Present perfect is one of the most important and useful times and tenses that are used a lot in speaking and writing in English and Spanish as well. So if you want to learn it easily I recommend you to read this article completely.
Table of Contents
The formula of the present perfect (pretérito perfecto) in Spanish
How can you make a verb in present perfect in Spanish?
As you know in English we need the verb have/has + past participle of a verb. In Spanish is as same as in English. First of all, you need the auxiliary verb “haber” which here means “have” should be conjugated in the simple present like this:
- Yo he
- Tú has
- Él/Ella/Used ha
- Nosotros/Nosotras hemos
- Vosotros/Vosotras habéis
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes han
Past participle (participio pasado)
After conjugating the verb”haber” a participle (participio) of the main verb should be used to form the present perfect. The participle is formed by adding the appropriate ending to the stem of the verb. In Spanish verbs end in three different forms. Such as -ar, -er, and -ir. The ending -ar should be omitted and -ado should be added. Like:
- Hablar (to speak): hablado (spoken)
- Andar (to walk): andado (walked)
- Escuchar (to listen): escuchado (listened)
- Estudiar (to study): estudiado (studied)
- Pensar (to think): pensado (thought)
- Desayunar (to have breakfast): desayunado (had breakfast)
- Almorzar (to have lunch): almorzado (had lunch)
- Cenar (to have dinner): cenado (had dinner)
The ending -er should be omitted and -ido should be added. Like:
- Comer (to eat): comido (eaten)
- Leer (to read): leído (read)
- Beber (to drink): bebido (drunk)
The -ir should be omitted and -ido should be added. like:
- Vivir (to live): vivido (lived)
- Venir (to come): venido (come)
And some verbs are irregular:
- Ser (to be): sido (been)
- Ver (to see, to watch): visto (seen, watched)
- Poner (to put, to turn on): puesto (put, turned on)
- Escribir (to write): escrito (written)
- Abrir (to open): abierto (opened)
- Volver (to come back): vuelto (come back)
- Hacer (to do, to make): hecho (done, made)
- Romper (to break): roto (broken)
- Decir (to say, to tell): dicho (said, told)
The Usages of Present Perfect (pretérito perfecto)
When do you use present perfect in Spanish? There are some situations in which the present perfect is used:
1. To talk about actions or situations that have taken place in a period of time before the present moment and some time expressions like: hoy (today), este año (this year), este mes (this month), esta mañana (this morning), esta tarde (this evening), esta semana (this week), últimamente (ultimately), recientemente (recently) are used. For example:
Hoy se ha levantado tarde.
Today he/she has gotten up late.
Este mes hemos ido al cine.
This month we have gone to the cinema.
Este verano han estado en Perú.
This summer they have been to Peru.
2. To talk about immediate past actions or situations, with expressions like: hace poco (recently), hace un momento (a moment ago), hace un rato (a while ago). Examples:
He estado con mi amigo hace un momento.
I have been with my friend a moment ago.
Hemos cenado hace un rato.
We have had dinner a while ago.
3. It is usually used to give recent news:
_¿Qué ha pasado?
What has happened?
_ Ha dimitido el presidente.
The president has resigned.
4. Expressions such as alguna vez (ever), nunca (never), hasta ahora (so far), en mi vida (in my life) or en toda mi vida (in all my life) = from the past until the present time, are often used.
¿Habéis estado alguna vez en Nueva York?
Have you ever been to New York?
Nunca/Siempre he tenido mucha suerte en el trabajo.
I have never had much luck at work.
I have always been very lucky at work.
Hasta ahora no hemos tenido ningún problema serio.
So far we haven’t had any serious problems.
Los padres de Ana no han salido nunca de España.
Ana’s parents have never left Spain.
These time expressions indicate that the limit is the present and the continuity of the action is not determined or expressed.
Siempre he tenido suerte con las cartas, no sé por qué estoy perdiendo.
I have always been lucky at cards, I don’t know why I’m losing. (always, here means until now, I’ve been lucky, but I don’t know if that’s going to continue).
Siempre he pensado que eres muy optimista.
I’ve always thought you were very optimistic. (so far= until now that’s what I think).
They also indicate that the action continues in the present and we refer to an event that has just occurred and confirms a previous opinion or assessment.
¿Por qué os sorprendéis? Yo nunca he tenido suerte con las cartas.
Why are you surprised? I’ve never had any luck with cards. (and now neither: I say it because I’m losing).
Without time expressions:
The present perfect is also used to express a finished action without determining the moment in which it occurs. Example:
_ Me gusta tu reloj.
I like your watch.
_ Pues me ha costado muy poco.
Well, it has cost me very little. (I do not specify when, I am not interested in indicating the moment in which I bought it, I was able to buy it even this morning).
5. To talk about past actions with consequences in the present. Informs about the causes of a present situation. Examples:
Consequence: _ Llegas tarde. (You arrive late).
Cause: _ Lo siento. No ha sonado el despertador. (The alarm clock hasn’t gone off).
¡Cómo ha crecido esta ciudad!
How this city has grown! (the city now is bigger than before).
El terremoto del mes pasado ha causado graves problemas económicos.
Last month’s earthquake has caused severe economic problems. (the economic consequences of the earthquake are still being touched now).
6. The present perfect is used to talk about the performance or not of an action up to the present moment, with expressions such as ya (already), por fin (finally), todavía no (not yet). For example:
Por fin he pintado la pared.
I have finally painted the wall.
The expression already indicates or asks if an action has been performed before now:
Ya he terminado el cuadro.
I have already finished the painting.
¿Has acabado ya el curso?
Have you finished the course?
The expression not yet indicates or asks if an action has not been performed before now:
_ Te ha gustado el libro que te presté?
Did you like the book I lent you?
_ Todavía no lo he leído.
I haven’t read it yet.
In this article, we learned Present Perfect in the Spanish language. If you have any questions or problems about this topic, you can leave a comment.
You can also check out the Spanish Grammar page to read other grammatical articles.