habrá
/ah-BRAH/
there will be
Habrá (there will be) is used to talk about the existence of something in the future, like a hot air balloon appearing in the field.
📝 In Action
Mañana habrá una fiesta en mi casa.
A2Tomorrow there will be a party at my house.
No te preocupes, no habrá ningún problema.
A2Don't worry, there won't be any problem.
En el futuro, habrá coches que vuelan.
B1In the future, there will be cars that fly.
💡 Grammar Points
The Future of 'hay'
Think of 'habrá' as the future version of 'hay' (there is/are). You use it to say 'there will be'. For example, 'Hoy hay sol' (Today there is sun) becomes 'Mañana habrá sol' (Tomorrow there will be sun).
Always Stays the Same
A cool thing about 'habrá' is that it doesn't change, even if you're talking about multiple things. It's always 'habrá', never 'habrán' in this sense. For example, 'Habrá una persona' (one person) and 'Habrá mil personas' (a thousand people).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'habrán'
Mistake: "En la fiesta habrán muchas personas."
Correction: En la fiesta habrá muchas personas. When you mean 'there will be', the verb form is always 'habrá', no matter how many things you're talking about.
⭐ Usage Tips
Expressing Necessity
You can use the phrase 'habrá que' followed by a verb to say that something will need to be done. For example, 'Habrá que estudiar más' means 'It will be necessary to study more' or 'We will have to study more.'
When used with a past participle, habrá (will have) describes an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future (the future perfect tense).
📝 In Action
Para cuando llegues, él ya se habrá ido.
B2By the time you arrive, he will have already left.
El próximo mes, ya habrá terminado el proyecto.
B2Next month, she will have finished the project.
Dentro de un año, habrá aprendido a hablar español perfectamente.
C1Within a year, he will have learned to speak Spanish perfectly.
💡 Grammar Points
Talking About the 'Future Past'
'Habrá' teams up with the past form of another verb (like 'comido', 'visto', 'hecho') to talk about something that will be completed before another point in the future. It's like looking back from a future time.
❌ Common Pitfalls
'haber' vs. 'tener'
Mistake: "Para mañana, él tendrá terminado el trabajo."
Correction: Para mañana, él habrá terminado el trabajo. To build these 'will have done' ideas, Spanish always uses 'haber' as the helper verb, not 'tener'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Use 'para' or 'cuando'
This structure is often used with words like 'para' (by) or 'cuando' (when) to set the future deadline. For example, 'Para el lunes, habré leído el libro.' (By Monday, I will have read the book).
Spanish often uses habrá (there must be) to express a guess or probability about a situation happening in the present moment.
habrá(Verb)
there must be
?expressing a guess or probability about the present
I wonder if there is
?expressing conjecture
,probably is/are
?expressing probability
📝 In Action
¿Cuánta gente hay en la plaza? —No sé, habrá unas cien personas.
B2How many people are in the square? —I don't know, there must be about a hundred people.
La tienda está cerrada. ¿Por qué? —Habrá un problema con la electricidad, quizás.
B2The store is closed. Why? —There must be a problem with the electricity, maybe.
¿Por qué no contesta el teléfono? —Habrá salido a comprar.
C1Why isn't he answering the phone? —He must have gone out to shop.
💡 Grammar Points
Future Tense for Present Guesses
Spanish has a clever trick: it uses future forms like 'habrá' to make a guess about something happening right now. When you hear 'habrá' in response to a question about the present, it usually means 'I'm not sure, but I think...'
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing a Guess with a Fact
Mistake: "Thinking 'Habrá veinte personas' always means 'There will be twenty people' in the future."
Correction: Listen to the context! If the conversation is about the present, 'habrá' is almost certainly a guess. If it's about a future event, it's a statement about the future.
⭐ Usage Tips
Sound More Natural
Using the future tense to guess is a hallmark of a natural speaker. Instead of saying 'Creo que hay...' (I think there are...), try using 'Habrá...' when you're estimating numbers or guessing reasons. It's very common in everyday chat.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: habrá
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'habrá' to mean 'there must be'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'habrá' and 'va a haber'?
They both mean 'there is going to be' or 'there will be' and are often interchangeable. 'Habrá' can sound a little more formal or definitive, while 'va a haber' is very common in everyday conversation. For example, 'Habrá una tormenta' and 'Va a haber una tormenta' both mean 'There's going to be a storm'.
Why don't you ever say 'habrán' for 'there will be'?
It's a special rule in Spanish. When 'haber' means 'there is/are' or 'there will be', it acts like a force of nature—it's impersonal and doesn't have a subject to agree with. So it always stays in the singular form ('hay', 'había', 'hubo', 'habrá'), even if you're talking about millions of things.
Can I use 'habrá' to talk about myself, like 'I will have'?
Only when it's a helper verb. You wouldn't say 'Habrá un coche' to mean 'I will have a car' (that's 'Tendré un coche'). But you would use the 'yo' form, 'habré', to say 'Para mañana, yo habré terminado' (By tomorrow, I will have finished).