Unit 8: Werden, Relative Clauses
2. Future and Future Perfect Tenses
Werden and its present tense forms can also be used with an infinitive of a verb to form the future tense in German. For example:
Dieses Auto wird sicher schneller fahren.
This car will surely go faster.
Sie weiß nicht, ob sie heute abend kommen werden.
She doesn’t know if they will come this evening.
Note: The dependent infinitive (fahren and kommen in these examples) stands in final position.
Future perfect tense is not used frequently but it is wise to be aware of it. In this case the the dependent infinitive appears at the same location, but instead in its present-perfect form. Examples:
Unser Direktor wird eine Reise um die Welt gemacht haben.
Our director will have travelled around the world.
Wir werden über 15.000 km geflogen sein.
We will have flown over 15,000 kilometers.
Sie hofft, daß die Mannschaft im nächsten Jahr die Meisterschaft gewonnen haben wird.
She hopes that by next year the team will have won the championship.
Note: The auxiliary verb (haben or sein) that augments the future perfect form appears after the past participle. To summarize: Future perfect is composed of a present tense form of werden plus a past participle and its infinitive:
werden + past participle + haben or sein
