Spanish Present Perfect Tense (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto)

The present perfect tense (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto) is used to talk about actions that have been completed in the recent past and have a connection to the present. It’s one of the most commonly used compound tenses in Spanish and is essential for expressing recent experiences and accomplishments.

When to Use the Spanish Present Perfect Tense

The Spanish present perfect tense serves several important functions:

1. Recently completed actions

  • He terminado mi tarea hace una hora. (I have finished my homework an hour ago.)

  • Hemos visitado el museo esta mañana. (We have visited the museum this morning.)

2. Past actions with present results

  • Ha llovido, por eso las calles están mojadas. (It has rained, that’s why the streets are wet.)

  • He perdido mis llaves y no puedo entrar. (I have lost my keys and can’t get in.)

3. Life experiences (unspecified time)

  • Has estado alguna vez en París? (Have you ever been to Paris?)

  • Nunca he comido sushi. (I have never eaten sushi.)

4. Actions in a time period not yet finished

  • He visto tres películas esta semana. (I have seen three movies this week.)

  • Han ocurrido muchos cambios este año. (Many changes have occurred this year.)

5. With time expressions like “ya,” “todavía no”

  • Ya he leído ese libro. (I have already read that book.)

  • Todavía no han llegado los invitados. (The guests haven’t arrived yet.)

Spanish Present Perfect Tense Formation

The present perfect tense is a compound tense formed with two parts:

  1. The present tense of the auxiliary verb haber (to have)
  2. The past participle of the main verb

Conjugation of Haber (Auxiliary Verb)

Present Tense of Haber

  • yo he

  • tú has

  • él/ella/usted ha

  • nosotros/as hemos

  • vosotros/as habéis

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes han

Regular Past Participles

Past participles are formed by removing the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and adding the appropriate ending:

-AR Verbs → -ado

  • hablar → hablado (to speak → spoken)

  • trabajar → trabajado (to work → worked)

  • estudiar → estudiado (to study → studied)

-ER/-IR Verbs → -ido

  • comer → comido (to eat → eaten)

  • beber → bebido (to drink → drunk)

  • vivir → vivido (to live → lived)

Complete Conjugation Examples

Hablar (to speak)

  • yo he hablado (I have spoken)

  • tú has hablado (you have spoken)

  • él/ella/usted ha hablado (he/she has spoken, you have spoken [formal])

  • nosotros/as hemos hablado (we have spoken)

  • vosotros/as habéis hablado (you all have spoken [Spain])

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes han hablado (they have spoken, you all have spoken [Latin America])

Comer (to eat)

  • yo he comido (I have eaten)

  • tú has comido (you have eaten)

  • él/ella/usted ha comido (he/she has eaten, you have eaten [formal])

  • nosotros/as hemos comido (we have eaten)

  • vosotros/as habéis comido (you all have eaten [Spain])

  • ellos/ellas/ustedes han comido (they have eaten, you all have eaten [Latin America])

Irregular Past Participles

While most past participles follow regular patterns, some common verbs have irregular past participles:

Common Irregular Past Participles

  • abrir → abierto (to open → opened)

  • decir → dicho (to say → said)

  • escribir → escrito (to write → written)

  • hacer → hecho (to do/make → done/made)

  • morir → muerto (to die → died)

  • poner → puesto (to put → put)

  • romper → roto (to break → broken)

  • ver → visto (to see → seen)

  • volver → vuelto (to return → returned)

Examples with Irregular Participles

  • He visto una película interesante. (I have seen an interesting movie.)

  • Has escrito la carta? (Have you written the letter?)

  • Ellos han puesto la mesa. (They have set the table.)

  • Hemos hecho la tarea. (We have done the homework.)

Special Considerations

Placement of Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are placed before the conjugated form of haber or attached to the infinitive:

  • Lo he visto en el parque. (I have seen him in the park.)

  • Te han llamado tres veces. (They have called you three times.)

Regional Differences

In Spain, the present perfect is used more frequently than in Latin America, where the simple past (Pretérito Indefinido) is often preferred:

  • Spain: He comido hace una hora. (I have eaten an hour ago.)

  • Latin America: Comí hace una hora. (I ate an hour ago.)

Common Time Expressions

The present perfect tense is often used with specific time expressions:

  • ya(already)

    Ya he terminado mi trabajo.

  • todavía no(not yet)

    Todavía no han llegado.

  • alguna vez(ever)

    ¿Has viajado alguna vez a España?

  • nunca(never)

    Nunca he montado a caballo.

  • hoy(today)

    Hoy hemos estudiado mucho.

  • esta semana/mes/año(this week/month/year)

    Esta semana he ido al gimnasio tres veces.

  • últimamente(lately)

    Últimamente han ocurrido muchas cosas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using the wrong auxiliary verb

Always use forms of “haber,” never “tener” as in English:

  • Correct: He visto la película.

  • Incorrect: Tengo visto la película.

2. Making the participle agree with the subject

Unlike in other Romance languages, Spanish past participles in compound tenses with “haber” do not change to agree with gender or number:

  • Correct: Ella ha comprado dos libros.

  • Incorrect: Ella ha comprados dos libros.

3. Confusing with simple past

Remember that the present perfect relates to the present, while the simple past (Pretérito Indefinido) refers to completed actions with no connection to the present:

  • Present Perfect: He visitado Madrid este mes. (I have visited Madrid this month - the month is still ongoing.)

  • Simple Past: Visité Madrid el mes pasado. (I visited Madrid last month - completely in the past.)

Practice What You’ve Learned

Ready to test your knowledge of the Spanish present perfect tense? Head over to our Practice page and select the pretérito perfecto compuesto option to practice with unlimited new sentences and examples.

The practice tool will generate new sentences each time, allowing you to reinforce your understanding of present perfect tense conjugations and usage in various contexts.