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Tense guide
Participio pasivo (Past Participle)

Language: Spanish
Tense:

Introduction

This special verb form is very common in Spanish. It is often used to describe the result of an action. You can think of it as a verb that acts like a description word. It can work with other verbs to talk about what has happened, or it can describe a noun directly.

The most frequent use of this form is with the verb haber. You use it to talk about actions that have been completed in the past. It's perfect for discussing life experiences or things that happened recently.

Yo he hablado con mi jefe hoy.
(I have spoken with my boss today.)
¿Tú has comido sushi alguna vez?
(Have you ever eaten sushi?)
Ella ya ha visto esa película.
(She has already seen that movie.)
Nosotros nunca hemos visitado Argentina.
(We have never visited Argentina.)
Ellos todavía no han terminado el trabajo.
(They haven't finished the work yet.)
¿Has leído el correo?
(Have you read the email?)

Another very important use is with the verb estar. This combination describes a state or a condition that results from a previous action. It tells you how something is right now because of something that happened before.

La puerta está cerrada.
(The door is closed.)
Estoy muy cansado hoy.
(I am very tired today.)
La cena ya está preparada.
(Dinner is already prepared.)
Los vasos están rotos.
(The glasses are broken.)
Las luces están apagadas.
(The lights are turned off.)
El problema está resuelto.
(The problem is solved.)

IMPORTANT: When used with estar or as a description word, the ending must change to match the person or thing it describes. For example, cansado (masculine singular), cansada (feminine singular), cansados (masculine plural), cansadas (feminine plural).

Finally, this verb form can be used by itself as a simple description word (adjective). It modifies a noun to give more information about it, often describing a quality that comes from a past action.

Compré un coche usado.
(I bought a used car.)
Prefiero la comida hecha en casa.
(I prefer home-made food.)
Recibí una carta escrita a mano.
(I received a hand-written letter.)
Es una persona muy educada.
(She is a very well-mannered person.)

Conjugation patterns