and how it differs from Futur 1.

Recommended study materials on the topic:

Langenscheidt Go Smart - German Verbs
A-Grammar: Practice German grammar German (incl. answers)
German self-study book for A1-B1 (incl. answers)
German Verb Charts: Learning Regular and Irregular Verbs at a glance

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When do we use Futur 2 in German?

There are two main situations in which we use Futur 2.

1. To talk about completed actions in the future

We use Futur 2 when we want to say that something will be finished by a certain time.

Examples:

Bis morgen werde ich meine Hausaufgaben gemacht haben. → By tomorrow, I will have done my homework.

Bis nächste Woche werden wir das Projekt abgeschlossen haben. → By next week, we will have completed the project.

Bis acht Uhr wird er nach Hause gekommen sein. → He will have come home by eight o'clock.

2. To make assumptions about the past

But there is another important use of Futur 2. We can also use it to make guesses about what happened in the past.

For example:

Er wird den Zug verpasst haben. → He probably missed the train.

For example, imagine you are waiting for a friend, but he is late. You don't know why, but you think he missed the train.

You can use Futur 2 to express this guess.

More examples:

Sie wird schon nach Hause gegangen sein. → She has probably already gone home.

Er wird die E-Mail vergessen haben. → He probably forgot the email.

Die Kinder werden schon eingeschlafen sein. → The children have probably already fallen asleep.

Words like wohl, bestimmt, and sicher are often used to make these guesses clearer.

Example:

Er wird wohl den Zug verpasst haben. → He probably missed the train.

This use of Futur 2 is important because it shows that the tense does not always refer to the future.

How to form Futur 2 in German

To form the German future tense 2, you need three verb forms:

werden + Partizip 2 + haben / sein

The verb werden is conjugated. The main verb is in the Partizip 2 (past participle), and haben or sein stays in the infinitive at the end of the sentence.

Step 1: Conjugate werden

ich werde

du wirst

er / sie / es wird

wir werden

ihr werdet

sie werden

Sie werden

Step 2: Form the Partizip 2

The Partizip 2 is the same verb form you use in the German Perfekt tense.

Here are some examples:

machen → gemacht

lernen → gelernt

kaufen → gekauftn

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Step 3: Choose haben or sein

The good news is that the rules for haben and sein are exactly the same as in the Perfekt tense.

If a verb uses haben in the Perfekt, it also uses haben in Futur 2. If it uses sein in the Perfekt, it also uses sein in Futur 2.

Most German verbs use haben. Verbs that show movement from one place to another or a change of state often use sein.

Examples with haben:

Perfekt: Ich habe das Buch gelesen. → I have read the book.

Futur 2: Ich werde das Buch gelesen haben. → I will have read the book.

Examples with sein:

Perfekt: Er ist nach Hause gegangen. → He has gone home.

Futur 2: Er wird nach Hause gegangen sein. → He will have gone home.

Remember: You do not need to learn new rules for choosing between haben and sein. Just use the same auxiliary verb you would use in the Perfekt.

What is the difference between Futur 1 and Futur 2?

Both Futur 1 and Futur 2 can talk about the future, but they have different meanings.

Futur 1 describes something that will happen.

Futur 2 describes something that will already be completed at a certain time in the future.

Futur 1 and Futur 2 for assumptions

There is another difference.

We can use Futur 1 to make assumptions about the present.

Er wird jetzt zu Hause sein. → He is probably at home now.

We can use Futur 2 to make assumptions about the past.

Er wird schon nach Hause gegangen sein. → He has probably already gone home.

So remember:

Futur 1: Future actions and assumptions about the present.
Futur 2: Completed future actions and assumptions about the past.

If you want to review the first future tense, read my article Futur 1 in German: Easy Guide to the German Future Tense.

How common is Futur 2 in everyday German?

Futur 2 is not very common in everyday spoken German, especially when talking about completed future actions.

German speakers often use the present tense (Präsens) or the Perfekt instead.

For example, instead of saying:

Bis morgen werde ich die Arbeit erledigt haben.

You will often hear:

Bis morgen habe ich die Arbeit erledigt. → By tomorrow, I will have finished the work.

Or:

Morgen bin ich mit der Arbeit fertig. → Tomorrow, I will be finished with the work.

All three sentences express a similar idea, but the last two sound more natural in everyday conversation.

However, Futur 2 is still useful. You may see it in written German, formal texts, or when someone wants to talk about an action that will be complete in the future.

It is also used to express assumptions about the past.

This means that you do not need to use Futur 2 in every conversation, but you should be able to understand it when you hear or read it.

Conclusion

Futur 2 may look difficult at first because you need three verb forms. But once you understand the structure, it becomes much easier.

As we focused on Futur 2 in this article, you might also want to check out my article Futur 1 in German: Easy Guide to the German Future Tense if you want a quick reminder of how to form and use Futur 1 and understand the difference between the two future tenses.