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What is an auxiliary verb in Spanish?

Spanish auxiliary verbs are used in three cases:

• for their own meaning;
• in the conjugation of other verbs in compound tenses;
• in periphrases.

In Spanish, the three auxiliary verbs are:

• haber (to have);
• ser (to be);
• estar (to be).

The verb “haber” (to have)

“Haber” is used in all compound tenses in the active form. The auxiliary “haber” is also used in several periphrases.

Haber for the compound tenses

In Spanish, compound tenses are always composed of the conjugated form of the auxiliary “haber” followed by the past participle.

• Se ha casado. She got married.
• Te lo has comido todo. You have eaten everything.

In Spanish, there is never an agreement of the past participle. Conjugated with the auxiliary “haber”, the past participle is invariable.

• Los postres que he comido eran muy ricos. The desserts I ate were very good.
• Las chicas ya habían llegado cuando empezó a llover. The girls had already arrived when it started to rain.

In a Spanish sentence, the past participle and the auxiliary should never be separated.

• Has comido mucho. You ate a lot.

The formation of compound tenses

• Present perfect: “haber” in the present tense + past participle;
• Past perfect: “haber” in the imperfect tense of the indicative + past participle;
• past tense: “haber” in the simple past + past participle;
• future tense: “haber” in the future tense + past participle;
• past subjunctive: “haber” in the present subjunctive + past participle;
• past perfect subjunctive: “haber” in the imperfect subjunctive + past participle;
• past conditional: “haber” in the conditional + past participle.

Periphrases with haber

Haber de + infinitive

To designate a slight obligation, we use “haber” de + infinitive. This periphrase is equivalent to the construction “tener que + infinitive”.

• He de conversar con Juana. = Tengo que conversar con Juana. I have to talk to Juana.

Haber que + infinitive

To designate an impersonal obligation (“it is necessary”), we use “haber” que + infinitive. Note that in the present tense, the form “hay” is used.

• Hay que hacer deporte por lo menos una vez a la semana. You have to do sports at least once a week.
• Había que comer de todo. You had to eat everything.

The verb “ser” (to be)

The verb “ser” is used as an auxiliary in the passive form, that is, when the action is undergone by the subject. The past participle that follows the auxiliary “ser” agrees in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine or masculine) with the subject.

• Este poema fue escrito por Gabriela Mistral. This poem was written by Gabriela Mistral.
• Estas tortas fueron cocinadas por mi primo. These cakes were baked by my cousin.
• La herida fue transportada al hospital. The injured person was taken to the hospital.

The verb “estar” (to be)

Like the verb “ser”, the verb “estar” is translated into Englishas “to be”.

Estar in the passive form

In Spanish, it is used to express a “false passive”, that is, when the state of the subject is the result of a previous action or a real or supposed transformation. The past participle following the auxiliary “estar” agrees in number (singular or plural) and gender (feminine or masculine) with the subject.

• El vaso está roto. The glass is broken.
• La ventana está cerrada. The window is closed.

Estar for the gerund

The auxiliary “estar” is used to express an action in progress. The form “estar + gerund” is translated into English as “verb + ing”. The gerund is always invariable. It is constructed by adding the following endings to the verb stem:

• for verbs of the first group in “-ar”: “-ando” ;
• for second group verbs in “-er”: “-iendo”;
• for third group verbs in “-ir”: “-iendo”.

Examples :

• Estás cocinando un pastel con tu hijo. You are baking a cake with your son.
• Estoy leyendo un poema escrito por Pablo Neruda. I am reading a poem written by Pablo Neruda.

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