The Perfect Tense and an Introduction to the Pluperfect Tense
The perfect tense is formed with the present tense of haber (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus a past participle, including irregular participles such as hecho, dicho, visto and puesto, and is closely related to the pluperfect, formed with the imperfect of haber plus the past participle.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Form the perfect tense with the present tense of haber (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
- Form regular past participles by removing the infinitive ending and adding -ado for -ar verbs (hablado) or -ido for -er/-ir verbs (comido, vivido) - the participle never changes for gender or number when it follows haber.
- Learn the common irregular past participles: hecho (hacer), dicho (decir), visto (ver), puesto (poner), vuelto (volver), escrito (escribir), abierto (abrir), roto (romper), muerto (morir), cubierto (cubrir) and descubierto (descubrir).
- Use the perfect tense for an action completed in a time period that has not yet finished (esta semana, hoy, este año) or for life experience with no specific time given (¿Has estado en España? - Sí, he estado dos veces): this contrasts with the preterite, which needs or implies a specific finished time (ayer fui, el año pasado fui).
- Keep haber and the past participle together: never insert another word between them, and place object pronouns before haber, not between haber and the participle (lo he hecho, not he lo hecho).
- Form the pluperfect with the imperfect of haber (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle, to describe an action that had already happened before another past action or point in time: cuando llegué, mi hermano ya había salido.
- Use the pluperfect to make the order of two past events clear, especially with ya (already) or todavía no (not yet): todavía no había terminado los deberes cuando sonó el teléfono.
Worked example
Complete the sentences with the correct perfect or pluperfect form: Este año yo (visitar) tres países diferentes. Nunca (ella - probar) la comida mexicana antes de este viaje. Cuando llegamos al restaurante, mis amigos ya (pedir) la comida.
- visitar needs the perfect tense, since este año signals a time period that has not finished: present of haber (he) + past participle visitado, giving he visitado.
- probar needs the perfect tense to talk about life experience up to now, subject ella: ha probado.
- pedir has a regular participle, pedido; this clause needs the pluperfect, because it describes an action already completed before another past action, llegamos, subject mis amigos (ellos): habían pedido.
- Note that haber and the participle always stay together as a fixed unit, whichever subject or tense of haber is used.
- Full answer: Este año he visitado tres países diferentes. Nunca ella ha probado la comida mexicana antes de este viaje. Cuando llegamos al restaurante, mis amigos ya habían pedido la comida.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Give the past participle of hacer.Show answer
Answer: Hecho.
Q2Complete: Yo nunca ___ (comer) sushi.Show answer
Answer: He comido.
Q3Translate: 'She has already left', using the perfect tense.Show answer
Answer: Ya ha salido.
Q4Give the past participle of escribir.Show answer
Answer: Escrito.
Q5Complete with the pluperfect: Cuando llegué a la estación, el tren ya ___ (salir).Show answer
Answer: Había salido.
Q6Explain when you would use the perfect tense rather than the preterite.Show answer
Answer: When the action happened in a time period that has not yet finished (hoy, esta semana) or describes life experience with no specific time given, rather than a single event tied to a definite past time.
Q7Give the past participle of romper.Show answer
Answer: Roto.
Q8Translate: 'We had already eaten when they arrived.'Show answer
Answer: Ya habíamos comido cuando llegaron.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Spanish exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate into English: Este fin de semana he limpiado toda la casa y he hecho la compra para la semana. Todavía no he terminado los deberes de historia porque he tenido mucho trabajo en mi trabajo a tiempo parcial. Cuando mi madre volvió del supermercado, yo ya había puesto la lavadora dos veces, así que estaba muy cansado.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 7 available
Write approximately 40 words in Spanish about your recent achievements and future study plans, addressing all of the following: something you have already done this year; something you had never done before a particular trip or event; what you would like to study next year.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 12 available
See real GCSE Spanish past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the the perfect tense and an introduction to the pluperfect tense worksheet pack - 7 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
Next topics
Not quite what you needed?
Tell us what is missing on the perfect tense and an introduction to the pluperfect tense, or which topic to write up next. Every request is read, and we reply to every one.
Build a full practice pack.
This topic is one of hundreds in the library - pick the ones a student needs and generate a printable PDF in minutes.