Auxiliary Verbs in SpanishA2

The participle is used in compound tenses and in many constructions with auxiliaries. Regular participles are formed by adding -ado to the stem of -ar verbs and -ido to the stem of -er and -ir verbs: hablar + -ado → hablado, comer + -ido → comido, vivir + -ido → vivido.\n\nMany common verbs have irregular participles and it is advisable to recognize them from the start: hacer → hecho, ver → visto, decir → dicho, poner → puesto, abrir → abierto, escribir → escrito, morir → muerto, volver → vuelto, romper → roto, resolver → resuelto, cubrir → cubierto, freír → frito. These participles appear frequently in Perfecto and in periphrastic constructions with Perífrasis Verbales.

Basic formation of the past participle

Idea
Verbs ending in -ar use ado to form the regular participle.
Verbs ending in -er and -ir use ido to form the regular participle.
Some participles are irregular and must be memorized.
Several frequent participles change form and do not follow the regular ending.

Show TranslationShow Questions

Haber functions as an auxiliary when followed by a participle. The structure is haber + participle, and it expresses a completed action viewed as part of a compound verb tense. In the present you have forms like he comido, has salido, ha dormido, hemos terminado, habéis llegado, han empezado.\n\nIn other tenses the same base is maintained: había hablado, habías visto, habíamos perdido, habían comprado. The verb that carries the primary meaning is the participle; haber supplies the tense and the person. This structure is the basis of the Perfecto and relates to what is already covered in Verbos.

Present of haber in compound tenses

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	haber	he
tú	haber	has
él	haber	ha
nosotros	haber	hemos
vosotros	haber	habéis
ellos	haber	han

ScrambleShow Translation

With haber, the participle does not change. It is used the same with singular or plural subjects, masculine or feminine: he visto a mis hermanas, hemos comprado las entradas, había terminado la clase, han llegado las cartas. It is not said he vista, hemos compradas nor habían terminados when the auxiliary is haber.\n\nThe reason is that the participle forms part of the compound tense and does not function as an adjective. Therefore it remains fixed, even if the subject is feminine or plural. In the expression he leído los libros, the participle leído does not agree with los libros; it simply completes the verbal form. This pattern appears constantly in Perfecto and in other constructions with Participios Verbales.

Use of the participle with haber

Idea
With haber, the participle does not change gender even if the subject is feminine.
With haber, the participle does not change number even if the subject is plural.
The participle remains the same even if there are many subjects before the auxiliary verb.
The agreement with the subject is not made with the participle but with haber.

Show TranslationShow Questions

Ser + participle forms the passive voice. The structure is subject patient + ser + participle + optional agent complement with por. It is used to center attention on the action received by the subject: La puerta fue abierta por el guardia, Los documentos fueron enviados ayer, La película será estrenada en verano.\n\nThe participle expresses the result or the process viewed from the subject that receives the action. In news, in a report, or in a formal text, this construction appears frequently when what happened matters more than who performed it. In more direct uses, the auxiliary can appear in present, preterite or future: es firmado, fue detenido, será publicada. Here it connects with Participios Verbales and with the organization of Verbos.

Passive with ser and participle

Idea
With ser, the participle forms a passive voice that presents a result or a received action.
The passive with ser usually highlights the action more than who did it.
The agent can appear after por when it matters to say who performed the action.
The passive with ser works well in news, announcements and formal narratives.

Show Translation

With ser in passive voice, the participle usually agrees in gender and number with the subject: fue detenido if the subject is masculine singular, fue detenida if it is feminine singular, fueron detenidos if masculine plural, fueron detenidas if feminine plural. You also see las cartas fueron enviadas and los acuerdos serán aprobados.\n\nThe agreement appears because the participle functions as an adjective in this passive construction. The subject receives the action and the participle adopts its form. In a sentence like estaban preocupados, preocupados agrees with the subject, but there is no passive voice there; it is a construction with estar and an adjective. By contrast, with ser + participle, the agreement belongs to the passive. This pattern overlaps with the uses of Participios Verbales.

Agreement of the participle with ser

Idea
With ser, the participle agrees in gender with the subject.
With ser, the participle agrees in number with the subject.
If the subject is masculine singular, the participle goes in masculine singular.
If the subject is feminine plural, the participle goes in feminine plural.

Show Translation

Estar + gerund expresses an action in progress. The structure is subject + estar + gerund, and it presents the action as something happening at that moment or around that moment: estoy leyendo, estás cocinando, está lloviendo, estábamos trabajando, estaban esperando.\n\nThe gerund conveys the idea of continuity and estar places that action in the present, past, or near future depending on the chosen verb form. In everyday conversation, this construction helps describe what is happening right now, what was happening at a specific moment, or a temporary situation: estoy buscando mis llaves, estaban hablando en la cocina. The form relies on Gerundios Verbales and on periphrastic constructions with Perífrasis Verbales.

Present of estar with gerund

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation
yo	estar	estoy
tú	estar	estás
él	estar	está
nosotros	estar	estamos
vosotros	estar	estáis
ellos	estar	están

ScrambleShow Translation

The regular gerund is formed with -ando for -ar verbs and -iendo for -er and -ir verbs: hablar + -ando → hablando, comer + -iendo → comiendo, vivir + -iendo → viviendo.\n\nSome frequent verbs change their form. Ir yields yendo, decir yields diciendo, venir yields viniendo, poder yields pudiendo, leer yields leyendo, oír yields oyendo, dormir yields durmiendo, morir yields muriendo, pedir yields pidiendo. These forms frequently appear in Presente Progresivo and in other periphrases with Gerundios Verbales.

Formation of the gerund

Idea
Verbs ending in -ar form the gerund with -ando.
Verbs ending in -er and -ir form the gerund with -iendo.
Some verbs change the stem in the gerund and do not follow the regular form.
The verb to go has the gerund 'yendo'.

Show Translation

Periphrastic verbs combine an auxiliary verb with an infinitive, a gerund, or a participle, and in Spanish they are very common. With ir a + infinitive you express near future: voy a salir, iba a llamar, vamos a empezar. With tener que + infinitive you express obligation: tengo que estudiar, tenemos que pagar, tenía que volver. With deber + infinitive you express obligation or recommendation: debes descansar, deben entregar el informe. With poder + infinitive you express possibility or ability: puedo ayudarte, podía entrar, pueden salir. With soler + infinitive you express habit: suelo desayunar temprano, solíamos caminar por el parque.\n\nIn all these constructions, the auxiliary verb provides the main grammatical idea and the infinitive keeps the basic sense of the action. This type of structure belongs to Perífrasis Verbales and relies on knowledge of Verbos.

Common functions of these auxiliaries

Usage	Explanation
Near future	Use to go to plus infinitive for an action that is very near or planned.
Obligation	Use to have to when something is a necessity or obligation.
Possibility	Use to be able to to express ability or possibility.
Habit	Use to usually talk about something that happens frequently.

Show Translation