Introduction
completarán is a useful Spanish verb form for talking about what a group of people will finish or make complete. You may see it in a school announcement, a project plan, a travel schedule, or a conversation about future goals. It comes from the verb completar, which means to complete, finish, or fill in. The form refers to more than one person or thing and places the action in the future. For example, it can describe what students will finish by Friday or what a team will add to a shared project.
Learning this word also helps you recognize a common Spanish future-tense pattern. Once you understand how the ending works, you can connect this form to many other verbs. In this guide, you will learn its meaning, pronunciation, grammar, and everyday uses, with clear examples and translations. You will also see how it differs from related words such as terminar and acabar, so you can choose a natural expression when speaking or writing Spanish.
Meaning and Definition
Completarán means they will complete or you all will complete. The exact English subject depends on the sentence. Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun, so a sentence may use this verb without saying who is doing the action. The surrounding words and the situation help you understand whether it means they, you all, or, in some contexts, those things will be completed.
The verb is the future form of completar. Its basic meaning is to bring something to a finished or whole state. A person might complete a form by filling in every required space, complete a course by reaching its final lesson, or complete a set by adding the missing pieces. The word can refer to finishing an activity, but it can also focus on making something whole by adding what is missing.
In grammar, this form is the third-person plural future of the indicative mood. It can refer to ellos or ellas, meaning they, and to ustedes, meaning you all. In Spain, vosotros or vosotras, the informal plural you, normally takes a different form: completaréis. In much of Latin America, ustedes is used for both formal and informal groups, so completarán is common when addressing several people directly.
The form is built from the infinitive completar and the future ending -án. Spanish future endings attach to the whole infinitive, rather than replacing the final -ar, -er, or -ir ending. The pattern is completar plus -án, producing completarán. The same ending appears with many regular verbs: hablar becomes hablarán, aprender becomes aprenderán, and vivir becomes vivirán. This makes the future tense relatively easy to recognize.
Completar comes from the Latin word completare, connected with making something full or complete. Its central idea has stayed clear in modern Spanish: something reaches its full or finished state. The related English word complete can help you remember the meaning, but remember that the Spanish verb has its own grammar and pronunciation. In English, we often say finish a task; in Spanish, completar is especially natural when the task has a clear goal, set of parts, or required information.
The future tense usually points to an action that has not happened yet. A sentence with completarán may describe a plan, a prediction, a promise, or a result expected later. It does not by itself say exactly when the action will happen. A time expression such as mañana, next week, or al final del curso can make the timing clear. The word itself simply presents completion as a future event.
Usage and Example Sentences
Here are examples in everyday and educational settings. Notice that the subject can be a group of people or a group of things, and that the word commonly appears with a direct object: the form, activity, project, or other thing being completed.
Spanish: Los estudiantes completarán la actividad antes del viernes.
English: The students will complete the activity before Friday.
Spanish: Ustedes completarán el formulario en línea.
English: You all will fill out the form online.
Spanish: Mis amigos completarán el proyecto en equipo.
English: My friends will complete the project as a team.
Spanish: Las familias completarán la inscripción esta semana.
English: The families will complete the registration this week.
Spanish: Ellas completarán el curso durante el verano.
English: They will complete the course during the summer.
Spanish: Los niños completarán el rompecabezas después de la merienda.
English: The children will finish the puzzle after their snack.
Spanish: Con las últimas páginas, completarán la colección.
English: With the last pages, they will complete the collection.
Spanish: Si siguen las instrucciones, completarán el ejercicio correctamente.
English: If they follow the instructions, they will complete the exercise correctly.
Spanish: ¿Cuándo completarán ustedes la primera parte del trabajo?
English: When will you all complete the first part of the work?
Spanish: Al final de la actividad, completarán una breve reflexión.
English: At the end of the activity, they will complete a short reflection.
These examples show that Spanish does not always need a pronoun such as ellos or ustedes. In Los estudiantes completarán la actividad, the noun Los estudiantes makes the subject clear. In the question ¿Cuándo completarán ustedes?, the pronoun ustedes is included for clarity or emphasis, even though the verb ending already points to a plural subject. The object usually follows the verb, as in completar el ejercicio.
To make a negative sentence, place no before the verb: No completarán la actividad hoy means They will not complete the activity today. For a question, the word order can stay much like a statement, with a question mark at each end in writing. A useful pattern is subject, verb, and object, but Spanish word order can change to emphasize time or another detail.
Synonyms, Antonyms, and Word Usage Differences
Several Spanish verbs can express the idea of finishing, but they are not always interchangeable. Terminar means to finish or bring something to an end. It is a broad, common choice: terminarán el trabajo means they will finish the work. Completar is often a better fit when the focus is on making all parts present, meeting every requirement, or reaching a whole result. You might terminar una tarea, but completar un formulario is especially natural when every field must be filled in.
Acabar also means to finish. In many settings, acabarán el libro can mean they will finish the book. It is common in conversation and may sound more informal in some contexts than completar. The best choice depends on the noun and what you want to stress. If you mean that an activity simply comes to an end, terminar or acabar may be enough. If you mean that people have completed all the needed parts, completar makes that idea clearer.
Finalizar is another close synonym, often used in announcements, instructions, and formal writing. It emphasizes bringing something to its conclusion. A company might say that participants finalizarán una capacitación, meaning they will finish a training course. Completar may suggest not only reaching the end but also satisfying the full requirements. In everyday speech, terminar is usually a flexible and familiar alternative.
Concluir means to conclude or bring something to a close. It can refer to finishing a meeting, a lesson, or a discussion, and it can also mean reaching a conclusion through thought. Concluirán la reunión focuses on the meeting ending. Completarán el informe focuses more on getting the report fully done. These differences are small in some sentences, but choosing a verb that matches the situation makes Spanish sound more natural.
Acabarán and terminarán are future forms too, just like completarán. Do not confuse meaning differences with tense differences: the endings show when the action happens, while the verb stem gives the main idea. For example, terminarán means they will finish, while terminaron means they finished. The written accent and the ending help distinguish the future form from other forms.
Useful opposites depend on the sentence. Empezar means to begin, and iniciar also means to start. If one group will begin a task while another group will complete it, you can contrast empezarán with completarán. Dejar incompleto means to leave unfinished, and no terminar means not to finish. These are phrases rather than exact one-word opposites, because the opposite of completing something changes with the context.
Choose completar when the idea of wholeness, required parts, or a finished set matters. Choose terminar when you simply mean to finish an activity. Use acabar for a natural everyday alternative, and consider finalizar or concluir in more formal contexts or when emphasizing an endpoint. When unsure, look at the object. Forms, applications, collections, courses, and tasks with several steps often work well with completar.
Pronunciation and Accent
The pronunciation of completarán can be shown in IPA as /kom.ple.taˈɾan/. The symbols are a guide to the sounds: /kom/ sounds like com, /ple/ like pleh, /ta/ like tah, and /ɾan/ has a light Spanish r followed by an. The final r is a tap, similar to the quick single r in pero. It is not the longer trilled sound heard in perro.
There are four syllables: com-ple-ta-rán. The strongest stress falls on the final syllable, rán. The written accent mark over á tells readers to stress that syllable. Say the word with a clear rise in emphasis on the last part: com-ple-ta-RÁN. The earlier syllables should remain easy to hear, rather than being swallowed or given equal force.
The accent mark is necessary because Spanish spelling rules mark many words stressed on the final syllable when they end in a vowel, n, or s. Since this form ends in n and its final syllable is stressed, it carries an accent mark. Without the mark, the spelling would suggest a different stress pattern under standard Spanish reading rules. Pay attention to the accent when writing, since it is part of the correct form, not a decoration.
Spanish vowels are generally short and steady. The á is an open ah sound, not the English name of the letter A. Try saying the vowels separately and clearly: o, e, a, a. The c before o is pronounced like k in most Spanish varieties. The r is a light tap made with the tongue near the ridge behind the upper teeth. Avoid turning the final syllable into a heavy English-style r sound.
A common learner mistake is stressing the third syllable, as though the word were pronounced com-PLE-ta-ran. The accent mark shows that this is incorrect: the stress belongs on rán. Another mistake is omitting the accent in writing or adding an unnecessary pause before the ending. Practice it as one smooth word, then place it in a short sentence such as Los estudiantes completarán el ejercicio.
There can be small differences in the sound of the r across Spanish-speaking regions, and the pronunciation of some consonants varies by country. These differences do not change the stress or meaning. If you are learning a particular variety of Spanish, listen to speakers from that region and copy their rhythm. In all varieties, the written accent remains on the final á.
Native Speaker Nuance and Usage Context
Native speakers use completarán in ordinary conversation as well as in written instructions. It is useful whenever people talk about a future task with a clear result. A teacher might tell a class what they will do later, a group might discuss the final steps of a project, or a website might explain what users need to submit. The word is neutral: it is not especially formal or informal by itself.
In a direct conversation, a speaker may use ustedes with this form to address a group. For example, Ustedes completarán la actividad en clase tells a group that they will complete the activity in class. In much of Spain, speakers would generally use vosotros completaréis for an informal group instead. Learners do not need to use every regional form at once, but it is helpful to recognize this difference when reading or listening.
The subject is often understood from context. If a conversation is already about a family, a class, or a team, a speaker may leave out ellos or ellas and say completarán on its own with the object. Spanish verb endings carry information about the subject, so repeated pronouns can sound unnecessary. Speakers do include pronouns when they want to make the subject clear, compare people, or add emphasis.
The future tense can express a plan, but it may also sound like a confident expectation. For instance, a coordinator could say que completarán el registro mañana to report what is expected to happen. If a speaker wants to show a more personal intention, Spanish can also use ir a plus the infinitive, as in van a completar el registro. Both forms refer to the future, but the simple future may sound more concise or slightly more formal depending on the context.
Context also helps distinguish people from things. In a sentence such as Los equipos completarán el formulario, teams are the ones doing the action. In a sentence about pages or sections, the subject might be a group of items that together complete a whole. Spanish grammar permits both kinds of subjects, just as English can say that people will complete a set or that certain parts will complete it.
Completar is common with objects that have a defined shape or set of requirements: an application, a questionnaire, a course, a collection, an assignment, or a series of steps. It can also describe adding the final missing detail to a plan. In these settings, the verb gives a sense of thoroughness. It suggests that the whole task or expected set, not just a small part, will be done.
In quick conversation, however, native speakers may prefer terminar when there is no special need to stress completeness. If a person asks when a group will finish dinner or a simple activity, terminar may feel more direct. If the question is about a form with required fields, completar is a natural choice. Listening for the noun and the situation is one of the best ways to learn this distinction.
Conclusion
Completarán is the future form of completar for a plural subject. Depending on context, it means they will complete, they will finish, or you all will complete. It is especially useful when the action involves finishing every part of a task, filling in required information, or making something whole. The infinitive stays intact before the future ending -án, a pattern that also appears in many other Spanish verbs.
Remember its four syllables, com-ple-ta-rán, and place the stress on the final syllable. The written accent over á signals that stress and should always be included. For word choice, use completar when completeness matters, and consider terminar or acabar when you mean simply to finish. With these patterns in mind, you can recognize the form in instructions, conversations, and plans, and use it confidently to describe what a group will do in the future.
