Present Perfect Spanish Simplified Guide: Conjugation With 30+ Examples
If you’re serious about mastering Spanish, there’s no way around the verb tenses – especially the present perfect Spanish (pretérito perfecto).
It’s commonly used in daily communication. Learning it can help express complex ideas and events more clearly.
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The present perfect tense (pretérito perfecto) in Spanish is used to show an action or state that has occurred in the past and continues or affects the present.
In this guide, you’ll learn when to use it and how to use it — all in a simple way with plenty of examples, so even if you’ve struggled with the present perfect in the past, you’ll find it easy to understand.
Before you start, check out this great video summary about Spanish tenses by Mariana from Spring Languages (a platform I’m a co-founder)!
Now, let’s dive in to learn more about the present perfect in Spanish!
1. What is the present perfect Spanish?
It bridges the gap between past and present:
- it suggests an action that happened at an unspecified time before now OR
- describes an action that started in the past and continues in the present.
It is often used to describe actions that are not finished.
For example:
- He leído el libro que me recomendaste. (I have read the book that you recommended to me). – The speaker is referencing a past action (specifically reading the book), which remains relevant either because they are currently discussing the book or its effects still hold true.
- Has visto la nueva serie de Netflix? (Have you seen the new Netflix series?) – The speaker is asking about a recent past action (watching the new series) that still has a connection to the present moment.
- Nosotros hemos viajado por toda Europa. (We have traveled throughout Europe.) – This sentence indicates that the action of traveling throughout Europe was completed at some point before now, and the speaker is emphasizing that they have this experience in their past and might still have some memories or impacts from the trip.
- Ellos han hecho un pastel delicioso. (They have made a delicious cake.) – The use of Present Perfect here suggests that the action of making the cake occurred recently, and its result (a delicious cake) is still relevant or visible in the present.
2. How to form the present perfect in Spanish: haber + past participle
To correctly form the present perfect in Spanish, you have to use the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have) in the present tense together with the past participle of the main verb.
Conjugation of haber in present perfect Spanish
In the Present Perfect tense, “haber” is conjugated based on the subject of the sentence, and it is followed by the past participle of the main verb.
He visitado tres museos este mes.
In this sentence, the verb “he” is the conjugated form of “haber” in the first person singular “yo”. “Visitado” is the past participle of the main verb “visitar” (to visit).
Present perfect in Spanish (Pretérito perfecto) = Haber + past participle.
Conjugation of haber + examples
| Subject Pronoun | Conjugation of Haber | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | he | |
| Tú (You) | has | |
| Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You formal) | ha | |
| Nosotros/Nosotras (We) | hemos | |
| Vosotros/Vosotras (You all) | habéis | |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (They/You all) | han |
Using past participle in the present perfect tense
Now that you’ve learned the conjugation of haber in the present perfect tense, you only need the second part of the equation: the past participle.
You can form the regular -ar verbs by removing the -ar ending from the infinitive and adding -ado.
He comprado un regalo para mi hermana.
To form the past participle of regular -er or -ir verbs, take off the -er or -ir ending of the infinitive and add -ido.
Ella ha leído tres libros este mes.
Past Participle conjugation in Present Perfect Spanish
| -AR Verbs (end in -ado) | -IR/-ER Verbs (end in -ido) |
|---|---|
| Cantar (to sing): cantado | Aprender (to learn): aprendido |
| Llegar (to arrive): llegado | Correr (to run): corrido |
| Bailar (to dance): bailado | Comer (to eat): comido |
| Trabajar (to work): trabajado | Escribir (to write): escrito |
| Hablar (to speak): hablado | Vivir (to live): vivido |
It’s as simple as that!
Now, let’s see all of this in action again!
Take a look at both the conjugation of haber in pretérito perfect + the past participle form of the verb!
- Yo he visto esa película tres veces este mes. (I have seen that movie three times this month.)
- Tú has aprendido mucho desde que empezaste a estudiar español. (You have learned a lot since you started studying Spanish.)
- Él ha trabajado en esa empresa durante cinco años. (He has worked at that company for five years.)
- Nosotros hemos visitado varios museos en nuestra última visita a Madrid. (We have visited several museums on our last trip to Madrid.)
- Vosotros habéis conocido a muchas personas interesantes en el evento. (You all have met many interesting people at the event.) -(Vosotros is primarily used in Spain)
- Ellos han ganado el campeonato de fútbol dos veces consecutivas. (They have won the football championship two times in a row.)
3. Conjugation of Spanish irregular verbs in present perfect Spanish
Up until now, it may have seemed that there’s no catch in the present perfect tense in Spanish.
But!
There are some irregular verbs that do not follow the same conjugation rules as regular verbs.
Instead of simply adding -ado or -ido to the infinitive verb to form the past participle, as with regular verbs, irregular verbs end in alternative ways.
Some irregular verbs change their stems, while others change their whole forms.
The most common irregular verbs in the present perfect Spanish are:
Irregular verbs in present perfect Spanish
| Infinitive | Irregular Past Participle | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ir | ido | |
| hacer | hecho | |
| decir | dicho | |
| ver | visto | |
| poner | puesto | |
| abrir | abierto | |
| escribir | escrito | |
| resolver | resuelto | |
| volver | vuelto | |
| morir | muerto |
4. Use the Spanish present perfect tense with trigger words
The Present Perfect tense in Spanish is typically triggered by certain Spanish words and phrases.
Some of these trigger phrases are:
Trigger phrases for Present Perfect Spanish
| Spanish | Example |
|---|---|
| hoy (today) | |
| todavía no (not yet) | |
| desde hace (since) | |
| hasta ahora (until now) | |
| ya (already) | |
| nunca (never) | |
| esta semana (this week) | |
| este mes (this month) | |
| este año (this year) |
So, if you see a phrase that triggers the present perfect tense, you can assume that the sentence is referring to something that started in the past and is still happening now.
5. Practice section – use present perfect in the correct form!
I. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the present perfect tense in Spanish.
If you want to practice Present Perfect Spanish, request the Full Practice Worksheet by clicking the button below!
6. Learn and use the present perfect tense with Conversation Based Chunking
Understanding and applying the present perfect tense Spanish can be difficult for many language learners.
However, with the Conversation Based Chunking method, it can be made easier and more engaging!
Instead of focusing on individual words or grammar rules, conversation based chunking breaks down the language into smaller, easily digestible ‘chunks.
This method allows learners to gain a broader understanding of the language and how it functions in native conversation.
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