Perfect tenses describe actions that are completed relative to a certain time and often emphasize the result or relevance of that action. They rely on the auxiliary verb haber plus a past participle.
Present Perfect
The present perfect (pretérito perfecto in Spain) describes actions that have happened recently or at an unspecified time before now and that often connect to the present moment. Use it for experiences, changes, and news.
Formation
Form the present perfect with the present tense of haber plus the past participle: he hablado, has comido, ha vivido, etc. The past participle ends in -ado for -ar verbs and -ido for -er and -ir verbs.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo he hablado | I have spoken | |
| tú has hablado | you have spoken | |
| él/ella ha hablado | he/she has spoken | |
| nosotros hemos hablado | we have spoken | |
| vosotros habéis hablado | you all have spoken | |
| ellos/ellas han hablado | they have spoken |
Signal Words
Common signal words for the present perfect include ya, todavía no, últimamente, recientemente, nunca, siempre, and time expressions like este mes or hoy when the period is not over. These clues help determine whether to use the present perfect or the preterite.
I have not finished the homework yet.
Past Perfect
The past perfect pluscuamperfecto describes an action that was completed before another past action or moment. It sets a clear sequence by showing what happened first. Use it for background, reported speech, and when narrating past events with layering.
Formation
Form the past perfect with the imperfect tense of haber plus the past participle: había hablado, habías comido, había vivido, etc. This construction reflects an action completed prior to a reference point in the past.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo había hablado | I had spoken | |
| tú habías hablado | you had spoken | |
| él/ella había hablado | he/she had spoken | |
| nosotros habíamos hablado | we had spoken | |
| vosotros habíais hablado | you all had spoken | |
| ellos/ellas habían hablado | they had spoken |
Signal Words
Signal words for the past perfect include ya, antes de, todavía no, cuando, and expressions that relate two past moments. These help identify when to place an action further back in time relative to another past event.
Future Perfect
The future perfect describes an action that will have been completed by a certain future time and often expresses probability or assumption about a completed action. It is useful for planning, deadlines, and making educated guesses.
Formation
Form the future perfect with the future tense of haber plus the past participle: habré hablado, habrás comido, habrá vivido, etc. This construction looks ahead to an action completed before a specified future moment.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo habré hablado | I will have spoken | |
| tú habrás hablado | you will have spoken | |
| él/ella habrá hablado | he/she will have spoken | |
| nosotros habremos hablado | we will have spoken | |
| vosotros habréis hablado | you all will have spoken | |
| ellos/ellas habrán hablado | they will have spoken |
Signal Words
Signal words for the future perfect include para, dentro de, antes de, and phrases indicating a deadline or future point in time. These guide the use of the future perfect to show completion by that moment.
Conditional Perfect
The conditional perfect describes an action that would have been completed under certain circumstances and is often used to express regrets, hypotheses, or polite assumptions about the past. It highlights unrealized actions.
Formation
Form the conditional perfect with the conditional tense of haber plus the past participle: habría hablado, habrías comido, habría vivido, etc. This construction frames actions as dependent on conditions or as counterfactual.
| Spanish Conjugation | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| yo habría hablado | I would have spoken | |
| tú habrías hablado | you would have spoken | |
| él/ella habría hablado | he/she would have spoken | |
| nosotros habríamos hablado | we would have spoken | |
| vosotros habríais hablado | you all would have spoken | |
| ellos/ellas habrían hablado | they would have spoken |
Signal Words
Signal words for the conditional perfect include si (introducing unreal conditions), probablemente, posiblemente, and contexts that involve hindsight or speculation about what might have happened. These signal a conditional or hypothetical past.
Summary
Perfect tenses use haber + past participle to situate actions relative to time and to highlight relevance, sequence, or hypothesis. The present perfect connects to the present, the past perfect orders past events, the future perfect looks ahead to completion, and the conditional perfect frames unrealized or speculative actions.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025