Present Perfect in Spanish

Apr 19, 2025

Today, we’ll explore the Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto), a key tense to talk about past actions connected to the present. Don’t worry—it’s easier than you think! Let’s dive in.

What is the Present Perfect?

The Present Perfect is used to describe actions that:

Happened recently (e.g., today, this week).
Are experiences without a specific time (e.g., “I have visited Mexico”).
Have happened multiple times (e.g., “We have eaten paella often”).

In Spanish, it’s formed with two parts:

The auxiliary verb HABER (to have) in the present tense.
The past participle of the main verb.

Step 1: Conjugate HABER

Here’s how to conjugate haber:

Pronoun    Conjugation

Yo         he
Tú         has
Él/Ella    ha
Nosotros   hemos
Vosotros   habéis
Ellos      han

Step 2: Form the Past Participle

For -AR verbs: -ado
- Hablar → hablado (spoken)
For -ER/-IR verbs: -ido
- Comer → comido (eaten)
- Vivir → vivido (lived)

⚠️ Irregular Alert! Some participles are irregular, like:

Abrir → abierto (opened)
Escribir → escrito (written)
Volver → vuelto (returned)

When to Use the Present Perfect

Recent past actions (with hoy, esta semana, este año):
- Hoy he estudiado español. (Today, I have studied Spanish.)
Life experiences (with nunca, alguna vez):
- ¿Has visitado España? (Have you visited Spain?)
Unfinished time periods:
- Esta semana hemos trabajado mucho. (This week, we have worked a lot.)

Examples in Context

Positive:
- He comido paella. (I have eaten paella.)
- Ellos han viajado a México. (They have traveled to Mexico.)
Negative:
- No he terminado mi tarea. (I haven’t finished my homework.)
- Nosotros no hemos visto la película. (We haven’t seen the movie.)
Questions:
- ¿Has leído este libro? (Have you read this book?)
- ¿Han llegado tus amigos? (Have your friends arrived?)

Cultural Tip

In Spain, the Present Perfect is often used for recent actions (e.g., Hoy he ido al mercado). In Latin America, people might use the Simple Past (Fui al mercado hoy). Both are correct—just regional differences!