Subjuntivo Futuro: The Future Subjunctive in Spanish
The future subjunctive (subjuntivo futuro) is a Spanish verb tense that has almost completely disappeared from spoken language. You will still encounter it in legal texts, religious texts, fixed proverbs, and some literature. It is formed by taking the third-person plural preterite and replacing the final -ron with -re/-res/-re/-remos/-reis/-ren. Example: hablar → hablare, hablares, hablare, habláremos, hablareis, hablaren. Most learners should recognize it but use the present subjunctive instead.
How to form the futuro de subjuntivo
Take the third-person plural preterite (ellos/ellas form), drop the final -ron, then add -re, -res, -re, -remos, -reis, -ren. Example: hablar → hablaron → hablare, hablares, hablare, habláremos, hablareis, hablaren. The forms are predictable from the preterite, including for irregular verbs (estuvieron → estuviere).
| Pronoun | hablar | comer | ser/ir |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablare | comiere | fuere |
| tú | hablares | comieres | fueres |
| él/ella/usted | hablare | comiere | fuere |
| nosotros | habláremos | comiéremos | fuéremos |
| vosotros | hablareis | comiereis | fuereis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hablaren | comieren | fueren |
Where you still see the future subjunctive
- Legal Spanish — constitutions, contracts, statutes: 'el que matare a otro' (whoever may kill another)
- Fixed proverbs and sayings: 'A donde fueres, haz lo que vieres.' (Wherever you go, do what you see.)
- Religious or formal texts in conservative registers
- Older literature, especially pre-20th-century works
- Latin-American legal Spanish more than European Spanish
Common surviving uses
| Person / verb | Form | Example (Spanish) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablare | El que hablare en su contra será castigado. | Whoever may speak against him shall be punished. (legal register) |
| ser | fuere | Sea cual fuere la decisión, la acepto. | Whatever the decision may be, I accept it. |
| ir | fueres | A donde fueres, haz lo que vieres. | Wherever you go, do what you see. (When in Rome…) |
| haber | hubiere | Si hubiere dudas, contáctenos. | If there should be any doubts, contact us. |
What to actually use instead
Present subjunctive replaces it
In modern speech, the present subjunctive covers what the future subjunctive used to express. 'Cuando llegue' (when he/she arrives) instead of the archaic 'cuando llegare'.
Do not produce it
Unless you're writing a contract or quoting a proverb, you do not need to use the future subjunctive. Native speakers don't produce it spontaneously.
Recognize it in reading
The endings -re, -res, -re, -remos, -reis, -ren are the signal. If you see them in a text, you're looking at the future subjunctive.
Subjuntivo Futuro — frequently asked
- Is the future subjunctive still used in modern Spanish?
- Rarely. The future subjunctive (subjuntivo futuro) is essentially obsolete in spoken Spanish. It survives in legal texts, fixed proverbs, religious texts, and some literature. Native speakers replace it with the present subjunctive in normal speech.
- How do you form the future subjunctive in Spanish?
- Take the third-person plural preterite form (ellos/ellas), drop the final -ron, then add -re, -res, -re, -remos, -reis, -ren. Example: hablar → hablaron → hablare. The forms are predictable from preterite stems, including irregulars (tuvieron → tuviere).
- What's the difference between subjuntivo futuro and subjuntivo presente?
- The future subjunctive expresses hypothetical future actions in archaic Spanish. The present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente) covers the same function in modern Spanish. 'Cuando hablare' (future subj.) and 'cuando hable' (present subj.) translate to the same English.
- Do I need to learn the future subjunctive?
- For reading comprehension — yes, especially if you read legal documents, classic Spanish literature, or proverbs. For speaking and writing — no, the present subjunctive is correct in essentially all modern contexts.
- What is the future perfect subjunctive (futuro perfecto subjuntivo)?
- The futuro perfecto subjuntivo is the compound form of the future subjunctive: 'haber' in the future subjunctive plus the past participle. Example: 'hubiere hablado'. It is even rarer than the simple future subjunctive and appears almost exclusively in legal and very formal texts.
Keep going
Continue with the directly related tense, verb, and comparison pages.