20 Most Common Irregular Past Participles in Spanish

Learning a new language can be quite difficult, especially when your teacher keeps referring to certain words by their grammatical name. Not only are you learning a new language, but you may even be learning more about grammar in your native tongue. 

One of the more difficult aspects of the Spanish language is the abundance of irregularities. However, if you look at each group of irregular verb tenses separately, they are much easier to master. Today, we will be looking at the common irregular past participles in Spanish. 

What Is a Past Participle? 

A past participle has two uses. It can either be used as an adjective or as part of a verb phrase. Look at the following examples:

I have lost my passport.

My passport is lost.

In both cases, “lost” is the past participle that comes from the verb “to lose.” In the first example, “have lost” together form the present perfect tenses. Past participles are commonly used in verb phrases with “have,” “has,” and “had.” In the second sentence, the word “lost” is an adjective that describes the noun “passport.” 

Now, let’s look at these same sentences in Spanish.

Yo he perdido mi pasaporte.

Mi pasaporte está perdido. 

In these sentences, perdido is the past participle. As you can see, los participios pasados, as used the same way in both English and Spanish. The only difference is that when a past participle is used as an adjective in Spanish, it is subject to change based on the gender and plurality of the nouns, just like any other adjective. 

How Do You Form Regular Past Participles in Spanish?

Forming the Spanish past participles is straightforward, and many common irregular verbs actually have a regular past participle form. The two rules are as follows:

For -AR verbs, take off the -AR and add -ADO.

Hablar – hablado

Pelear – peleado

Duchar – duchado

Trabajar – trabajado

For -ER and -IR verbs, take off the ending, and add -IDO.

Ser – sido

Haber – habido

Tener – tenido

Comer – comido

Most Common Irregular Past Participles in Spanish

Just like not all English verbs use the regular past participle form of -ed, there are several notable irregular past participles in Spanish, as well. Interestingly, all the irregular forms come from -ER and -IR verbs. All -AR verbs have regular past participle forms.

To help you memorize each irregular form, we have split them into three groups.

Important Notes

Recognizing patterns will help you remember the irregular past participle forms when you’re in the middle of a Spanish conversation. So, keep the following in mind.

• Verbs that end in two vowels plus an “r” use a regular past participle ending with an accent on the “i.”
• Verbs ending in -olver use the irregular past participle ending of -uelto.
• Verbs that end in “c” plus -ER or -IR use the “ch” form.
• Verbs ending in -brir use the ending -bierto.
• Verbs that are a combination of a verb and a prefix use the same irregular past participle form as the regular verb (hacer and deshacher).

Some Exceptions to the Irregularities

There are three verbs that actually have two acceptable forms of the past participle. 

As you can see, only imprimir has one regular form. Both freír and proveer end in two vowels and an “r,” so even in the presumably “regular” form, they carry an accent mark. 

Practice Makes Perfect

Now that we’ve reviewed almost all the irregular past participles in Spanish, it’s time to put them into practice. Try your hand at the following exercise, then check your work with the answer key below!

Exercise 1: Fill in the blank with the correct past participle of the verb in parenthesis.

1. Nosotros hemos __________ casi todo el trabajo para el proyecto. (hacer)
2. ¿Ya le has __________ la verdad? (decir)
3. ¡Qué lastima! Mi teléfono está __________. (romper).
4. ¿Dónde has __________ los papeles? (poner)
5. Ya he __________ esa película mil veces. (ver)
6. Estamos muy __________, gracias. (satisfacer).
7. Yo tengo las hojas __________ (imprimir).
8. ¡No he __________ así en tanto tiempo! (reir)
9. La tienda no está __________ a esta hora. (abrir)
10. ¿Cuánto has __________ para el ensayo? (escribir)

Exercise 2: Translate the sentences from Spanish to English.

1. El asunto ya está resuelto.
2. Mis abuelos están muertos.
3. No hemos hecho suficiente trabajo.
4. ¿Has oído lo que dijeron de ti?
5. Lastimosamente, él ha rehecho el trabajo cinco veces.
6. ¿Ya te ha devuelto tu dinero?
7. Me encanta la comida frita.
8. ¿No la has visto? Ella está sentada allí.
9. Hemos cubierto todos los platos de comida.
10. Le ha absuelto de toda responsabilidad.

Exercise 3: Translate the sentences from English to Spanish.

1. Where have I put my keys?
2. I’ve done so much for you.
3. Where have I seen him before?
4. He has written all the documents for the company.
5. Have you undone everything?
6. How many times have I told you that?
7. I have believed too many lies.
8. She’s read 20 books this year.
9. The chair is broken.
10. We are not satisfied with the service here.

What Have You Learned?

We want to hear from you! Let us know what you found interesting about the irregular past participles and what was new to you. If you have any questions, or just want to practice your Spanish writing, leave us a phrase using one of the irregular past participles in Spanish!

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Answer Key

Exercise 1: 1) Nosotros hemos hecho casi todo el trabajo para el proyecto. 2) ¿Ya le has dicho la verdad? 3) ¡Qué lastima! Mi teléfono está roto.  4) ¿Dónde has puesto los papeles? 5) Ya he visto esa película mil veces. 6) Estamos muy satisfechos, gracias. 7) Yo tengo las hojas impresas / imprimidas. 8) ¡No he reído así en tanto tiempo! 9) La tienda no está abierta a esta hora. 10) ¿Cuánto has escrito para el ensayo? 

Exercise 2: 1) The issue is already resolved. 2) My grandparents are dead. 3) We haven’t done enough work. 4) Have you heard what they said about you? 5) Unfortunately, he has redone the work five times. 6) Has he already returned the money to you? 7) I love fried food. 8) You haven’t seen her? She’s sitting right over there. 9) We have covered all the plates of food. 10) He has absolved her of all responsibility.

Exercise 3: 1) ¿Dónde he puesto mis llaves? 2) Yo he hecho tanto por ti. 3) ¿Dónde lo he visto? 4) Él ha escrito todos los documentos para la compañía. 5) ¿Has deshecho todo? 6) ¿Cuántas veces te he dicho eso? 7) Yo he creído demasiadas mentiras. 8) Ella ha leído 20 libros este año. 9) La silla está rota. 10) Nosotros no estamos satisfechos con el servicio de aquí.

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Ashley Reid

Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy

I have lived in Latin America for 6 years now, and I have worked as an ESL teacher, translator, and missionary during that time. I absolutely love languages and am always learning a new one. However, Spanish is my preferred language! I am a happy wife and mom to an adorable baby boy. In my free time, I love drawing and painting portraits and reading fantasy novels.

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