The participle is a non-personal form of the verb that expresses a result, a state, or an action already completed. It comes from a verb, but it does not function as a full conjugation of person and number. In a sentence, it usually presents something like closed, written, broken, or the task completed. That is why it appears both to talk about a final state and to form compound tenses with Verbs and other constructions. As a verbal form, it keeps the idea of action, but shows it from the result. In abrir, the participle abierto names the state that remains after opening; in terminar, terminado expresses that the action has come to its end.

Verbs in -ar form the participle with -ado: hablar → hablado, cantar → cantado, trabajar → trabajado. Verbs in -er and -ir form the participle with -ido: comer → comido, beber → bebido, vivir → vivido, partir → partido. The ending is added to the verb stem and does not change according to the person. In estudiar you get estudiado; in escribir, escrito is not regular and therefore belongs to another group. Regular participles are the basis for Perfect and for many constructions with Verb Phrases.

Regular formation of participles

Idea
In verbs ending in ar, the regular participle ends in ado.
In verbs ending in er, the regular participle ends in ido.
In verbs ending in ir, the regular participle ends in ido.

Some very common verbs do not follow the regular endings. The most frequent are hacer → hecho, decir → dicho, poner → puesto, ver → visto, escribir → escrito, abrir → abierto, romper → roto, volver → vuelto, morir → muerto and resolver → resuelto. These forms are used a lot from early readings and appear in compound tenses, in the passive voice, and as adjectives. The irregular participle preserves the verbal value, but it no longer shows the expected ending of its class. That’s why it’s wise to learn it as a fixed form of the verb, just as you learn its infinitive in Parts of the sentence.

Commonly used irregular participles

Idea
The verb hacer has the participle made/done.
The verb poner has the participle put.
The verb ver has the participle seen.

In some verbs, the vowel of the stem changes in the participle. The most visible pattern is o → u in volver → vuelto, morir → muerto and resolver → resuelto. There is also a special form in abrir → abierto, cubrir → cubierto, descubrir → descubierto and romper → roto. These forms are not built with a single regular ending rule, so they are learned as fixed participles. In everyday texts, he vuelto, ha muerto or la puerta está abierta show how these participles serve both for compound tenses and to describe a state.

Participles with vowel changes

Idea
Some verbs form an irregular participle with final vowel change.
In certain verbs, the participle ends in uerto instead of the regular form.
Other verbs use a form in echo for their irregular participle.

The participle is combined with haber to form compound tenses: he comido, has salido, ha escrito, hemos visto, habéis puesto, han vuelto. The structure is haber conjugated + participle. The participle does not change for gender or number in this construction: you say hemos comprado and not hemos comprados when it functions as part of the compound verb. These forms place the action in relation to another temporal reference and are essential for the Perfect. In a sentence like ya han llegado, han llegado acts as a single verbal unit.

Use of the participle in compound tenses

Usage	Explanation
Present perfect tense	The auxiliary haber with a participle is used to talk about an action that is completed linked to the present.
Plural compound tense	The auxiliary haber with a participle is used to express an action completed by several subjects.
Resultative value	The construction with haber expresses the result of an action without describing the process.

The passive is formed with ser + participle: la carta fue enviada, los platos son lavados cada día, el informe será revisado mañana. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number: la puerta fue cerrada, las puertas fueron cerradas, el trabajo fue terminado, los trabajos fueron terminados. This construction presents the subject as the receiver of the action and is often used in formal registers, news, and administrative texts. Compared to the active voice, it focuses on the result or the affected object, which is why it is useful in Active or Passive.

Formal use of the passive with ser

Usage	Explanation
Focus on the action	The passive with ser is used when it is important to emphasize what happens and not who does it.
Formal style	The passive with ser sounds more formal and appears often in news and formal texts.
Patient subject	The subject receives the action and agrees with the participle in gender and number when appropriate.

The participle can also function as an adjective and describe the state of a noun: la ventana abierta, el documento firmado, las puertas cerradas, los niños cansados. When used this way, it agrees in gender and number with the noun: cerrado, cerrada, cerrados, cerradas. In this use, the participle does not form a verb tense, but a quality or visible result. You’ll find it often with objects, people, and places: el vaso roto, la comida preparada, las cuentas resueltas. This function directly connects with the descriptive value of the participle and with its role in written and spoken language.

Agreement of the adjectival participle

Idea
When the participle functions as an adjective, the participle agrees with the noun in gender and number.
If the noun is masculine plural, the participle also goes in masculine plural.
If the noun is feminine plural, the participle also goes in feminine plural.