Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 9

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (27 questions)

Spanish Present Perfect: he hablado, ha vivido, hemos visto

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

The present perfect is plus the past participle: the Spanish "have done". It works like the English one most of the time:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake.

haberthe participle ending (or the whole irregular participle)What do the colours mean?
  • . - I' spoken to my mother.
  • ¿ ? - Have you eaten?

The present perfect at a glance

haberthe participle ending (or the whole irregular participle)What do the colours mean?

Only changes for the person. The participle never changes:

Personhaber + participleEnglish
yo I have spoken
you have eaten
, , he/she has lived
we have worked
you have gone out
, they have arrived

Only has a written accent. Mind against : the n is all that separates he has from they have.

Forming the participle

Drop the infinitive ending and add -ado or -ido:

Verb typeInfinitiveParticiple
-ar
-er
-
-ar verbs take -ado

When the stem ends in a, e or o, the i takes an accent, so it is said as its own syllable:

  • - read ()
  • - brought ()
  • - heard ()

The irregular participles

A dozen common verbs do not follow the rule. Learn them as a list:

VerbParticipleEnglish
done, made
said
seen
written
opened
come back
put
died
broken
cubiertocovered
solved
  • ¿ ? - What have you done?
  • . - I' seen the film.

Verbs built on these keep the irregular form: gives , gives .

Nothing goes between haber and the participle

and the participle are welded together. A pronoun, or an adverb such as goes in front of :

Before haber
haber
Participle
Rest
.
empty
.
.
empty
.
empty
  • . - I' seen it.
  • . - I' already eaten.

And the participle does not agree: , never comidos, even with a plural or feminine subject:

  • . - The girls have arrived.

When to use it

haberthe participle ending (or the whole irregular participle)What do the colours mean?

In Spain, the present perfect is for anything in a time frame that is not over yet, and for experiences up to now. A finished time frame takes the preterite:

  • Ayer comí paella: a closed day (preterite)

  • Hoy he comido paella: today is not over (present perfect)

Timeline from past to now, with now marked.

Three calendar pages along a time arrow: on the left a grey page torn off the pad and lying tilted behind, showing a football and a tick (yesterday, done); in the middle the page on the pad, glowing yellow and showing an open book (today); on the right a dashed-outline page still to come, showing a bicycle (tomorrow).
  1. .
  2. .

Ayer jugué al fútbol: yesterday I played football. Hoy he leído: I have done some reading today. Yesterday is torn off and done: the preterite. Today is still on the pad: the present perfect.

UseSpanishEnglish
today .I' worked a lot today.
this week .I' slept little this week.
ever, never México.I' never been to Mexico.
already, yet¿ ?Have you finished yet?
closed past .I worked a lot yesterday.

For "have just", Spanish usually says + infinitive: . - I' just arrived.

Spain and Latin America

The rule above is the usage of Spain. In most of Latin America the preterite also covers today and recent events, and the present perfect is kept mainly for experiences and things still going on:

WhereSpanishEnglish
Spain .I' seen him today.
Latin America .I saw him today.
Both¿ Madrid?Have you been to Madrid?

Both are correct Spanish. The regional grammar page maps the split.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
He . .nothing between the two parts
He . .the pronoun goes before
comidos. .the participle never agrees
He hacido. .:
He ponido . .:
he a Ana. Ana. is a closed past
ha . . agrees:

What to do next

  1. Learn the six forms of and the irregular participles as a list.
  2. Do the sort and word-build drills below.
  3. Then the imperfect, and preterite vs imperfect.

Practise: test yourself

Build the word

0/4

Build the past participle from its pieces.

  1. hablar

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  2. comer

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  3. vivir

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

  4. leer

    Accents optional

    Your word is empty.

Sort into groups

0/8

In Spain, which tense goes with each time phrase?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the mistake.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the form of haber that matches the subject.

  1. Yo comido.

  2. Tú hablado mucho.

  3. Ella vuelto a casa.

  4. Nosotros trabajado hoy.

  5. Ustedes llegado tarde.

Fill in the blank

0/5

Complete each sentence with the past participle of the verb in brackets.

  1. Yo he la casa. (ver) (ver, irregular)

  2. ¿Tú has la verdad? (decir) (decir, irregular)

  3. Ellos han a casa. (volver) (volver, irregular)

  4. ¿Quién ha la ventana? (abrir) (abrir, irregular)

  5. Yo he mucho hoy. (trabajar) (trabajar, regular -ado)

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Frequently asked questions

How do you form the Spanish present perfect?
The present of (he, has, ha, , , ) plus the past participle. Participles end in -ado for -ar verbs () and -ido for -er and -ir verbs (, ). He is I have spoken, is we have lived.
When do you use the present perfect vs the preterite in Spanish?
In Spain, the present perfect covers a time frame that includes now (, , ) and experiences ( he ). The preterite covers a closed past (, , 2010). So he but . In most of Latin America the preterite does more of this work: is normal there.
What are the irregular past participles in Spanish?
The common ones are (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), cubierto () and (). Verbs built on them keep the irregularity: , , .
Can anything go between and the participle?
No. Object pronouns, no and adverbs such as and go in front of : he , he , he . He and he are both wrong, even though English says 'I have already eaten'.
Does the participle agree in the present perfect?
No. After the participle never changes: , he , . It agrees only when it is used as an adjective: .