Spanish Present Perfect : How to Use It with Examples

Verb tenses are essential in Spanish; one you’ll use often is the present perfect. It lets you talk about past actions that matter now. Think: “I have eaten,” “She has gone,” or “We’ve talked.” Here’s how to use it correctly.

What Is the Present Perfect?

In Spanish, the present perfect describes actions that:

• happened at an unspecified time in the past,
• have a connection to the present, or
• have very recently happened (especially in Spain). Note: to say “have just (done),” Spanish normally uses acabar de + infinitive (e.g., acabo de llegar).

Important dialect note: Spanish often uses the present perfect in these situations—especially in Spain. In much of Latin America, the preterite is common for “today/this week” contexts (e.g., Hoy vi a María, No me llamó hoy).

English Examples

• I have finished the book.
• Have you ever been to Spain?
• She hasn’t called me today.

Spanish will often use the present perfect here (particularly in Spain), though Latin American Spanish may prefer the preterite in “today” contexts.

How Is It Formed?

Formula: haber (present) + past participle

Conjugation of haber (present)

• yo — he
• tú — has
• él/ella/usted — ha
• nosotros/as — hemos
• vosotros/as — habéis
• ellos/ellas/ustedes — han

Past Participle

• -ado for -ar verbs → hablar → hablado
• -ido for -er/-ir verbs → comer → comido, vivir → vivido

Accent Rule

• Use -ído (accent on i) when it would otherwise form a diphthong: leído, traído, creído, reído, oído.
• No accent after verbs ending in -uir: construido, destruido, incluido.
• No accent in ir → ido.

Word Order

Do not separate haber from the past participle. Place negation and object pronouns before haber.

• Correct: Ya he comido.
• Incorrect: He ya comido.
• With pronoun/negation: No lo he visto.

Agreement

With haber, the participle does not change to match gender or number:

Las he visto (not vistas).

However, when used as an adjective (often with ser or estar), it does agree:

Las cartas están escritas.

Examples in Sentences

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using tener instead of haber
  For compound tenses, always use haber: He comido.
  Tener + participio is a different construction with an object/result nuance:
  Lo tengo hecho, Tengo leída la primera parte.
• Separating haber from the participle
  He ya comido is incorrect → Ya he comido is correct.
• Forgetting necessary accents in participles
  Use -ído when required (leído, traído, oído), but no accent after -uir verbs or with ido.

When to Use the Present Perfect

• Experiences: ¿Alguna vez has probado el sushi? (Have you ever tried sushi?)
• Very recent actions (especially in Spain): Hoy he visto a María. (I’ve seen María today)
  In Latin America, this may be: Hoy vi a María.
• Actions that affect the present: Hemos perdido las llaves. (We’ve lost the keys.)

Common Time Expressions

• hoy (today)
• esta semana / este mes / este año (this week / this month / this year)
• ya (already)
• todavía no / aún no (not yet)
• alguna vez (ever)
• nunca (never)
• últimamente / recientemente (lately / recently)

Final Thoughts

Once you know the structure—haber (present) + past participle—you’ll use the present perfect confidently in conversation, reading, and writing. Practice with experiences, results that matter now, and (in Spain) events from hoy or esta semana. If you’re targeting Latin American usage, pay attention to where speakers prefer the preterite instead.