The present perfect or pretérito perfecto compuesto can be one of the most difficult tenses for students to learn.
Learning the present perfect effectively involves making sure that you understand that this tense is always related in some way to the present moment.
Many languages, such as French, German, and Italian, use the past perfect past tense for past events, and this tense encompasses what happens from a past moment to the present moment.
Establishing this connection will help you to avoid errors. It is helpful to divide usage into six main areas:
When do we use the present perfect in Spanish?
1 We use the Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto to express a past action that is connected to the present.
Examples:
| Este año hemos viajado mucho. | We have traveled a lot this year. |
| Los chicos han estudiado toda la semana. | The kids have studied all week. |
2 When the time when the action occurred is irrelevant, but the speaker’s intention is to relate it to the present.
Examples:
| En mi país siempre ha nevado en invierno. | It has always snowed in my country in winter. |
| Ha habido 26 presidentes hasta ahora. | There have been 26 presidents so far. |
3 To talk about actions that occurred in the recent past. The temporal expression “recently” is often used.
Examples:
| Esta mañana he ido al gimnasio. | I have gone to the gym this morning. |
| Los chicos han llegado a casa recién. | The kids have just arrived home. |
4 To talk about past events that have some consequence in the present time. There is usually some visible consequence.
Examples:
| -¿Qué te ha pasado? | -What has happened to you? |
| – Me quebré el brazo. | – I have broken my arm. |
5 When we want to express an action that has not yet happened. These phrases are usually accompanied by todavía and aún.
Examples:
| Todavía no he enviado el correo electrónico. | I haven’t sent the email yet. |
| ¿Aún no han terminado el proyecto? | They haven’t finished the project yet? |
6 To talk about an action that began in the past and is still continuing in the present. We also use time expressions such as: for (5) years, for (a long) time, etc.
Examples:
| Mi familia y yo hemos vivido en esta ciudad por más de treinta años. | My family and I have lived in this city for over thirty years. |
| ¿Cuánto tiempo has esperado por una entrevista? | How long have you been waiting for an interview? |
How do we form the Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto?
We form the Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto with the auxiliary verb “haber” and a past participle form of the main verb. Take a look at the following table:
| Pronouns | HABER | Verb: hablar | Verb: ver | Verb: ir |
| yo | he | hablado | visto | ido |
| tú | has | |||
| él / ella | ha | |||
| usted | ha | |||
| nosotros/-as | hemos | |||
| ellos/-as | han |
Ejemplos de oraciones del pretérito perfecto compuesto:
- Nosotros nunca hemos visitado Egipto.
- En mi ciudad siempre ha habido mucho tráfico.
- Mi madre recién ha terminado de preparar la cena.
- Todavía no hemos visto la película.
- Aún no hemos podido escribir el ensayo.
- He trabajado en esta fábrica por 25 años.
- ¿Todavía no has leído la novela?
- Cristina no ha dejado de hablar en toda la reunión.
- Han querido visitar Grecia por mucho tiempo.
- ¿Has estado muy ocupada últimamente?
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