I. Formation of the present perfect

To form the present perfect in Spanish, we use the auxiliary HABER. The present perfect (pretérito perfecto) is formed as follows:

Auxiliary HABER conjugated in the present + past participle

1. Conjugation of the auxiliary HABER

– Yo he
– Tú has
– Él/Ella/Usted ha
– Nosotros hemos
– Vosotros habéis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes han

2. Formation of the past participle

* Formation of the past participle of verbs with an ending in -AR ==> -ADO

Example :

Hablar ==> Hablado ; Caminar ==> Caminado ; etc.

* Formation of the past participle of verbs with an ending in –ER ou en –IR ==> -IDO

Example :

Comer ==> Comido ; Vivir ==> Vivido ; etc.

* There are irregular verbs for past participle formation.

Example :

Hacer ==> Hecho ; Escribir ==> Escrito ; Abrir ==> Abierto ; Decir ==> Dicho ; Ser ==> Sido; etc.

N.B:

– The past participle is always invariable when used with HABER.
– The auxiliary and the past participle should never be separated.

II. Use of the present perfect

In Spanish, we use the present perfect to express an action begun in the past that continues into the present, or that is not yet finished.

The past tense is also used when the action is completed but its consequences on the present are still real.

In this case, we can use temporal markers such as “hoy (today)”, “ayer” (yesterday), “la ultima noche” (last night), etc.

Examples:

– This morning I walked ==> Esta mañana, he caminado

(Result in the present, I am in good shape ==> Resultado en el presente : estoy en forma).

– This year I started Spanish classes ==> Este año, he empezado las clases de español

(Action started in the past that is still going on today).

– Last year, I went to the United States ==> El año pasado, he ido a EE.UU.

(Result in the present, I speak English well ==> Resultado en el presente, hablo bien el inglés).

 

👉 Next lesson : Imperfect tense

👉 Previous lesson: The preterite (Simple Past)

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