Present Perfect
Usage
The Pretérito Perfecto tense in Spanish is used to talk about actions or events that have occurred in the recent past and have some connection to the present. It's equivalent to the English present perfect tense. Here's how to understand and use it:
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Actions completed in the recent past: The Pretérito Perfecto is used for actions that have been completed recently, often with time expressions like "hoy" (today), "esta semana" (this week), "este mes" (this month).
He visto esa película hoy. (I have seen that movie today.)
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Life experiences: It is used to talk about life experiences or actions that have (or haven't) occurred at some point in someone's life, often with "alguna vez" (ever), "nunca" (never), "ya" (already), "todavía no" (not yet).
¿ Has viajado a Japón alguna vez? (Have you ever traveled to Japan?)
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Actions that have an impact on the present: It's also used for actions in the past that have a result or relevance in the present.
Hemos perdido las llaves y no podemos entrar a casa. (We have lost the keys and we can't enter the house.)
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To express a change or a new development: When something has changed or is newly developed, this tense is often used.
Ha llovido mucho y las calles están inundadas. (It has rained a lot and the streets are flooded.)
Conjugation:
To conjugate regular verbs in the Pretérito Perfecto, you will use the present tense of the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of the main verb.
Regular verbs
Terminación | Conjugación | Ejemplo |
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-ar | haber + ado | Hablar (to speak) Yo he hablado Tú has hablado Él ha hablado Nosotros hemos hablado Vosotros habéis hablado Ellos han hablado |
-er | haber + ido | Comer (to eat) Yo he comido Tú has comido Él ha comido Nosotros hemos comido Vosotros habéis comido Ellos han comido |
-ir | haber + ido | Vivir (to live) Yo he vivido Tú has vivido Él ha vivido Nosotros hemos vivido Vosotros habéis vivido Ellos han vivido |
Irregular verbs
Verbo | Conjugación |
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Ser (to be) | Yo he sido Tú has sido Él/Ella/Usted ha sido Nosotros hemos sido Vosotros habéis sido Ellos/as/Ustedes han sido |
Ir (to go) | Yo he ido Tú has ido Él/Ella/Usted ha ido Nosotros hemos ido Vosotros habéis ido Ellos/as/Ustedes han ido |
Tener (to have) | Yo he tenido Tú has tenido Él/Ella/Usted ha tenido Nosotros hemos tenido Vosotros habéis tenido Ellos/as/Ustedes han tenido |
Estar (to be) | Yo he estado Tú has estado Él/Ella/Usted ha estado Nosotros hemos estado Vosotros habéis estado Ellos/as/Ustedes han estado |
Hacer (to do/make) | Yo he hecho Tú has hecho Él/Ella/Usted ha hecho Nosotros hemos hecho Vosotros habéis hecho Ellos/as/Ustedes han hecho |
Decir (to say) | Yo he dicho Tú has dicho Él/Ella/Usted ha dicho Nosotros hemos dicho Vosotros habéis dicho Ellos/as/Ustedes han dicho |
Examples:
He hablado con mi hermano. (I have spoken with my brother.)
Has comido sushi alguna vez? (Have you ever eaten sushi?)
Exercises
- 1Present Perfect - Recent ProjectsFree FormIntermediate
- 2Present Perfect - Travel ExperiencesFree FormEasy
- 3Present Perfect - Personal AchievementsMultiple ChoiceEasy
- 4El Pretérito Perfecto con Verbos de Participio IrregularFree FormIntermediate
- 5Present Perfect with Irregular Past ParticiplesFree FormIntermediate
- 6Practice Present PerfectFree FormEasy
- 7Practice Present PerfectFree FormEasy
- 8Choose the correct past tenseMultiple ChoiceIntermediate
- 9Choose the correct tenseMultiple ChoiceAdvanced