Apuntes de abril El pretérito perfecto (The Present Perfect) ¿Has hablado con el jefe? Have you spoken with the boss? No, pero le he dejado un mensaje. No, but I’ve left him a message.

The present perfect (el pretérito perfecto) is formed by combining the present tense of the verb HABER (to have) and a past participle. HABER (to have) (yo) he(nosotros/as) hemos (tú) has(vosotros/as) habéis (Ud., él/ella) ha(Uds., ellos/as) han

Here is a review of how to form past participles: InfinitiveStemPast Participle hablarhabl-hablado beberbeb-bebido salirsal-salido

The past participles of –er and –ir verbs whose stems end in a vowel have a written accent. caer  caídoreír  reído creer  creídosonreír  sonreído leer  leídotraer  traído oír  oído

Irregular past participles abrir  abiertoponer  puesto decir  dichoresolver  resuelto describir  descritoromper  roto escribir  escritover  visto hacer  hechovolver  vuelto morir  muerto

The present perfect in Spanish is used to express actions much in the same way as it is in English. It generally refers to actions that have taken place in the recent past. ¿Has hecho gimnasia recientemente? Have you worked out lately? Mi padre ha aumentado de peso. My father has gained weight. Nos hemos entrenado mucho esta semana. We’ve trained a lot this week. Todavía no he salido. I haven’t left yet.

The past participle does not change when it appears in the present perfect tense. Past participles only change when they are used as adjectives. El profesor ha abierto la ventana. The professor has opened the window. La ventana está abierta. The window is open.

The present perfect of the verb hay (there is/are) is ha habido (there has/have been). Ha habido un terremoto en México. There has been an earthquake in Mexico. Ha habido muchos problemas con ese coche. There have been a lot of problems with that car.

Here are some common expressions used with the present perfect. alguna vez – evertodavía no – not yet en estos días – these daysúltimamente - lately recientemente – recentlyya - already siempre – always

Unlike English, no words are permitted between the form of haber and the past participle. ¿Has viajado a Europa alguna vez? Have you ever traveled to Europe? Siempre hemos vivido aquí. We’ve always lived here.