Spanish 3 / Unit 5: Perfect Tenses
5.2 The Present Perfect
Notes
The present perfect says what someone has done. It is formed with the present of haber + a past participle.
| Subject | haber |
|---|---|
| yo | he |
| tú | has |
| él / ella / usted | ha |
| nosotros | hemos |
| ellos / ustedes | han |
- Hemos terminado la tarea. (We have finished the homework.)
- The participle in the perfect tenses never changes: Ellas han hablado.
- Nothing may come between haber and the participle. Object and reflexive pronouns go before haber: No lo he visto. (not No he lo visto)
- Common words: ya (already), todavía no (not yet), nunca (never), alguna vez (ever).
- Worked example: ¿Has probado el ceviche alguna vez? No, nunca lo he probado.
Practice
Nosotros ___ (hacer) la tarea de español.
Present perfect: hemos + hecho (irregular participle).
Ella nunca ___ (ver) esa película.
Ver has the irregular participle visto; haber agrees with ella: ha.
¿Cómo se dice "I have not seen it" (la película) en español?
The object pronoun goes before haber, and nothing can separate haber from the participle.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 5 test.