Another Important Verb (Haber) and a Verb Form (The Past Participle)

E. Siler

The Past (aka Perfect) Participle: Facts

• This is an important verb form of ALL verbs in both English and Spanish.

• It serves (in both English and Spanish) to create the passive, the perfect (aka “compound”) tenses, stand alone participle phrases, and adjectives.

• It is a prominent feature of written, academic Spanish.

English

• In English, the most common way to form this structure is by taking the infinitive, knocking the “to” off of it, adding –ed to the end of the simple form.

• Examples: to walk > walked; to chirp > chirped; to screech > screeched.

• However, we have a number of irregular forms in English --- forms that don’t fit this handy dandy pattern.

• Example: to teach > taught; to sing > sung.

Uses

• Notice how versatile these forms are in English!• In the passive (always with a form of “to be” in front of it):

The dog was walked. • In the perfect tenses (always with a form of “to have”

somewhere in the verb phrase in front of it): The dog has walked ten miles.

• As created adjectives (mostly in front of the noun in a noun phrase): The well walked dog flopped down and napped.

• As stand alone participle phrases (often at the beginning of sentences): Walked, the dog stopped bothering his human companion.

Spanish

• As in English, these forms come from the infinitive.

• Because there are three different groups of infinitives, the form varies according to the category of infinitive.

• Hablar + ado = hablado; (-ar infinitives)• Comer + ido = comido: (-er infinitives)• Pedir + ido = pedido: (-ir infinitives)

Spanish Form (2)

• Just like in English, there are some forms that are regular and just don’t fit the pattern.

• Example: decir > dicho.• It’s probably best to learn these cold. Look at

the bottom of p. 78 and p. 79 for a list.• Fortunately, there aren’t many of these

irregulars --- as there are in English!

Spanish Form 3

• And then there is one big difference in the form between these and their English counterparts:

• Sometimes they can be plural and sometimes they can change gender, especially in the passive and when used as adjectives or stand-alone participles.

Examples in Spanish:

• Cobre martillado (noun phrase --- martillado is an adjective modifying the masculine singular noun “cobre.”)

• Harina martillada (noun phrase --- martillada is an adjective modifying “harina” --- a feminine noun).

• Coches martillados (noun phrase --- martillados is an adjective modifying “coches” – a plural, masculine noun)

As Passives

• NOTE: A passive construction will ALWAYS involve a form of “ser.”

• La misión fue usada como depósito . . .• Las misiones fueron usadas como depósitos. . .

. • Los animales fueron usados como esclavos. . .• El caballo fue usado como coche. . .

As Stand Alone Participles

• As in English, these will generally occur at the beginning of a clause.

• They will generally agree in number/gender with whatever they modify in the clause.

• Cocinada, la comida estuvo muy deliciosa.• Cooked, the food was delicious.• Cocinados, los tacos estuvieron deliciosos.• Cooked, the tacos were delicious.

As Perfect (aka “compound”) Tenses

• In this case, the verb phrase will always involve a form of the verb “haber” which translates into English as the “helping verb” “to have.”

• In English we have a present perfect and a past perfect.

• Spanish has a present perfect and past perfect in the indicative and a present perfect and past perfect in the subjunctive as well.

English: to have/present tensePERSON Singular Plural

First I have We have

Second You have You have

Third He/she/it has They have

Examples

• I have taught English for thirty long years.• He has never had much luck with gambling.• The black cat has sprung upon a mouse!

English: to have/past tensePERSON SINGULAR PLURAL

First I had We had

Second You had You had

Third He/she/it had We had

Examples

• We had driven for more than thirty straight hours.

• He had never known anything but happiness.• I had told the truth.

Spanish: Haber/Present TensePerson Singular Plural

First Yo he Nosotros/nosotras hemos

Second Tú has/Usted Ha Ustedes han

Third él/ella ha Ellos/ellas han

Examples

• La iglesia ha hecho un nuevo museo en el convento.

• The church has made a new museum in the convent.

• Hemos visitado a la residencia para viajeros.• We have visited the travelers’ lodge.• He visto el huerto.• I have seen the orchard.

Spanish Haber/ Imperfect Past Tense

PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL

First Yo había Nosotros/nosotras habíamos

Second Tú habías/usted había Ustedes habían

Third él/ella había Ellos/ellas habían

Examples

• Yo había visitado al museo.• I had visited the museum.• El sacerdote había ido al convento.• The priest had gone to the convent.• Habíamos comprado un boleto.• We had bought a ticket.

Spanish Haber/ Present Perfect Subjunctive

PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL

FIRST Yo haya Nosotros/nosotras hayamos

SECOND Tú hayas/ usted haya Ustedes hayan

THIRD Él/ella haya Ellos/ellas hayan

Examples

• Ese hombre no cree que el edificio se haya quemado.

• That man doesn’t believe that the building has burned.

Translation notes

• To find the meaning of a given participle, you have to work backward to the infinitive.

• Example:• Seis estatuas que fueron traidas de España. . . • Remove the plural: traidas> traida. • Then look at the ending of the participle: ida. The “i”

indicates that this was originally from an infinitive that ended in either –er or –ir: trair/ traer.

• Look those up: you will find: traer (to bring). • Thus: Six statues that were brought from Spain. . .