Auxiliary Verbs
Auxiliary verbs do not carry the main meaning of the sentence but help to modify it. In Spanish, the most important auxiliary verbs arehaber,ser, andestar.
Haber
Haberis used as an auxiliary verb to form the perfect tenses.
The main form ofhaberis never used by itself in these constructions; it is always followed by a past participle (e.g.,hablado,comido,llegado).
Ser
Seris used as an auxiliary verb in the formation of the passive voice.
In these sentences,seris followed by a past participle (e.g.,escrita,publicado) that agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Estar
Estaris used as an auxiliary verb to form the present and past progressive tenses, which describe ongoing actions.
Here,estaris followed by a present participle (gerund) ending in-andoor-iendo(e.g.,leyendo,caminando).
Summary
- Haberis used to form perfect tenses (have/has/had…).
- Seris used to form the passive voice.
- Estaris used to form progressive tenses (am/is/are …-ing).
- Auxiliary verbs are always followed by a participle (past participle forhaberandser, present participle forestar).
- They do not carry the main meaning but help express tense, mood, or voice.
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Last updated: Thu Jul 17, 2025