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Video lesson

Pretérito perfecto

Duration: 3:06 Published: 28 Apr 2017

Pilar introduces the pretérito perfecto with a short conversation with Lola about what they have done today. Then she explains how the tense is formed.

Talk about the past using this useful verb tense. All you need to know in this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

  • The pretérito perfecto talks about past actions in a period of time that is still present: Hoy he comido con Teo.
  • Typical time expressions: hoy, esta mañana, esta semana, ya, todavía no.
  • Form: haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) + past participle.
  • Participles: -ar verbs end in -ado (hablado); -er and -ir verbs end in -ido (comido, vivido).

Frequent doubts

Is he comido the same as I have eaten?

Very close, but in Spain the pretérito perfecto is used for any action that happened today, even when English uses the simple past: Esta mañana he desayunado pronto (This morning I had breakfast early).

What are the most common irregular participles?

Hecho (hacer), dicho (decir), visto (ver), escrito (escribir), puesto (poner), vuelto (volver), abierto (abrir) and roto (romper).

Can I put a word between haber and the participle?

No. The two parts always go together: Ya he comido, not He ya comido. Pronouns go before haber: Lo he visto.

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