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Spanish grammar · Level A2

Pretérito perfecto: he hablado, has visto

The pretérito perfecto is a past tense linked to the present: the action happened in a period that isn’t over (hoy, esta semana, este año), or the experience itself matters (¿Has estado en México?). It’s haber in the present + the participle: he hablado, has comido.

QuizContents
Contents
  1. How to form the pretérito perfecto
  2. Irregular participles
  3. When to use the pretérito perfecto
  4. Spain and Latin America
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Quiz
  7. FAQ

How to form the pretérito perfecto

Haber in the present + participle. The participle never changes: he comido, hemos comido, ellas han comido. Nothing goes between haber and the participle — pronouns and no come before haber: No lo he visto.

Pretérito perfecto
Personhaberhablarcomervivir
yohehabladocomidovivido
túhashabladocomidovivido
él / ella / ustedhahabladocomidovivido
nosotroshemoshabladocomidovivido
vosotroshabéishabladocomidovivido
ellos / ustedeshanhabladocomidovivido

Irregular participles

There aren’t many, but they’re very common — learn them now: hacer → hecho, ver → visto, decir → dicho, escribir → escrito, poner → puesto, volver → vuelto, abrir → abierto, romper → roto, morir → muerto, descubrir → descubierto.

  • ¿Qué has hecho hoy?What have you done today?
  • Nunca he visto el mar.I’ve never seen the sea.
  • Alguien ha roto la ventana.Someone has broken the window.

When to use the pretérito perfecto

1. An action in a period that’s still going on: hoy, esta mañana, esta semana, este mes, este año. 2. Life experience with no exact time: alguna vez, nunca, muchas veces. 3. Recent actions with a result now: ya (already), todavía no (not yet), acabar de.

  • Esta semana he trabajado mucho.I’ve worked a lot this week.
  • ¿Has estado alguna vez en Barcelona?Have you ever been to Barcelona?
  • Todavía no he terminado.I haven’t finished yet.

Tip: If the sentence has ayer, el año pasado, en 2020, hace dos días, use the pretérito indefinido instead: Ayer comí paella.

Spain and Latin America

In Spain the perfecto is used constantly — for anything that happened today: Esta mañana me he levantado tarde. In most of Latin America such sentences usually take the indefinido: Esta mañana me levanté tarde. Both are correct.

Common mistakes

The mistakes people make most often — and the right way.

  • Wrong: He hacido los deberes.

    Right: He hecho los deberes.

    Hacer has the irregular participle hecho.

  • Wrong: Ayer he visto a Juan.

    Right: Ayer vi a Juan.

    Ayer is a finished period: indefinido.

  • Wrong: He lo visto.

    Right: Lo he visto.

    The pronoun goes before haber.

  • Wrong: Ella ha comida.

    Right: Ella ha comido.

    The participle with haber doesn’t change.

  • Wrong: Hemos escribido.

    Right: Hemos escrito.

    Escribir → escrito.

Pretérito perfecto: he hablado

Quiz

10 questions: choose the right option — the explanation appears straight away.

  1. Question 1

    Hoy _____ trabajado mucho.

  2. Question 2

    ¿_____ estado alguna vez en México?

  3. Question 3

    Esta semana hemos _____ mucho.

  4. Question 4

    ¿Qué has _____ hoy?

  5. Question 5

    Nunca he _____ esa película.

  6. Question 6

    Mis padres _____ vuelto de vacaciones.

  7. Question 7

    Todavía no _____ escrito el informe.

  8. Question 8

    ¿Ya _____ comido, chicos?

  9. Question 9

    ¿Dónde has _____ las llaves?

  10. Question 10

    Esta mañana _____ levantado tarde.

Correct: 0 of 10

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FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

How is the perfecto different from the indefinido?

The perfecto is for an unfinished period (hoy, esta semana) or experience (nunca, alguna vez). The indefinido is for a finished past with a specific time (ayer, el lunes, en 2019). Hoy he visto a Ana / Ayer vi a Ana.

Is it like the English present perfect?

It’s built the same way (have + participle = haber + participio) but used more widely: in Spain “this morning I got up” is also perfecto. But “I have lived here for two years” is Llevo dos años viviendo aquí or Vivo aquí desde hace dos años.

Can I say “he acabado de…”?

“Have just” in Spanish is acabar de + infinitive in the present: Acabo de llegar — I’ve just arrived. “He acabado de llegar” sounds unnatural.

Other topics

All topicsSpanish verb conjugationSpanish irregular verbs

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