The present perfect
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
Mi hermana (comprar) pan camino de casa.
My sister has bought bread on the way home.
The rule
It connects a past action to the present, covering things that have happened, have not happened, or have been going on until now. In Latin American Spanish it is less common than in Spain, but you still need it for sentences with nunca, ya, and todavía.
The pattern
Form the present perfect with haber in the present tense plus a past participle.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he comido |
| tú | has comido |
| él, ella, usted | ha comido |
| nosotros/as | hemos comido |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | han comido |
The past participle does not change: ella ha llegado, ellas han llegado.
For negation, put no before haber: no he comido. Words like ya go before the whole verb phrase: ya he comido. Nothing goes between haber and the participle.
Usage varies by region. In Spain, the present perfect is common for recent events: Hoy he ido al cine. In Latin America, the preterite is often preferred: Hoy fui al cine. Both are correct. Latin American Spanish still uses the present perfect with words like nunca, ya, todavía, and siempre.
Examples
- Nunca he estado en México.I have never been to Mexico.
- ¿Has comido ya?Have you eaten already?
- Hemos vivido aquí cinco años.We have lived here for five years.
- No he visto esa película.I have not seen that movie.
- Ella ha terminado el informe.She has finished the report.
- ¿Han llegado tus amigos?Have your friends arrived?
- Todavía no he hablado con mi hermana.I have not talked to my sister yet.
Watch out
- He ido no. No he ido.No goes before haber, not after the participle.
- He ya comido. Ya he comido.Ya goes before the whole verb phrase, not between haber and the participle.
- Ella ha llegada. Ella ha llegado.After haber, the participle never changes for gender or number.