Perfect tenses are formed using the auxiliary verb haber followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Vocabulary
| Spanish Word |
|---|
| haber |
| English Word |
Formation
The past participle is formed by adding -ado to -ar verbs and -ido to -er and -ir verbs.
Usage
Perfect tenses are used to indicate that an action is viewed in relation to another time (present, past, or future).
Present Perfect (el pretérito perfecto)
Usage
- To express actions that have recently occurred or have relevance to the present.
Formation
- he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han + past participle
Example
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| He estudiado español. |
| English Example |
Past Perfect (el pluscuamperfecto)
Usage
- To indicate an action that had happened before another past action.
Formation
- había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían + past participle
Example
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| He estudiado español. |
| English Example |
Future Perfect (el futuro perfecto)
Usage
- To express an action that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.
Formation
- habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán + past participle
Example
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| He estudiado español. |
| English Example |
Conditional Perfect (el condicional perfecto)
Usage
- To express an action that would have occurred under certain conditions.
Formation
- habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían + past participle
Example
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| He estudiado español. |
| English Example |
Summary
Perfect tenses in Spanish are used to describe completed actions with respect to different times: the present (present perfect), a point in the past (past perfect), a future deadline (future perfect), or hypothetical conditions (conditional perfect).
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025