Present and Past Perfect Tenses
In this lesson you'll learn how to use the present perfect and past perfect tenses of Spanish verbs.
You'll also learn the irregular Spanish verbs poder (be able) and querer (want). More regular Spanish verbs are also included in this lesson.
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Present Perfect Tense
In Spanish the present perfect tense is used to describe an action, or repeated actions that started in the past and continues into the present. It can also be used to indicate actions that happened recently, though the preterite can also be used in this case.
The present perfect tense is often used with the following adverbs:
- ya - already
- hoy - today
- nunca - never
In Spanish this tense is formed by combining the verb haber with the past participle of the verb. The following table shows the conjugation of the present perfect tense for the three classes of verbs.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | he hablado | he comido | he vivido |
| tú | has hablado | has comido | has vivido |
| usted | ha hablado | ha comido | ha vivido |
| él, ella | ha hablado | ha comido | ha vivido |
| nosotros | hemos hablado | hemos comido | hemos vivido |
| vosotros | habéis hablado | habéis comido | habéis vivido |
| ustedes | han hablado | han comido | han vivido |
| ellos, ellas | han hablado | han comido | han vivido |
Examples
| Aún no ha llegado. | It hasn't arrived yet. |
| ¿Has comido? | Have you eaten? |
| Sí, he comido. | Yes, I have eaten. |
| ¿Has llamado a tu madre? | Have you called your mother? |
| No he confirmado nuestras reservaciones todavía. | I haven't confirmed our reservations yet. |
| Ya han comido. | They have already eaten. |
Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect tense, also know as the pluperfect tense, expresses the idea that an action happened before another action in the past. It can also be used to show that an action happened before a specific time in the past. For example, 'I had spoken about it'.
In Spanish this tense is formed by combining the imperfect tense of the verb haber with the past participle of the verb.
The following adverbs will often appear in sentences where the past perfect is used.
- ya - already
- antes - before
- nunca - never
- todavía - still, yet
- después - after
The following table shows the conjugation of the past perfect tense for the three classes of verbs.
| hablar | comer | vivir | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | había hablado | había comido | había vivido |
| tú | habías hablado | habías comido | habías vivido |
| él, ella | había hablado | había comido | había vivido |
| nosotros | habíamos hablado | habíamos comido | habíamos vivido |
| vosotros | habíais hablado | habíais comido | habíais vivido |
| ellos, ellas | habían hablado | habían comido | habían vivido |
Examples
| Pedro había abierto la puerta. | Pedro had opened the door. |
| Yo había cerrado la puerta. | I had closed the door. |
| Yo había cerrado la puerta antes de salir. | I had closed the door before leaving. |
| Habíamos tenido que limpiar la casa antes de salir. | We had to clean the house before going out. |
| Ya había salido cuando tú llamaste. | I had already left when you called. |
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Poder (To Be Able)
The verb poder is an irregular verb that means to be able or can. The following table shows how to conjugate this very common verb in the present and preterite tenses.
| pronoun | present | preterite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | puedo | pude | I am/was able |
| tú | puedes | pudiste | you are/were able (singular familiar) |
| usted | puede | pudo | you are/were able (polite singular) |
| él, ella | puede | pudo | he/she/it is/was able |
| nosotros | podimos | pudimos | we are/were able |
| vosotros | podéis | pudisteis | you are/were able (familiar plural) |
| ustedes | pueden | pudieron | you are/were able (plural) |
| ellos, ellas | pueden | pudieron | they are/were able |
Past Participle: podido
Examples
| Puedo hablar español. | I can speak Spanish. |
| ¿Puedes ir a la tienda? | Can you go to the store? |
| ¿María pudo encontrar sus llaves? | Was María able to find her keys? |
| Podemos hacerlo. | We can do it. |
| Pudieron ver la película. | They were able to see the movie. |
Querer (To Want)
The verb querer is an irregular verb that means to want. The following table shows how to conjugate this very common verb in the present and preterite tenses.
| pronoun | present | preterite | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | quiero | quise | I want/wanted |
| tú | quieres | quisiste | you want/wanted (singular familiar) |
| usted | quiere | quiso | you want/wanted (polite singular) |
| él, ella | quiere | quiso | he/she/it wants/wanted |
| nosotros | queremos | quisimos | we want/wanted |
| vosotros | queréis | quisisteis | you want/wanted (plural familiar) |
| ustedes | quieron | quisieron | you want/wanted (plural) |
| ellos, ellas | quieron | quisieron | they wanted |
Past Participle: querido
Examples
| Quiero una taza de café. | I want a cup of coffee. |
| ¿Qué quieres saber? | What do you want to know? |
| Hemos querido viajar a Nicaragua. | We have wanted to travel to Nicaragua. |
| Querían comprar una casa. | They wanted to buy a house. |
| Alejandro quiere venir con nosotros. | Alejandro wants to come with us. |
Vocabulary
Here are some more very common Spanish verbs. If the vowel changes in the verb, it is shown in parentheses.
| empezar (ie) | begin |
| creer | believe |
| elegir | choose |
| sentir (ie) | feel |
| pagar | pay |
| pensar (ie) | think |
| girar | turn, rotate |
| contestar | answer |
| responder | answer, reply, respond |
| preguntar | ask |
| pedir | ask for |
| romper | break |
| decidir | decide |
| ayudar | help |
| mover (ue) | move |
Examples
| Daniel empieza a ayudar. | Daniel begins to help. |
| Creemos que es verdad. | We believe it's true. |
| Elegimos ir a la playa. | We chose to go to the beach. |
| Rompieron la silla. | They broke the chair. |
| Ella pagó la cuenta. | She paid the bill. |
| Ella ya ha decidido ayudar. | She has already decided. |
| Ya habíamos empezado nuestro viaje. | We had already started our journey. |
Flashcards
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the present perfect, and past perfect tenses of Spanish verbs.
Quiz
This quiz covers the present perfect, and past perfect tenses of Spanish verbs. You can take the quiz as many times as you'd like. Each time the questions will be a bit different.