Spanish Grammar: The Present Perfect

Spanish Grammar: The Present Perfect

Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project

Identify

Spanish Grammar: The Present Perfect
la gramática española: el presente perfecto

  • Compound verb tenses with the verb [HABER].
  • Expresses what has already taken place in the present.

Connect

60-Second Spanish Grammar Lesson

  • Coming Soon!

Study

The perfect tenses are all compound tenses, which means that there will be TWO verbs in the sentence.

There is a helper (auxiliary) verb, often the verb HABER.
And there is the action that is being expressed – hablarcorrervivir, etc…

For more information on the verb HABER (and conjugations in all tenses), click here!

The perfect tenses are formed by dropping the infinitive ending and replacing it with a past participle.
(See the past participle lesson for more information!)

[-AR] verbs : drop the [-ar] ending and replace it with [-ADO]

hablar -> hablado

[-ER] verbs : drop the [-er] ending and replace it with [-IDO]

comer -> comido

[-IR] verbs : drop the [-ir] ending and replace it with [-IDO]

vivir -> vivido

Now, we work with the verb HABER.

Present Perfect:

In Spanish, the Present Perfect to talk about something that has happened or something that someone has done. It usually has something to do with the context in the present. Please note, we’re not using a past tense to express these ideas, it’s a present tense – perfect construction. It’s grammatically different!

Yo he hablado con el niño.
I have spoken with the child.

¿Tú has hecho la tarea ya?
Have you finished your homework already?

Él ha venido temprano.
He has arrived early

Nosotros hemos comido demasiado.
We have eaten too much.

Ellos han visto el desfile.
They have seen the parade.

Adapt

¿Qué has hecho hoy?
What have you done today?

¿Dónde he puesto mi pluma?
Where have I put my pen?

¿Ha leído el libro?
Have you read the book?

¿Ustedes han escrito el presupuesto?
Have you all written the budget?

Engage

Explore

Quizlet Activity

  • Coming Soon!