Ch 30 · Lesson 9French · Chapter 30 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Il aura oublié: the guess about the past
With no future in the sentence, the antérieur guesses at the past: , . And (will) is one letter from (would).
The short version
: he must have forgotten
: .
Why?Hide
With no future point in the sentence, the antérieur is a guess about the past. : means she must have missed her train. a says much the same thing in everyday French.
or : will or would
.
Why?Hide
is the antérieur, I will have finished: a real expectation. is the , I would have finished: the unreal past. Many speakers say them alike, so the spelling carries the meaning.
The guess about the past
Now the job English has no tense for. Put a antérieur in a sentence with no future in it, and it stops predicting: it guesses what has already happened.
: .- She is not here: she must have missed her train.: .- He is not answering: he must have gone to bed early.: .- The door is open: somebody must have come in..- You must have misunderstood.
The logic: a future is a statement you cannot check yet. Pointed at the past, it is a statement you have not checked, which is a guess. On a scale of certainty it sits between perhaps and the plain fact:
- Il a peut-être oublié.perhaps he forgot
- Il aura oublié.he must have forgotten
- Il a oublié.he forgot: a fact
French often props the guess up with or : . - He must have forgotten, no doubt. The everyday alternative is in the , which says much the same thing: . - He must have forgotten.
Which reading is it?
The forms are identical, so the rest of the sentence decides.
| Clue | Example | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| a future time | , . | by then |
| , | , -. | by then |
| a present situation | : . | a guess |
The glosses: By tomorrow he will have forgotten. When you have finished, call me. He is not answering: he must have forgotten.
If there is a future point in the sentence, it is the future perfect. If everything around it is in the present or the past, it is a guess, and reading it as a prediction loses you the sentence.
J'aurai or j'aurais: one letter
The conditionnel passé is one letter away, and many speakers pronounce the two alike. The spelling carries the meaning.
| Tense | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| antérieur | . | I will have finished before noon. |
| cond. | , . | If I had started earlier, I would have finished. |
The two meet in reported speech: under a past reporting verb, a antérieur becomes a . . - He said he would have finished before noon.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | takes |
| | : agree with the subject |
| | reflexives take |
| | for must have: devra oublier is will have to forget |
The other trap is the spelling: where you meant I will have finished says I would have finished. Proofread the ending of every auxiliary.
Going further: How to form it and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
9-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
French · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekLesson 9 of 29 in this chapter