Present PerfectPresent Perfect

Let’s look at the present perfect in English first:

I have read that book.I have lived here for five years.

“Perfect” means “complete.” All perfect tenses are by definition, therefore, past tenses.

So what’s the difference between “I have read that book.”

And simply“I read that book”?

The difference in this case is how we view the action. If we say, “I have (or “I’ve”) read that book,” we see it as complete but having influence on the present. We might want to discuss it. “I read that book” means that it’s over and done with.

The second sentence is a little easier to explain:

I have lived here for five years.

That means not only have I inhabited this place for the past five years but also that I continue to live here. Sometimes the present perfect means that the action is complete but still going on in the present, and sometimes it means that the action still has influence on the present.

I ate five candy bars.—Action completed.I’ve eaten five candy bars. -- . . . And maybe I’ll eat some more! -- Action may continue.

or . . . And that’s why my stomach hurts. -- Influence on the present

Past Participle

All perfect tenses are made up of two parts: the helping verb and the past participle of the main verb:

helping verb past participle helping verb past participle

He has eaten. We have seen.

They have left. You have finished.

I have studied. She has fallen.

This is how you form the past participle in Spanish:

Drop the –ar and add –ado:

hablar hablado nadar nadado

pensar pensado almorzar almorzado

llegar llegado estar estado

Drop the –er or –ir and add –ido:

comer comido poder podido

leer leído querer querido

asistir asistido venir venido

Click here to go to a brief practice exercise.

There are, of course, irregular past participles in Spanish as there are in English.

call have called

jump have jumped

look have looked

eat have eated???? have eatenbring have bringed???? have brought

You have to memorize the irregular past participles in Spanish just as you do in English.

volver vuelto (NOT volvido)poner puesto (NOT ponido)abrir abierto etc.cubrir cubiertoescribir escritover vistomorir muertodecir dichohacer hechoromper roto

Helping VerbNow you need a helping verb to go with your past participles. What we use is the present tense of the verb “haber.”

he hablado hemos hablado

has hablado habéis hablado

ha hablado han hablado

Use these verb forms with all your past participles: he comido, has querido, ha vuelto, hemos trabajado, etc.

Click here to go to a brief practice exercise.Click here to go to a brief practice exercise.

Click here to go to your homework.Click here to go to your homework.