17. the present perfect tense
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TENSE Present perfectTIME Refers to the recent past or to past actions that are still trueKEY PHRASES “Have,” “has” (“I have eaten,” “she has eaten”)STRUCTURE Compound tense: haber conjugated in the present tense +
past participle
*e present perfect tense is a compound tense, which means that it requires an auxiliary, or helping, verb. *is is also true in English, where the auxiliary verb is “have” or “has”—“I have spoken,” “She has studied.” In Spanish, the auxiliary verb is haber, which means “to have (done something).” Do not confuse haber with tener, which means “to have, possess.”
We o+en use the present perfect tense when speaking about something that was true in the past and is still true. *e sentence “I have lived here for ten years” means that starting ten years ago I lived here, I still live here, and I have lived here all the time in between.
*e present perfect is also used to indicate that an action was completed recently: “I can’t go out to dinner because I have eaten.”
An important aspect of the present perfect tense is that the action referred to takes place in a span of time, either stated or implied, that leads up to and includes the present. However, the action referred to within this span of time took place at a time that is not precisely speci!ed or implied (as in the preterite).
For example, in the sentence “I’ve gone to the club three times this year,” the span of time includes all of this year until now. However, we do not know exactly when (that is, on which dates) the person visited the club. If you ask a person, “How have you been?” the implied span of time is “lately.”
Formation of the present perfectBecause the present perfect tense is a compound tense, you will be working with two verbs, not one. To form verbs in this tense, ,rst conjugate haber in the present tense.
haber to have (auxiliary)
he hemoshas habéisha han
The present perfect tense ·17·
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*e conjugated form of haber is then followed by the past participle of the desired verb. Most past participles in Spanish are regular. Let’s consider these ,rst.
Regular past participles*e patterns for regular past participles are below.
-ar VERBS Drop the -ar ending and replace it with -ado. hablar > hablado-er VERBS Drop the -er ending and replace it with -ido. comer > comido-ir VERBS Drop the -ir ending and replace it with -ido. vivir > vividoBelow are the full conjugations of hablar, comer, and vivir in the present perfect tense.
hablar to speak, talk
he hablado hemos habladohas hablado habéis habladoha hablado han hablado
comer to eat
he comido hemos comidohas comido habéis comidoha comido han comido
vivir to live
he vivido hemos vividohas vivido habéis vividoha vivido han vivido
Yo he hablado con Roberto. I have spoken with Robert.Nos hemos acostado. We have gone to bed.Tú has estado aquí por diez minutos. You have been here for ten minutes.¿Habéis recibido los regalos? Have you all received the presents?Mitch ha sido mi amigo por treinta y Mitch has been my friend for thirty-!ve years. cinco años.No lo han visitado. !ey haven’t visited him.
*ere are two guidelines that will help you in your use of the present perfect tense.
1 *e conjugated form of haber and the past participle are not—and cannot be—separated by any other words.
2 Object pronouns always precede the conjugated form of the verb haber.
EJERCICIO
Put an X next to each of the things that you have done today.
1. He hablado por teléfono.
2. He tomado café.
3. He comido una ensalada.
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4. He comprado una camisa.
5. He almorzado.
6. Me he duchado.
7. He contado mi dinero.
8. He recibido un regalo.
9. He cometido un error.
10. He escuchado la radio.
11. Me he lavado el pelo.
12. He lavado el coche.
17·1EJERCICIO
Traducción
1. I have worked.
2. You have listened.
3. She has drunk the milk.
4. We have understood.
5. They [m.] have received a present.
6. We have sold the house.
7. Have you watched television today?
8. Where have they lived?
9. I have showered.
10. He has been with me.
11. You [formal] have learned a lot.
12. Have you brushed your teeth?
13. He has called me six times.
14. I’ve run three miles.
15. She hasn’t washed her hair.
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Irregular past participlesAll conjugations in the present perfect tense begin with haber conjugated in the present tense, followed by a past participle. Most past participles are regular. However, there are several irregu-lar past participles, and they fall into two distinct groups.
One group of irregular past participles follows a pattern, which makes them easier to learn. Most -er and -ir verbs with a vowel (other than u) immediately preceding the in,nitive ending have past participles that end with -ído (note the accent over the i of the ending). Verbs ending with -uir, however, are regular. For example, the past participle of construir is construido. *e second group of irregular past participles must be learned individually.
Below are several common verbs that have irregular past participles.
VOCABULARIO
Irregular past participles that end with -ídoatraer to attract atraídocaer to fall caídocreer to believe creídoleer to read leídooír to hear oídoposeer to possess poseídosonreír to smile sonreídotraer to bring traído
Irregular past participles that must be learned individuallyabrir to open abiertocubrir to cover cubiertodecir to say, tell dichodescribir to describe descritodescubrir to discover descubiertodevolver to return (something) devueltodisolver to dissolve disueltoenvolver to wrap, wrap up envueltoescribir to write escritofreír to fry fritohacer to make, do hechomorir to die muertooponer to oppose opuestoponer to put, place puestoproveer to provide, furnish provistopudrir to rot, languish podridoresolver to resolve resueltoromper to break, break through/up rotover to see vistovolver to return vuelto
He abierto la puerta. I have opened the door.No hemos hecho nada. We haven’t done anything.¿No has escrito la carta? Haven’t you written the letter?¿Habéis visto la película? Have you all seen the movie?Él me ha dicho una mentira. He has told me a lie.Los huevos se han podrido. !e eggs have rotted.
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EJERCICIO
¿Qué has hecho esta semana? Escribe una X delante de todo lo que has hecho durante la semana pasada.
1. He visto una película.
2. He escrito una carta.
3. He resuelto todos mis problemas.
4. He leído un libro.
5. He abierto las ventanas de mi casa.
6. He dicho una mentira.
7. He frito una hamburguesa.
8. He roto un plato.
9. He devuelto libros a la biblioteca.
10. He envuelto un regalo.
17·2EJERCICIO
Traducción
1. I have read twenty pages.
2. She has opened the book.
3. Where have you put the dishes?
4. The rabbit has died.
5. Have you told her the truth?
6. What have you seen?
7. The cook has fried all the eggs.
8. What have you done today?
9. The store has provided us with clothing.
10. She has broken another !ngernail (la uña).
11. Has he resolved his problems?
12. We haven’t said anything.
13. The politician has not told us the truth.
14. Why haven’t they returned?
15. What have you made for us?
Irregular past participlesAll conjugations in the present perfect tense begin with haber conjugated in the present tense, followed by a past participle. Most past participles are regular. However, there are several irregu-lar past participles, and they fall into two distinct groups.
One group of irregular past participles follows a pattern, which makes them easier to learn. Most -er and -ir verbs with a vowel (other than u) immediately preceding the in,nitive ending have past participles that end with -ído (note the accent over the i of the ending). Verbs ending with -uir, however, are regular. For example, the past participle of construir is construido. *e second group of irregular past participles must be learned individually.
Below are several common verbs that have irregular past participles.
VOCABULARIO
Irregular past participles that end with -ídoatraer to attract atraídocaer to fall caídocreer to believe creídoleer to read leídooír to hear oídoposeer to possess poseídosonreír to smile sonreídotraer to bring traído
Irregular past participles that must be learned individuallyabrir to open abiertocubrir to cover cubiertodecir to say, tell dichodescribir to describe descritodescubrir to discover descubiertodevolver to return (something) devueltodisolver to dissolve disueltoenvolver to wrap, wrap up envueltoescribir to write escritofreír to fry fritohacer to make, do hechomorir to die muertooponer to oppose opuestoponer to put, place puestoproveer to provide, furnish provistopudrir to rot, languish podridoresolver to resolve resueltoromper to break, break through/up rotover to see vistovolver to return vuelto
He abierto la puerta. I have opened the door.No hemos hecho nada. We haven’t done anything.¿No has escrito la carta? Haven’t you written the letter?¿Habéis visto la película? Have you all seen the movie?Él me ha dicho una mentira. He has told me a lie.Los huevos se han podrido. !e eggs have rotted.
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17·3EJERCICIO
Traducción These sentences contain both regular and irregular past participles.
1. I have had the money for more than twenty years.
2. She has opened the window, and I have closed the door.
3. My neighbor’s dog has barked (ladrar) all night long, and I haven’t been able to sleep.
4. Where have you put your suitcase?
5. How many times have you brushed your teeth today?
6. Why haven’t you shaved today?
7. For how many years have you known Charles?
8. You’ve arrived (llegar) late every day this week.
9. Have you all [formal] seen her?
10. The thieves have robbed our jewels and have broken all the windows.
11. Have the newlyweds (los recién casados) returned from their honeymoon (la luna de miel)?
12. Your manners (los modales) have attracted me.
13. They [m.] have demonstrated their love for Beethoven’s music.
14. If she is as rich as you tell me, then why has she robbed the bank?
15. The telephone has rung twenty times. Why haven’t you answered it?
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17·4EJERCICIO
Traducción
VOCABULARIO la cortina curtain desastre disaster el desván attic enterrar to bury el fregadero de cocina kitchen sink guardar to save (things in general) nacer to be born en ocasiones innumerables on countless occasions el patio trasero backyard el rincón corner (interior) el siglo century la tienda de departamentos department store
I’m in my grandmother’s attic. What a disaster! She has lived in this house for more than eighty years. She was born here, she was married here, and she buried six dogs and !ve cats in the backyard. She even has a kitchen sink in the corner! She has saved everything—from (desde) books and clothing to (hasta) photos, furniture, and old curtains. She has told me many times that I can have all the furniture. She has also told my sister that she can have all the furniture. I’ve been in this attic on countless occasions and I know that I haven’t seen anything from this century. What (lo que) she has saved wouldn’t !t into a department store.
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