Breakdown of Dès que la natalité aura diminué, la densité changera.
avoir
to have
changer
to change
diminuer
to decrease
dès que
as soon as
la densité
the density
la natalité
the birth rate
Questions & Answers about Dès que la natalité aura diminué, la densité changera.
Why does the French sentence use aura diminué (a future tense) when the English translation says "has decreased"?
In French, when you use temporal conjunctions like dès que (as soon as) or quand (when) to talk about a future event, you must actually use a future tense. Because the birth rate decreasing happens before the density changes, we use the Futur Antérieur (future perfect) to show that this first action will be fully completed.
How is the Futur Antérieur aura diminué formed in this sentence?
It is built very similarly to the Passé Composé, but the helping verb is in the future tense instead of the present. Here, we take the future tense of avoir (which is aura for la natalité) and add the past participle of the verb diminuer, giving us diminué.
Does this sequence rule only apply to dès que?
No! You will see this exact same pattern with other time-related conjunctions like quand (when), lorsque (when), and aussitôt que (as soon as). If the main action is in the future, the completed action following these time words must be in the Futur Antérieur.
Why is changera in the Futur Simple rather than the Futur Antérieur?
changera is the main action that will happen in the future. The Futur Antérieur (aura diminué) is only used to express the event that must happen before this main future action. First the birth rate will decrease (Futur Antérieur), and then as a result, the density will change (Futur Simple).
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