How do I express subjuctive future in English?

Question

This is a question already asked. However I have a case that is not covered.
There are cases where the subjunctive is not part of a typical "if" conditional sentence.
I'll give an example in Spanish and the translations I would try:
Cuando yo sea grande seré astronauta.
                 In most of the cases it could be: 
                       When I grow older I'll be an astronaut.
                 But I also saw this way:
                       When I will be an adult I'll be an astronaut.

The use of "when" and "will" together sounds awkward to me.
Are they both right?
Another example is:
Once test is complete we will put it in production.
or
Once test will be complete we will put it in production.
Which is the right way to say it?
Thanks

Acccumulation · Answer

"When I will" is indeed incorrect. English doesn't actually have a future tense, it just has constructions that are used to talk about the future. "I will be an adult" is a statement about the future, but it is a statement that is true (or asserted as being true) now. It doesn't make sense to discuss when it is true, because it is already true (here "it" is not being an adult, but the fact that you will be an adult). The closest Spanish equivalent I can think of is "Cuando voy a ser grande". I'm not sure whether that retains the awkwardness that it has in English.
It is common for children to say things like "I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up". You can also say "Were I older, I would be an astronaut", although that doesn't mean quite the same thing.
It's difficult to discuss the subjunctive, because it involves levels of uncertainty, and those are difficult to translate between languages. There are situations where Spanish uses the subjunctive for which English would just use the indicative. Something being a condition is not necessarily enough for English to require the subjunctive.
There are phrasings that communicate doubt; "We will put it into production upon completion of the test" is not as certain as "Once the test is completed, we will put it into production", and "We will put it into production contingent on the test being completed" even less certain.

James K · Answer

The subjunctive hardly exists as a verbal form in English. Subjuctive meanings are usually expressed through the use of words.
In your case the proper expression is to use simple present in the "when" clause, and "will" for the future in the main clause

When I'm an adult, I'll be an astronaut.

You can make this more subjunctive by the use of words like "hope" or "plan" or "intend"

When I'm an adult, I hope to be an astronaut.

In the clause that gives the time, simple present is used. Only the main clause has a verb or modal verb for the future.

Once the test is complete [simple present], we will put it into production.

We're going to start production [going to future] as soon as testing is completed (simple present with participle form of complete).

The big take-away from this is that English isn't Spanish (!) and so things are different here.  In particular, English is more analytic (meanings are expressed by putting words together) and Spanish is more synthetic (meanings are expressed by changing the form or ending of a word)

How do I express subjuctive future in English?

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