How To Use the Present Perfect Indicative Tense in Spanish
Present perfect indicative Spanish is one of the 18 tenses you need to master in Spanish. It’s a tense that links the past to the present.
Look at its Spanish name: pretérito perfecto compuesto de indicativo. Let’s break it down into comprehensible parts.
It’s preterite because it refers to an action in the past, but in the present moment this action is perfect, it means “completed.”
It’s also compuesto (compound) because you form it with two words that I’ll explain later.
And it’s indicative, as it expresses real actions and facts. You’ll need this information later when you’re more advanced with Spanish grammar to compare the present perfect indicative vs subjunctive Spanish.
That’s why you’ll use the present perfect indicative Spanish to talk about things that started in the past and continue to the present moment.
How To Form Present Perfect Indicative Spanish
It’s easy to form the present perfect indicative in Spanish. It works the same way as in English.
In English, it’s the auxiliary verb “have” + past participle of the main verb. In Spanish:
auxiliary verb haber + past participle of the main verb.
Example Sentences in Spanish
Pedro ha vivido en cinco países.
Pedro has lived in five countries.
Nosotros hemos trabajado mucho.
We have worked a lot.
Let’s see in detail both elements you need to form the present perfect indicative Spanish.
How to Conjugate the Verb Haber
This is the conjugation table of the auxiliary verb haber. It’s irregular, so it does not follow the typical rules for the conjugation of the –er verbs.
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
| Yo he | I have |
| Tú has | You have |
| Él, ella, usted ha | She, he, it has (fml. You have) |
| Nosotros hemos | We have |
| Ustedes han | You have |
| Ellos, ellas han | They have |
Remember that the letter h is silent in Spanish; don’t pronounce it.
How to Create Regular Past Participle Forms
The second element you need is the past participle form of the main verb.
The regular past participles in Spanish end in -ado for -ar conjugations and -ido for both -er and -ir conjugations. They are easy to form. Just take off the infinitive ending, -ar, -er, or –ir, and add the past participle ending -ado or -ido.
- Amar (to love) – amado (loved)
- Vivir (to love) – vivido (lived)
- Comer (to eat) – comido (eaten)
Example Sentences in Spanish
Siempre te he amado.
I have always loved you.
Hemos vivido en la misma casa los últimos diez años.
We have lived in the same house over the last ten years.
He comido demasiado.
I have eaten too much.
Learn more about forming past participles in Spanish here.
However, not all the past participle forms are regular, so let’s have a look at the present perfect indicative Spanish irregulars.
Irregular Past Participles
The good news is that only certain -ir verbs have irregular past participles. So with the other two conjugation groups, you can always be sure that the regular form you formed is correct.
There are two types of irregular past participles:
- Accented past participle forms
- Completely irregular past participles
I will put them in two separate charts, so it’s easier to study them.
Accented Past Participle Forms Chart
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
| atraer – atraído | to attract – attracted |
| caer – caído | to fall – fallen |
| creer – creído | to believe – believed |
| leer – leído | to read – read |
| oír – oído | to hear – heard |
| poseer – poseído | to possess – possessed |
| reír – reído | to laugh – laughed |
| sonreír – sonreído | to smile – smiled |
| traer – traído | to bring – brought |
Example Sentences in Spanish
Siempre me han atraído los países de América Latina.
I have always been attracted to Latin American countries.
¡Me he reído muchísimo!
I have laughed so much!
¿Me has oído?
Did you hear me?
Other Irregular Past Participles Chart
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
| abrir – abierto | to open – opened |
| absolver – absuelto | to absolve – absolved |
| cubrir – cubierto | to cover – covered |
| decir – dicho | to say – said |
| escribir – escrito | to write – written |
| hacer – hecho | to do – done |
| morir – muerto | to die – died |
| poner – puesto | to put – put |
| resolver – resuelto | to solve – solved |
| romper – roto | to break – broken |
| satisfacer – satisfecho | to satisfy – satisfied |
| ver – visto | to see – seen |
| volver – vuelto | to return – returned |
Example Sentences in Spanish
¿Has hecho la tarea?
Have you done your homework?
Nunca la he visto antes.
I have never seen her before.
He escrito un libro de aventuras.
I have written an adventure book.
Check out A Quick Grammar Guide to Present Perfect Irregulars in Spanish to learn more.
Remember that the auxiliary verb haber and the past participle of the main verb can never separate. If you need to put a pronoun in present perfect indicative Spanish, it will always go before the auxiliary verb haber.
Me lo han regalado.
It has been given to me as a gift.
Te lo he dicho.
I have told you!
When To Use Present Perfect Indicative Spanish
Present perfect indicative is past tense with connection to the present moment. This is a general description, so let’s have a look at four specific uses:
1. To Talk About an Unfinished Period of Time
You’ll use the present perfect indicative Spanish to talk about actions that started in the past but are still going on, you haven’t completed them.
He estudiado español por 2 meses.
I have studied Spanish for two months.
You started Spanish two months ago but you still do, and hopefully, you’ll also do it in the future.
In this usage, you’ll often use it with expressions such as:
- hoy – today
- este mes – this month
- este año – this year
Hoy he comido muy poco.
I ate very little today.
Este año he viajado tres veces fuera de mi país.
This year I have traveled three times outside of my country.
2. To Talk About the Recent Past
You can use present perfect indicative Spanish to talk about something that happened recently. It’s so recent that the time period is not finished yet.
He lavado los platos.
I have washed the dishes.
3. To Talk About the General Past
You’ll often use the present perfect indicative Spanish to talk about undetermined past without any specific time markers.
¿Has oído las últimas noticias?
Have you heard the news?
¿Has hecho la tarea?
Have you done your homework?
4. To Talk About Life Experiences
As your life is something that still goes on when you refer to it, you’ll use present perfect indicative Spanish to talk about any life experiences.
Nunca he ido a Guatemala.
I have never been to Guatemala.
You’re alive and maybe you will go to Guatemala in the future.
He leído este libro tres veces.
I have read this book three times.
You might read it a couple of times more in the future.
In this usage, you will often accompany the present perfect indicative with expressions like:
- nunca – never
- alguna vez – once
- ya – already, yet
- todavía – already, yet
Ya lo he visto tres veces.
I have already seen it three times.
Todavía no he comprado la versión nueva.
I haven’t bought the new version yet.
Present Perfect Indicative in Spanish – Quiz
It’s time to check your knowledge with present perfect indicative Spanish practice!
Answer the questions or choose the correct word to complete the sentences.
1. Which sentence is correct?
2. Pedro _______ vivido en 5 países.
3. Mis padres _______ vivido aquí toda la vida.
4. Nosotros _______ aprendido de nuestros errores.
5. ¿Has _______ este libro? (leer)
6. ¿Pero qué has _______? (hacer)
7. ¡Me has _______ mi cuaderno! (romper)
8. Mi hermano ya ha _______ su primer libro. (escribir)
9. ¡Te lo he _______! (decir)
10. Nunca te he _______. (creer)
Improve Your Spanish
Great! You’ve learned your first Spanish past tense! Now, if you want to keep learning Spanish grammar, you need to be consistent in your learning. I know that sometimes it’s challenging to find motivation every day, but it’s the only way to master a foreign language and become bilingual. Practice makes perfect.
Choose your ultimate goal and remember it when you need motivation. Why are you learning Spanish? Do you want to travel more? Communicate with Spanish-speaking friends? Keep your brain occupied and improve your cognition and decision-making abilities?
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