Perfect tenses in Spanish describe actions that are completed, but they do so from different perspectives or points in time. These tenses help you talk about what has happened, what had happened, what will have happened, or what might have happened under certain conditions.
Types of Perfect Tenses
There are four main perfect tenses in Spanish:
- Present Perfect (pretérito perfecto compuesto): Describes actions that have been completed recently or that still affect the present.
- Past Perfect (Pluperfect) (pretérito pluscuamperfecto): Describes actions that had been completed before another past action.
- Future Perfect (futuro perfecto): Describes actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.
- Conditional Perfect (condicional perfecto): Describes actions that would have been completed under certain conditions.
Which Spanish perfect tense describes actions that have been completed recently or still affect the present?
Present Perfect
The Present Perfect tense describes actions completed recently or that still impact the present moment.
Formation Rules
All perfect tenses use the past participle form (-ado for -ar verbs, -ido for -er/-ir verbs) combined with a conjugated form of haber.
- Example verb: hablar (to speak)
- Past participle: hablado
| Tense | Haber Form Example | Full Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Perfect | he hablado | I have spoken |
| Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | había hablado | I had spoken |
| Future Perfect | habré hablado | I will have spoken |
| Conditional Perfect | habría hablado | I would have spoken |
Conjugate the verb 'hablar' in Present Perfect for 'we'.
hemos hablado
'Hemos hablado' means 'we have spoken' and uses Present Perfect.
Conjugation Tables
Let’s look at the verb hablar (to speak) in all four perfect tenses:
Present Perfect (pretérito perfecto compuesto)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| he hablado | I have spoken |
| has hablado | you have spoken |
| ha hablado | he/she/it has spoken |
| hemos hablado | we have spoken |
| habéis hablado | you all have spoken |
| han hablado | they have spoken |
Past Perfect (Pluperfect) (pretérito pluscuamperfecto)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| había hablado | I had spoken |
| habías hablado | you had spoken |
| había hablado | he/she/it had spoken |
| habíamos hablado | we had spoken |
| habíais hablado | you all had spoken |
| habían hablado | they had spoken |
Future Perfect (futuro perfecto)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| habré hablado | I will have spoken |
| habrás hablado | you will have spoken |
| habrá hablado | he/she/it will have spoken |
| habremos hablado | we will have spoken |
| habréis hablado | you all will have spoken |
| habrán hablado | they will have spoken |
Conditional Perfect (condicional perfecto)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| habría hablado | I would have spoken |
| habrías hablado | you would have spoken |
| habría hablado | he/she/it would have spoken |
| habríamos hablado | we would have spoken |
| habríais hablado | you all would have spoken |
| habrían hablado | they would have spoken |
Time Expressions
Here are some common time expressions used with perfect tenses:
| Expression | Usage |
|---|---|
| ya | already |
| todavía no | not yet |
| aún | still, yet |
| alguna vez | ever |
| nunca | never |
| desde hace | for (a period of time) |
| hasta ahora | up until now |
| para entonces | by then |
| en ese momento | at that moment |
| por fin | finally |
Summary
Spanish perfect tenses are powerful tools for expressing completed actions from different points in time:
- Present Perfect: What has happened (recently or still relevant)
- Past Perfect: What had happened before something else
- Future Perfect: What will have happened by a future time
- Conditional Perfect: What would have happened under conditions
Remember: all use haber + past participle. Perfect tenses help you talk about time in a precise and meaningful way!
Flashcards (1 of 24)
- English: I have spoken
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
