Spanish Grammar - Presente Perfecto

El Presente Perfecto is a useful Spanish tense that has several uses.
It’s very similar to the

English Present Perfect. Just like its English counterpart, it has two verbs in its structure. The
auxiliary verb Haber and the main verb in its past participle from. There are other Spanish
tenses with similar structures. But, in this explanation, you’ll learn how to identify their
differences.
Some events start in the past and still continue in the present time. That’s when el presente
perfecto takes part. However, doing this might be a bit confusing depending on the context. For
that reason, if you’re thinking about clearing all your doubts and improving your Spanish skills,
you must keep reading this article. Today, you’ll learn how and when to use el presente
perfecto. Likewise, what you can do to enhance your communication and speeches with its use.
How to build sentences with el presente perfecto
Building sentences using el presente perfect isn’t a difficult task. Yet, as we mentioned, you
must follow the formula shown below to achieve the goal. Using haber in the presente indicative
+ the main verb in its past participle form is key. Otherwise, you might end up using the Spanish
pasado perfecto or futuro perfecto. Above all, they have similar structures but completely
different uses.
Subject + verb haber (simple present) + the main verb ( past participle)
We have to conjugate the auxiliary verb in the simple present tense. The main verb, on the
other hand, will be in the past participle form. But, depending on the infinitive form ending, we
will add the suffix -ido or -ado. The structure haber + main verb will always be together and no
words can be put between them. Let’s see a few examples.
Ellos han vivido en varias partes del mundo. / They have lived in various parts of the world.
Esta semana he tenido mucho trabajo. / This week I have had a lot of work.
Él ha competido en la carrera de atletismo. / He has competed in the track and field race.
No, no he hablado con él desde que se fue el año pasado. / No, I have not spoken to him since
he left last year.
We can use el presente perfecto to bring actions closer to the time of the subject. We do this to
recover its importance or highlight any event or action. As you may see, in the second example
above, we use the phrase “Esta semana” which helps listeners identify the time the speaker is
talking about.
The verb haber must always agree with the subject of the sentence. When the past participle is
part of the presente perfecto, as a rule, it does not change. For example,
Aún no, pero he hablado con su hermana. / Not yet, but I've talked to his sister.
Pronouns and words that state negation, such as no, nunca, tampoco, and others, will always
go before the verb haber. However, the present perfect has an extra-temporal connotation.
When we use it, we are implying that the action is also relevant.
Just like in English, we also have irregular verbs that we must remember every time we make a
sentence. The formula for this type of irregular verb is the same as for regular verbs. But let’s
see a few examples below,
Ya te he dicho que no vas a ir a la fiesta. / I already told you that you're not going to the party.
Teresa ha sido mi mejor amiga por diez años. / Teresa has been my best friend for ten years.
Use of el presente perfecto
The use of the presente perfecto in Spanish is similar to the use in English. We use the
presente perfecto to refer to actions that began in the past and continue in the present. This
time continues to the present, having an indefinite end time. In Spanish, it is equal in most of its
uses to the preterite perfect.
Note, when expressing ourselves and formulating a sentence, it is not so relevant to know at
what exact moment the action happened. Unlike the preterite/past tense. We will not use the
presente perfecto or the pretérito perfecto, with specific dates or times. Instead, we should just
use it to talk about a more general state of things being completed.
Let’s see a few examples below,
Ha hecho mucho calor en estos días. / It has been very hot these days.
Me he tomado tres cafés hoy. / I've had three coffees today.
Le he contado a mi madre lo que he visto durante mi visita a Madrid. / I have told my mother
what I have seen during my visit to Madrid.
Presente perfecto vs pretérito perfecto
If you want to know when to use the presente perfecto you identify the difference between this
verb tense and el pretérito perfecto. One important thing to do is to have a look at the state of
the action. You must pay attention to the times that appear in the sentence. The presente and
pretérito perfecto allow us to relate the past and the present. But, each one does so from a
different perspective.
If the action is still running or is still valid, then you must use the presente perfecto. On the flip
side, if the action is already completed, you must use the pretérito perfecto. When we express
past actions that have culminated in a time frame that includes the present. We use the pretérito
perfecto. For example,
Se había acostado a dormir hace como dos horas. / He had gone to sleep about two hours ago.
However, if the actions started in the past are still valid today. We are talking about the presente
perfecto. For example,
Yo he vivido en España desde hace unos meses. / I have lived in Spain for a few months.
Besides, we also have temporary markers. These help us to know in what tense we must
conjugate the verb of the sentence. El presente perfecto indicates the time in which the action
has been developing. For example,
Hemos estado casados desde 1998. / We have been married since 1998.
While in the pretérito perfecto, the time marker marks a time frame that begins in the past but
extends to or includes the present. For example,
Esta mañana había estudiado para el examen. / This morning I studied for the exam.
In summary, we use el presente perfecto to talk about events that started in the past but still
continue in the present time. We can’t add any word between the auxiliary verb and the main
verb or we will lose the meaning and sense of the whole sentence/statement. Using el presente
perfecto is a good way to emphasize or highlight past events that may affect the present time.
It’s important to know the differences between el presente perfecto and el pasado perfecto. It
will help avoid making mistakes and speaking in a proper manner. It’s true that some Spanish
verbs are irregular but taking a few minutes each day to get familiar with them is enough to
make out the most of this wonderful Spanish verb tense. Keep in mind that using marcadores
temporales is ideal to help the audience get an idea of the time you’re talking about.

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El Presente Perfecto is a useful Spanish tense that has several uses.

It’s very similar to the

How to build sentences with el presente perfecto

Use of el presente perfecto

Let’s see a few examples below,

Me he tomado tres cafés hoy. / I've had three coffees today.

Presente perfecto vs pretérito perfecto

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