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VerbsIntermediate

Perfect Tenses

Have Done, Had Done, Will Have Done (Haber + Participle)

The rule at a glance

haber + past participle

-ar → -ado (hablar → hablado) · -er/-ir → -ido (comer → comido)

  • Present perfect

    he hablado

    I have spoken

    Hoy he hablado con Ana.

    I've spoken to Ana today.

  • Past perfect

    habĂ­a hablado

    I had spoken

    Ya habĂ­a hablado con ella.

    I had already spoken to her.

  • Future perfect

    habré hablado

    I will have spoken

    Para las cinco, habré hablado con ella.

    By five, I will have spoken to her.

  • Only haber changes. The participle stays the same for every person and tense: he hablado, hemos hablado, habĂ­an hablado.
  • In Spain, the present perfect is the normal way to talk about a time that isn't over yet (today, this week, this year): Hoy he comido paella. A finished time takes the preterite: Ayer comĂ­ paella.

What You'll Learn

  • Form the using 'haber' +
  • Use present perfect for recent actions and life experiences
  • Form the for actions before other past events
  • Form the future perfect (habrĂ© hecho) for actions completed by a future point
  • Memorise common irregular past participles (hecho, dicho, escrito, etc.)
  • Recognise the difference between Spanish and English usage
  • Avoid common mistakes like separating 'haber' from the past participle

Overview

A perfect tense describes something already completed by a certain moment: now (I have eaten), a moment in the past (I had eaten) or a moment in the future (I will have eaten). In Spanish, each one is a form of 'haber' followed by a past participle.

Present Perfect
He comido
"I have eaten"
Past action with present relevance
Past Perfect
HabĂ­a comido
"I had eaten"
Past action before another past action
Future Perfect
Habré comido
"I will have eaten"
Action completed by a future point

Structure & Formation

Present Perfect (Pretérito Perfecto)

Formation: Present tense of 'haber' + past participle

PersonFormEnglish
yoheI have
tĂșhasyou have
Ă©l/ella/ustedhahe/she has, you (formal) have
nosotros/ashemoswe have
vosotros/ashabéisyou all have
ellos/ellas/ustedeshanthey/you all have
yohe
I have
tĂșhas
you have
Ă©l/ella/ustedha
he/she has, you (formal) have
nosotros/ashemos
we have
vosotros/ashabéis
you all have
ellos/ellas/ustedeshan
they/you all have
Past Participle Formation
Regular -AR verbs:
stem + -ado
hablar → hablado
Regular -ER/-IR verbs:
stem + -ido
comer → comido
vivir → vivido
When to Use Present Perfect:
Recent past actions
He llegado tarde
I have arrived late
Life experiences
He visitado España
I have visited Spain
Actions continuing to present
He vivido aquí durante 5 años
I have lived here for 5 years
Today/this week/this year
Hoy he comido pizza
Today I have eaten pizza

Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

Formation: Imperfect tense of 'haber' + past participle

PersonFormEnglish
yohabĂ­aI had
tĂșhabĂ­asyou had
Ă©l/ella/ustedhabĂ­ahe/she had, you (formal) had
nosotros/ashabĂ­amoswe had
vosotros/ashabĂ­aisyou all had
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabĂ­anthey/you all had
yohabĂ­a
I had
tĂșhabĂ­as
you had
Ă©l/ella/ustedhabĂ­a
he/she had, you (formal) had
nosotros/ashabĂ­amos
we had
vosotros/ashabĂ­ais
you all had
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabĂ­an
they/you all had
When to Use Past Perfect:
Action before another past action
Ya habĂ­a comido cuando llegaste
I had already eaten when you arrived
Past experiences by a certain point
Nunca habĂ­a visto el mar
I had never seen the sea
Reported speech
Dijo que habĂ­a terminado
He said he had finished

Future Perfect (Futuro Perfecto)

Formation: Future tense of 'haber' + past participle

PersonFormEnglish
yohabréI will have
tĂșhabrĂĄsyou will have
Ă©l/ella/ustedhabrĂĄhe/she will have, you (formal) will have
nosotros/ashabremoswe will have
vosotros/ashabréisyou all will have
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabrĂĄnthey/you all will have
yohabré
I will have
tĂșhabrĂĄs
you will have
Ă©l/ella/ustedhabrĂĄ
he/she will have, you (formal) will have
nosotros/ashabremos
we will have
vosotros/ashabréis
you all will have
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabrĂĄn
they/you all will have
When to Use Future Perfect:
Completed by a point in the future
Para el viernes habré terminado el proyecto.
By Friday I will have finished the project.
Guessing about the past
No contesta; habrĂĄ salido.
He isn't answering; he must have gone out.
Wondering what has happened
ÂżSe habrĂĄ quedado dormida Marta?
I wonder if Marta has overslept.

Common Irregular Past Participles

abrir → abierto
(opened)
decir → dicho
(said)
escribir → escrito
(written)
hacer → hecho
(done/made)
poner → puesto
(put)
ver → visto
(seen)
volver → vuelto
(returned)
romper → roto
(broken)
morir → muerto
(died)

Examples

Practise with real-world examples of perfect tenses in context:

Present Perfect Examples

Recent Actions & Results
He perdido mis llaves
I have lost my keys (and still don't have them)
¿Has visto mi teléfono?
Have you seen my phone?
Life Experiences
Nunca he estado en MĂ©xico
I have never been to Mexico
ÂżHas probado la paella?
Have you tried paella?
Actions Today/This Week
Esta semana hemos trabajado mucho
This week we have worked a lot
Hoy no he visto a MarĂ­a
Today I haven't seen MarĂ­a

Past Perfect Examples

Sequencing Past Events
Cuando llegué, ya habían cenado
When I arrived, they had already had dinner
No pude entrar porque habĂ­a perdido las llaves
I couldn't enter because I had lost the keys
Past Experiences at a Specific Point
Antes de 2020, nunca habĂ­a viajado en aviĂłn
Before 2020, I had never travelled by plane
A los 18 años ya había aprendido tres idiomas
By age 18 I had already learned three languages

Try it now:Present perfect practice →

Common Mistakes

Prefer Present Perfect with "Hoy" (in Spain)!

"Hoy" (today) is still ongoing, so use present perfect:

✗ Wrong:
Hoy comĂ­ tres veces
✓ Correct:
Hoy he comido tres veces
Today I have eaten three times

Never Separate 'Haber' and Participle!

Keep 'haber' and the past participle together:

✗ Wrong:
He siempre vivido aquĂ­
✓ Correct:
Siempre he vivido aquĂ­
I have always lived here

Regional Differences!

Usage varies between Spain and Latin America:

Spain (more common):
ÂżHas comido ya?
Have you eaten already?
Latin America (more common):
ÂżYa comiste?
Did you eat already?

Watch Out for "Ya"!

"Ya" (already) often appears with perfect tenses:

Ya he terminado
I have already finished
Ya habĂ­a salido cuando llamaste
I had already left when you called

Past Participle = Adjective!

Past participles can also work as adjectives (and must agree):

With 'haber' (no agreement):
MarĂ­a ha abierto la puerta
As adjective (agrees):
La puerta estĂĄ abierta
The door is open

"Esta Semana" = Present Perfect!

Time periods that include the present use present perfect:

Este año he viajado mucho
This year I have travelled a lot
But use preterite for completed periods: "El año pasado viajé mucho"

Quick Test

Test your knowledge of present perfect and past perfect!

1. Complete: Esta mañana _____ (I have drunk) café.

AbebĂ­
Bhe bebido
ChabĂ­a bebido
Dbebo

2. Choose the correct form: Cuando llegamos al cine, la pelĂ­cula ya _____.

Aha empezado
BempezĂł
ChabĂ­a empezado
Dempieza

3. Which sentence is correct for life experiences?

ANunca he estado en ParĂ­s
BNunca estuve en ParĂ­s
CNunca habĂ­a estado en ParĂ­s
DNunca estoy en ParĂ­s

4. Complete: _____ (They have written) tres libros este año.

AEscribieron
BHan escrito
CHabĂ­an escrito
DEscriben

5. Select the irregular past participle for 'hacer':

Ahacido
Bhecho
Checido
Dhacedo

6. Choose the correct sentence:

AHe siempre vivido aquĂ­
BSiempre he vivido aquĂ­
CSiempre vivido he aquĂ­
DSiempre he aquĂ­ vivido

7. Complete: No pude entrar porque _____ (I had lost) las llaves.

AperdĂ­
Bhe perdido
ChabĂ­a perdido
Dpierdo

8. Which past participle is IRREGULAR?

Ahablado
Bcomido
Cdicho
Destudiado

Put it into practice

Fill-in-the-blank exercises with instant feedback, from beginner to advanced.

Practise present perfect →

Useful Resources

Related Articles

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Simple future tense: expressing will and predictions

Hablaré, comerås, vivirå - add endings to infinitive + 12 irregular stems

intermediate

Conditional tense: would, could, should in Spanish

Would/could/should patterns: hablarĂ­a (I would speak), me gustarĂ­a (I would like)

advanced

Future perfect: actions completed before a future point

Actions completed before a future point: "Para mañana habré terminado" (By tomorrow I will have finished)