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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I. Formation of the past perfect

Spanish has only one auxiliary, the verb HABER. The past tense (pretérito perfecto) is formed as follows:

Auxiliary HABER conjugated in the present tense + 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

* Past participle formation 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 or -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 Past Perfect

In Spanish, the past compound tense is used 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 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 and still continues today).

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

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

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson : The preterite (Simple Past)

👉 Previous lesson: The gerund

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I. Formation of the present participle

In English, the present participle is used when there are two simultaneous actions and both verbs have the same subject. It is a verb phrase that indicates an action and can be accompanied by an object or circumstance complement.

Example :

Arriving at the hotel, I give my name to the reception ==> Llegando al hotel, doy mi nombre a la recepción.

In Spanish, the present participle (or gerund) is formed from the verb stem:

* For verbs in the first group, ending in -AR, the gerund is formed by adding the suffix -ando to the verb stem.

Example :

• Andar (To walk) ==> Andando ;
• Cantar (To sing) ==> Cantando ;
• Amar (To love) ==> Amando

* For verbs of the second and third groups ending in -ER or -IR, the gerund is formed by adding the suffix -iendo to the verb stem.

Example :

• Comer (To eat) ==> Comiendo ;
• Vivir (To live) ==> Viviendo ;
• Correr (To run) ==> Corriendo

N.B :
* The gerund is always invariable.

* For verbs of the third group that contain an -e in their stem (such as PEDIR, DECIR, VENIR, Etc.) see the -e transform into -i.

Example :

• la chica esta pidiendo ayuda ==> The girl asks for help.

* For verbs of the third group that have an -o in their stem (such as PODRIER, MORIR, DORMIR, Etc.) see the -o transform into -u

Example :

• El chico esta durmiendo ==> The boy is sleeping.

II. Irregular present participles

There are only a few irregular present participles. Here are the most common ones:

– IR (To go) ==> Yendo
– PODER (Can) ==> Pudiendo
– OIR (To hear) ==> Oyendo
– CAER (To fall) ==> Cayendo
– TRAER (To bring/take) ==> Trayendo

III. Use of the present participle

The present participle is used to:

* Express simultaneity

Example :

Saludando todos, salió ==> Greeting everyone, he went out.

* To replace a subordinate clause

Example :

– This is a question that interests everyone ==> This is a question interesting everyone ==> Es una cuestión interesando todos.

* To form the gerund (i.e. to underline an action in progress)

Example :

– Riéndose, me contó la historia de su vida ==> Laughing, he told me the story of his life.
– Estoy trabajando ==> I am working.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson : The gerund

👉 Previous lesson: Present tense

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In Spanish some verbs are totally irregular. Most of them are irregular in all tenses and persons. The best way to know them is to learn them by heart!

In this table you will find the main Spanish irregular verbs that cannot be classified. Please note that this list is not exhaustive.

To form the gerund in Spanish, we use the structure:

Verb ESTAR conjugated + Radical of the verb + ending

* For verbs of the first group ending in -AR, the ending is -ANDO.

* For verbs of the 2nd and 3rd group ending in -IR or -ER, the ending is -IENDO.

Example :

Hablar (To speak) ==> Hablando
Andar (To walk) ==> Andando
Comer (To eat) ==> Comiendo
Vivir (To live) ==> Viviendo

II. Irregular verbs in the gerund

The irregular verbs in the gerund are :

IR (To go) ==> Yendo
DECIR (To say) ==> Diciendo
REIR (To laugh) ==> Riendo
VESTIR (To dress) ==> Vistiendo
PODER (Can) ==> Pudiendo
SENTIR (To feel) ==> Sintiendo
DORMIR (To sleep) ==> Durmiendo
MORIR (To die) ==> Muriendo
OIR (To hear) ==> Oyendo

N.B : Pronominal verbs change when using the gerund: the reflexive personal pronoun is placed behind the verb and is attached to it.

Example : Despertarse (To wake up) ==> Estoy despertándome ; Vestirse (To dress oneself) ==> Estamos vistiéndonos.

III. Use of the gerund

The gerund is always invariable. It is used to emphasize the duration of an action.

Often used with ESTAR, the gerund can also be used with other verbs like IR, SEGUIR, LLEVAR, etc.

The gerund can be used to:

* Express a progressive or continuous action

– Estoy mirando un video ==> I’m watching a video.
– Estoy conduciendo ==> I’m driving.
– La chica está jugando con sus amigas ==> The girl is playing with her friends.

This continuous or progressive action can take place in the past.

– Ayer, toda la tarde, estuve mirando un video ==> Yesterday, all afternoon, I watched a video.
– Iban subiendo ==> They were going up
– Sigue durmiendo ==> He is still sleeping.

* Describing an action that unfolds gradually, with the IR + Gerund structure

El niño va aprendiendo ==> The boy learns little by little.

* Expressing a logical relationship

 Girando a la izquierda, encontraras la farmacia ==> If you turn left, you will find the pharmacy.

* Expressing temporal simultaneity

– Viajando a Argentina, aprendí el español ==> While traveling in Argentina, I learned Spanish.
– Me lo anunció riendo ==> He told me with a laugh.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson : The past perfect

👉 Previous lesson: The present participle

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To form the conditional, we use the infinitive verb to which we add the conditional endings:

INFINITIVE + ENDINGS (-ía, -ías, -ía, -íamos, -íais, -ían)

The conditional endings are IDENTICAL for all verb groups.

Example with the verb CANTAR (To sing):

– Yo cantaría
– Tú cantarías
– Él/Ella/Usted cantaría
– Nosotros cantaríamos
– Vosotros cantaríais
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes cantarían

II. Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs undergo changes in the stem. They are the same verbs that are irregular in the future tense. They can be grouped into different categories:

* LOSS OF THE “E” IN THE INFINITIVE :

HABER (To have) ==> Habría, Habrías, Habría, etc.
SABER (To know) ==> Sabría, Sabrías, Sabría, etc.
PODER (Can) ==> Podría, Podrías, Podría, etc.
QUERRER (Want) ==> Querría, Querrías, Querría, etc.
CABER (Hold/return) ==> Cabría, Cabrías, Cabría, etc.

* ADDING A “D” TO THE INFINITIVE :

TENER (To have) ==> Tendría, Tendrías, Tendría, etc.
PONER (To put) ==> Pondría, Pondrías, Pondría, etc.
VALER (To be worth) ==> Valdría, Valdrías, Valdría, etc.
VENIR (To come) ==> Vendría, Vendrías, Vendría, etc.
SALIR (To go out) ==> Saldría, Saldrías, Saldría, etc.

* OTHER ALTERATIONS :

DECIR (To say) ==> Diría, Dirías, Diría, etc.
HACER (To do) ==> Haría, Harías, Haría, etc.

III. Use of the conditional

The conditional tense expresses an action that would take place if the precondition to which it is subject is met:

Si pudiera, iría a Argentina y visitaría Buenos Aires ==> If I could, I would go to Argentina and visit Buenos Aires.

The conditional is also used to:

* Express a desire

– Me gustaría comer en un buen restaurante ==> I would like to eat in a good restaurant.
– Me encantaría ==> I will be delighted.

* Make requests, suggestions

– No deberías conducir tan rápido ==> You shouldn’t drive so fast.
– Quería comprar una tarta ==> I would like to buy a cake.

* Express a doubt or uncertainty in the past

Pensaba que no llegarías a tiempo ==> I thought you wouldn’t make it in time.

* Express a conjecture

El otro día, casi tuvo un accidente. Pasaría mucho miedo ¿ no ? ==> The other day, he almost had an accident. He must have been very scared.

* Express the future in the past (a future action considered in relation to a past action)

Cuando era pequeño, decía que de grande, sería bombero ==> When he was little, he said that when he grew up he would become a fireman.

* Express an invitation, a polite request:

¿ Querías venir a las 10 para cenar ? ==> Would you like to come at ten o’clock for dinner?

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson : The present subjunctive

👉 Previous lesson: The future with ‘ir + a + infinitive’

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* For verbs of the first group, ending in -AR, the endings are :

-ara, -aras, -ara, -áramos, -arais, -aran
OU –ase, -ases, -ase, -ásemos, -aseis, -asen

Example with the verb HABLAR (To speak):

-Yo hablara / hablase
– Tú hablaras / hablases
– Él/Ella/Usted hablara / hablase
– Nosotros habláramos / hablásemos
– Vosotros hablarais / hablaseis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes hablaran / hablasen

* For the verbs of the 2nd and 3rd group, ending in -IR or -ER, the endings are:

-iera, -ieras, -iera, -iéramos, -ierais, -ieran
OR –iese, -ieses, -iese, -iésemos, -ieseis, iesen

Example with the verb COMER (To eat):

– Yo comiera / comiese
– Tú comieras / comieses
– Él/Ella/Usted comiera / comiese
– Nosotros comiéramos / comiésemos
– Vosotros comierais / comieseis
– Ellos /Ellas/Ustedes comieran / comiesen

N.B : There are two forms of the imperfect subjunctive, the -ra form and the -se form. Although the -ra form is more common, both forms can be used interchangeably.

II. Irregular verbs

Be careful, there are many irregular verbs in the imperfect subjunctive. These irregular verbs can be constructed from the conjugation of the third person plural in the simple past.

Examples :

DAR (To give) ==> Dieron (3rd person past simple) ==> diera, dieras, diera, diéramos, dierais, dieran
SABER (To know) ==> Supieron (3rd person past simple) ==> supiera, supieras, supiera, supiéramos, supierais, supieran
DECIR (To say) ==> Dijeron (3rd person simple past tense) ==> dijera, dijeras, dijera, dijéramos, dijerais, dijeran
TRAER (To bring) ==> Trajeron (3rd person simple past tense) ==> trajera, trajeras, trajera, trajéramos, trajerais, trajeran

III. Use of the imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive is used a lot in Spanish and it is important to respect the concordance of the tenses… If the main proposition is in the simple past, imperfect, plus-perfect or conditional; THEN the imperfect subjunctive is used in the subordinate proposition.

Example :

– La profesora nos dio libros para que aprendiéramos inglés ==> The teacher gave us books to learn English.
– Me gustaría que mis amigos vinieran al cine conmigo==> I’d like my friends to come to the movies with me.

In general, the imperfect subjunctive is used with the same logical connectors as the present subjunctive except that the sentence must be in the past tense to respect the concordance of tenses:

* To express doubt about past events

Example : Dudaba que viniera ==> I doubted he would come.

* To express a wish or a regret with the locution “Ojalá que”

Example : Ojalá que hiciera calor en invierno ==> If only it were warm in winter.

* In subordinates indicating the goal

Example : Me dio 5 euros para que pudiera comer ==> He gave me 5 euros so that I could eat.

* After a verb expressing desire, fear, will, wish, need

Example : La profesora deseaba que los alumnos sacaran buenas notas ==> The teacher wanted the students to get good grades.

* To express a hyposthesis: acaso, tal vez, quizás (maybe)

Example : Tal vez me compraría un coche si tuviera más dinero ==> Maybe I would buy a car if I had more money.

* To express a possibility: como si + imperfect subjunctive (as if)

Example :Gastabas mucho dinero, como si fueses milionario ==> You spent a lot of money as if you were a millionaire.

* To express the hypothetical or unattainable condition in the present or future

Example : Si hiciera más calor, iríamos a la playa ==> If it were warmer, we would go to the beach.

* After a verb expressing a request, a prayer, an order or a prohibition

Example : Exigió que lo hiciera ==> He demanded that you did it.

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The imperative is used to express an order, an advice or a suggestion. Therefore, as in English, the 2nd person singular “tú” and the 2nd person plural “vosotros” are mainly used.

Examples :

• (tú) Haz tus tareas. (Do your homework.)
  
• (vosotros) Preparad la comida. (Prepare the food.)

* For first group verbs ending in – AR, the endings are : -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an.

Example with the verb CAMINAR (To walk):

– Yo camino
– Tú caminas
– Él/Ella/Usted Camina
– Nosotros caminamos
– Vosotros camináis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes caminan

* For verbs of the second or third group ending in -ER or -IR, the endings are : -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en.

Example with the verb COMER (To eat):

– Yo como
– Tú comes
– Él/Ella/Usted come
– Nosotros comemos
– Vosotros coméis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes comen

II. Irregular verbs

* There are ten irregular verbs where ONLY THE FIRST PERSON undergoes a change.

These verbs are:

CABER (To hold/enter) ==> Quepo, Cabes, Cabe, etc.
CAER (To fall) ==> Caigo, Caes, Cae, etc.
DAR (To give) ==> Doy, Das, Da, etc.
HACER (To do) ==> Hago, Haces, Hace, etc.
PONER (To put) ==> Pongo, Pones, Pone, etc.
SABER (To know) ==> Sé, Sabes, Sabe, etc.
SALIR (To go out) ==> Salgo, Sales, Sale, etc.
TRAER (To bring) ==> Traigo, Traes, Trae, etc.
VALER (To value/be worth) ==> Valgo, Vales, Vale, etc.
VER (To see) ==> Veo, Ves, Ve, etc.

* Some irregular verbs undergo a change on several persons (not only on the Yo).

These verbs are :

DECIR (To tell) ==> Digo, Dices, Dice, Decimos, Decís, Dicen (Only the 4th and 5th persons are regular).
ESTAR (To be) ==> Estoy, Estás, Está, Estamos, Estáis, Están (Only the 4th and 5th persons are regular).
HABER (To have) ==> He, Has, Ha, Hemos, Habéis, Han (Only the 2nd person plural is regular).
IR (To go) ==> Voy, Vas, Va, Vamos, Vais, Van (This verb is irregular in all persons).
OIR (To hear) ==> Oigo, Oyes, Oye, Oímos, Oís, Oyen (Only the 4th and 5th persons are regular).
PODER (Can) ==> Puedo, Puedes, Puede, Podemos, Podéis, Pueden
QUERER (To want/love) ==> Quiero, Quieres, Quiere, Queremos, Queréis, Quieren
SER (To be) ==> Soy, Eres, Es, Somos, Sois, Son
TENER (To have/possess) ==> Tengo, Tienes, Tiene, Tenemos, Tenéis, Tienen (Only the 4th and 5th persons are regular).
VENIR (To come) ==> Vengo, Vienes, Viene, Venimos, Venís, Vienen (Only the 4th and 5th persons are regular).

* Irregular verbs whose infinitive endings end in : -ACER, -OCER, -ECER, -UCIR

All verbs with this ending are conjugated in a particular way in the present tense.

In the first person singular, in front of the -O of the ending, the C (part of the radical) is transformed into ZC for pronunciation reasons.

Examples :

NACER (To be born) ==> Yo nazco, Tú naces, etc.
CONOCER (To know) ==> Yo conozco, Tú conoces, etc.
TRADUCIR (To translate) ==> Yo traduzco, Tú traduces, etc.

* Irregular verbs whose infinitive ends in : -UIR

When these verbs are conjugated in the present tense, they undergo a spelling change in the first three persons of the singular and in the last person of the plural.

The -i in the stem of these verbs becomes -y to facilitate pronunciation.

Examples:

CONCLUIR (To conclude) ==> Yo concluyo, Tú concluyes, Él/Ella/Usted concluye, Nosotros concluimos, Vosotros concluís, Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes concluyen.
CONTRIBUIR (To contribute) ==> Yo contribuyo, Tu contribuyes, Él/ella/usted contribuye, Nosotros contribuimos, Vosotros contribuís, Ellos/Ella/Ustedes contribuyen.

III. Verbs with diphthongation

A diphthong is a spelling change in the stem of a verb when it is conjugated.

The diphthong occurs because there is a change in the tonic accent when we conjugate the verb.

Be careful, it only occurs on the three persons of the singular and the last person of the plural.

* Verbs with diphthong: -E ==> -IE

For these verbs, the -E of the stem changes into -IE when the verb is conjugated.

Example with the verb PENSAR (To think):

– Yo pienso
– Tú piensas
– Él/Ella/Usted piensa
– Nosotros pensamos
– Vosotros pensáis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes piensan

* Verbs with diphthong: -O ==> -UE

For these verbs, the -O of the stem changes to -UE when the verb is conjugated.

Example with the verb ALMOZAR (Lunch):

– Yo almuerzo
– Tú almuerzas
– Él/Ella/Usted almuerza
– Nosotros almorzamos
– Vosotros almorzáis
– Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes almuerzan

IV. Use of the present tense

The present tense is used to indicate an action in progress, or to express the duration of an action that is ongoing at the time of the speech.

Examples :

– Juega al tenis desde hace 5 años ==> He has been playing tennis for 5 years.
– Camina bajo la lluvia ==> He walks in the rain.

* The present tense is also used to talk about an action that will take place in the near future. In this case, we use a temporal marker.

Examples :

– La próxima semana su equipo participa a un campeonato ==> Next week, his team is playing in a championship.
– Mañana vienes ==> You are coming tomorrow.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson : The present participle

👉 Previous lesson: Tomar, llevar or Traer

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