The future perfect tense describes actions that will be completed by a certain time in the future.
Forming the future perfect
In Dutch, you form this tense by combining the auxiliary verb zullen (will) with a perfect auxiliary (hebben or zijn) and the past participle of the main verb.
When this tense appears in a subordinate clause (such as after dat), all verbs are pushed to the end. The conjugated form of zullen typically starts this verb cluster.
| They predict that the technology will have changed the world. | Zij voorspellen dat de technologie de wereld zal hebben veranderd. |
Main clauses and using zijn
In a standard main clause, the conjugated form of zullen takes the second position. The perfect auxiliary and past participle are placed together at the very end of the sentence.
Additionally, just as in the present perfect tense, verbs indicating a change of state (like doubling) use zijn as their perfect auxiliary instead of hebben.
| Then the income will have doubled in one decade. | Dan zal het inkomen in één decennium zijn verdubbeld. |
For most other verbs, you will use hebben.
| The scientist will have researched the climate. | De wetenschapper zal het klimaat hebben onderzocht. |
For plural subjects, use the plural form zullen.
| We will have found a medicine for the disease. | We zullen een medicijn voor de ziekte hebben gevonden. |
Questions
To ask a question, invert the subject and the conjugated verb zullen.
| Will she have tried that new medicine? | Zal zij dat nieuwe medicijn hebben geprobeerd? |