Auxiliary verbs do not carry the main meaning of the sentence but help to modify it. In Spanish, the most important auxiliary verbs are haber, ser, and estar.
Haber
Haber is used as an auxiliary verb to form the perfect tenses.
The main form of haber is never used by itself in these constructions; it is always followed by a past participle (e.g., hablado, comido, llegado).
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| He hablado. |
| English Example |
Ser
Ser is used as an auxiliary verb in the formation of the passive voice.
In these sentences, ser is followed by a past participle (e.g., escrita, publicado) that agrees in gender and number with the subject.
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| La carta fue escrita por Ana. |
| English Example |
Estar
Estar is used as an auxiliary verb to form the present and past progressive tenses, which describe ongoing actions.
Here, estar is followed by a present participle (gerund) ending in -ando or -iendo (e.g., leyendo, caminando).
| Spanish Example |
|---|
| Estoy leyendo. |
| English Example |
Summary
- Haber is used to form perfect tenses (have/has/had…).
- Ser is used to form the passive voice.
- Estar is used to form progressive tenses (am/is/are …-ing).
- Auxiliary verbs are always followed by a participle (past participle for haber and ser, present participle for estar).
- They do not carry the main meaning but help express tense, mood, or voice.
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025