Ch 29 · Lesson 9Spanish · Chapter 29 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
The perfect subjunctive: haya hablado
The present subjunctive of plus a participle, , for a finished action under a present trigger: , .
The short version
It is
.
Why?Hide
If the clause needs the subjunctive, the auxiliary is , not the indicative ha. is the classic slip. And answers to a present or future trigger only: once the main verb slides into the past, , you have to drop to instead.
The perfect subjunctive at a glance
Two questions pick the form: is the main verb present or past, and is the action still to come or already done?
| Main verb, action | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| now, still to come | . | I hope you arrive safely. |
| now, already done | . | I hope you' arrived safely. |
| past, to come | . | I was hoping you'd arrive safely. |
| past, already done | . | I was hoping you'd arrived safely. |
This page is the second row: a present main verb looking back at a finished action.
Forms: haya + participle
Take the present subjunctive of and add a past participle. Only changes:
| Person | haber | + participle |
|---|---|---|
| yo | | |
| | |
| , , | | |
| | |
| | |
| , | | |
The stem is -, so the subjunctive never looks like the indicative he, has, ha:
.- I think he/she has arrived..- I don't think he/she has arrived.
Three fixed points. The participle never agrees: . (I don't think she has spoken), never hablada. Nothing goes between and the participle, so no and pronouns come first: . (I don't think they' seen it). And carries an accent.
The irregular participles carry straight over:
| Verb | Form | English |
|---|---|---|
| | has done, has made |
| | has said |
| | has put |
| | has written |
| | has come back |
| | has broken |
When to use it: a finished action
Wherever the present subjunctive goes (hope, doubt, feelings, ), the perfect subjunctive goes too, once the action is finished:
espero que hayas llegado (already done: haya)
espero que llegues (still to come)
Timeline from past to future, with now marked.
| Trigger | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| hope | . | I hope you have passed. |
| doubt | . | I doubt they' finished. |
| denial | . | I don't think he/she has arrived yet. |
| feeling | . | I'm glad you' come. |
| feeling | . | It's a shame we haven't been able to go. |
| possible | . | They may have left already. |
The trigger sits in the present; the thing it reacts to has already happened. Without a trigger, the plain present perfect stays: . (I know he/she has arrived).
Going further: Cuando hayas terminado: will have done and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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