He desayunado esta mañana.
English: I have had breakfast this morning.
- Language
- Spanish
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Tiempos pasados y futuros
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
The 'pretérito perfecto' is a Spanish past tense used to talk about actions that have happened recently or have a connection to the present.
When to use it
Use the 'pretérito perfecto' to talk about actions completed in a time period that includes the present (like today, this week) or when the result is important now.
Key forms
- Form: haber (present) + past participle of the verb.
- Examples: he hablado, has comido, hemos vivido
Examples
¿Has visto mi libro?
English: Have you seen my book?
Hemos terminado la tarea.
English: We have finished the homework.
Mis amigos han llegado.
English: My friends have arrived.
Tips
- Always use the correct form of 'haber' before the past participle.
- The past participle does not change for gender or number.
- Do not use 'tener' instead of 'haber' in this tense.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some verbs have irregular past participles, like 'escribir' → 'escrito', 'ver' → 'visto', 'poner' → 'puesto'.