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Tense guide
Pretérito perfecto (Present Perfect)

Language: Spanish
Tense:
Person:

Practice conjugation drills

Introduction

This tense is used to talk about past actions that are connected to the present. Think of it as "have done" or "has done" in English. The action happened in the past, but the time frame of the action is still ongoing, or the action is still relevant now.

We use this tense for actions that happened in a time period that is not over yet. This includes words like today, this week, this month, or this year.

Hoy he comido con mi familia.
(Today I have eaten with my family.)
Esta mañana hemos bebido café.
(This morning we have drunk coffee.)
¿Qué has hecho esta semana?
(What have you done this week?)
Ellos han viajado mucho este año.
(They have traveled a lot this year.)
Mi amigo no ha estudiado nada hoy.
(My friend has not studied at all today.)
Todavía no ha llegado el tren.
(The train has not arrived yet.)

We also use it to talk about life experiences. The specific time of the action is not important. We are just saying if something has or has not happened in a person's life. This often uses words like ever or never.

Yo he visitado Madrid dos veces.
(I have visited Madrid two times.)
¿Alguna vez has visto esa película?
(Have you ever seen that movie?)
Nosotros nunca hemos probado la comida tailandesa.
(We have never tried Thai food.)
Ella ha leído todos los libros de ese autor.
(She has read all the books by that author.)

Finally, we use it for past actions that have a clear result or consequence in the present moment. The action is finished, but its result affects what is happening now.

He perdido mis llaves.
(I have lost my keys.)
El niño ha roto el juguete.
(The boy has broken the toy.)
¿Por qué has abierto la ventana?
(Why have you opened the window?)

Important: In many parts of Spain, this tense is used very frequently for recent past actions. In most of Latin America, speakers often prefer to use a different past tense for these same situations.

Conjugation patterns