Past participles
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
Parece que te (ofender).
It seems I've offended you.
The rule
It does two jobs. After haber, it builds perfect tenses: he comido (I have eaten). On its own, it works as an adjective: la puerta está abierta (the door is open). You need it constantly in both reading and speaking.
The pattern
The past participle ends in -ado for -ar verbs and -ido for -er/-ir verbs: hablar becomes hablado, comer becomes comido, vivir becomes vivido.
With haber, the participle forms perfect tenses for actions completed before now: he terminado, has comido, ha vivido. After haber, the participle never changes. It stays the same regardless of the subject: ella ha comido, ellas han comido.
As an adjective, the participle agrees in gender and number with the noun: abierto, abierta, abiertos, abiertas.
Common irregular participles:
| Verb | Participle |
|---|---|
| hacer | hecho |
| decir | dicho |
| escribir | escrito |
| ver | visto |
| poner | puesto |
| romper | roto |
| abrir | abierto |
| volver | vuelto |
| morir | muerto |
| cubrir | cubierto |
| descubrir | descubierto |
| resolver | resuelto |
Examples
- He terminado el trabajo.I have finished the work.
- ¿Has comido ya?Have you eaten already?
- Ella ha dicho la verdad.She has told the truth.
- Nosotros hemos visto esa película.We have seen that movie.
- La ventana está rota.The window is broken.
- La puerta está abierta.The door is open.
- Los libros están escritos en español.The books are written in Spanish.
- Las calles están cubiertas de nieve.The streets are covered in snow.
Watch out
- Ella ha comida. Ella ha comido.After haber, the participle never changes for gender or number.
- La puerta está abierto. La puerta está abierta.As an adjective, the participle must match the noun. Puerta is feminine.
- Hemos hacido mucho. Hemos hecho mucho.Hacer has the irregular participle hecho, not hacido.
- Los documentos están escrito. Los documentos están escritos.As an adjective, the participle must be plural to match documentos.