Present Perfect in Spanish
The name of this tense in Spanish is: "Pretérito perfecto compuesto" or "Presente perfecto".
Construction of the Present Perfect
The construction is:
[SUBJECT] + ['haber' in present tense (he)] + [PARTICIPLE]
He trabajado bastante por hoy
I have worked enough for today
Auxiliary 'haber' in Present
We remember the conjugation of the auxiliary 'haber' in the present tense:
| Conjugation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| yo he | -- |
| tú has | -- |
| él ha | -- |
| nosotros hemos | -- |
| vosotros habéis | -- |
| ellos han | -- |
Uses of Present Perfect
The present perfect in Spanish is similar to the present perfect in English.
He estado en Segovia dos veces
I have been in Segovia twice
Showing interrogation
To form the interrogation, modify only the position of the subject:
| Affirmation | Interrogation |
|---|---|
| tú has estado you have been | ¿has estado (tú)? have you been? |
Negation
To build the negation, add the particle "no" before the auxiliary verb:
| Affirmation | Negation |
|---|---|
| yo he cocinado I have cooked | yo no he cocinado I haven't cooked |