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The present perfect (pretérito perfecto compuesto) is used to talk about actions that have happened in a period of time that includes the present. It is formed with the verb haber in the present tense plus a past participle. If you know English, it works similarly to "I have done," "she has eaten," etc.
The present perfect consists of two parts:
Present tense of haber + past participle
| Person | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| yo | he |
| tú | has |
| él / ella / usted | ha |
| nosotros / nosotras | hemos |
| vosotros / vosotras | habéis |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | han |
Important: Do not confuse he (I have — auxiliary) with he in English. Also, ha is the auxiliary "has" (third person), not the preposition a.
Past participles are formed from the infinitive:
| Verb Ending | Participle Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -AR | -ado | hablar → hablado (spoken) |
| -ER | -ido | comer → comido (eaten) |
| -IR | -ido | vivir → vivido (lived) |
| Subject | Haber | Participle | Full Sentence | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | he | hablado | Yo he hablado. | I have spoken. |
| Tú | has | comido | Tú has comido. | You have eaten. |
| Ella | ha | vivido | Ella ha vivido en Madrid. | She has lived in Madrid. |
| Nosotros | hemos | trabajado | Hemos trabajado mucho. | We have worked a lot. |
| Vosotros | habéis | aprendido | Habéis aprendido español. | You all have learned Spanish. |
| Ellos | han | salido | Ellos han salido. | They have left. |
Several common verbs have irregular past participles that must be memorised:
| Infinitive | Irregular Participle | English |
|---|---|---|
| hacer | hecho | done / made |
| decir | dicho | said / told |
| escribir | escrito | written |
| ver | visto | seen |
| poner | puesto | put / placed |
| volver | vuelto | returned |
| abrir | abierto | opened |
| romper | roto | broken |
| morir | muerto | died / dead |
| cubrir | cubierto | covered |
| descubrir | descubierto | discovered |
| resolver | resuelto | resolved |
| satisfacer | satisfecho | satisfied |
| imprimir | impreso | printed |
Tip: Verbs derived from these irregulars also have irregular participles: describir → descrito, componer → compuesto, devolver → devuelto.
Unlike in French or Italian, the Spanish past participle used with haber does not change for gender or number:
Important: The participle only changes form when used as an adjective (covered in the next lesson), not when forming the present perfect.
In Spanish, you should never place anything between haber and the past participle:
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