The Present Perfect tense (Presente Perfecto) is a handy tool for describing actions completed in the recent past or those continuing into the present. Let’s tackle this tense specifically for regular -ir verbs, a large and frequently used group in Spanish.
Forming the Past Participle
For regular -ir verbs, forming the past participle is a breeze:
- Remove the “-ir” ending from the infinitive.
- Add “-ido” to the stem.
Examples:
- vivir (to live) → vivido
- escribir (to write) → escrito
- recibir (to receive) → recibido
Conjugating “Haber”
The Present Perfect tense uses the present tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” (to have) plus the past participle. Here’s the conjugation of “haber”:
| Subject Pronoun | Present Tense of Haber |
|---|---|
| Yo | he |
| Tú | has |
| Él/Ella/Usted | ha |
| Nosotros/as | hemos |
| Vosotros/as | habéis |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | han |
Forming the Present Perfect
Combine the correct form of “haber” with the past participle:
Example with “vivir” (to live):
| Subject Pronoun | Present Perfect of Vivir |
|---|---|
| Yo | he vivido (I have lived) |
| Tú | has vivido (you have lived) |
| Él/Ella/Usted | ha vivido (he/she/you formal have lived) |
| Nosotros/as | hemos vivido (we have lived) |
| Vosotros/as | habéis vivido (you all have lived) |
| Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | han vivido (they/you all have lived) |
Common Regular -ir Verbs
Expand your vocabulary with these frequently used regular -ir verbs:
- abrir (to open)
- decidir (to decide)
- descubrir (to discover)
- discutir (to discuss)
- permitir (to permit)
- subir (to go up, upload)
Using the Present Perfect
The Present Perfect has several functions in Spanish:
- Describe recent past actions with present relevance:
- He vivido en España por cinco años. (I have lived in Spain for five years.)
- Express life experiences:
- ¿Has visitado el Museo del Prado? (Have you visited the Prado Museum?)
- Talk about actions that started in the past and continue in the present:
- Ellos han trabajado en este proyecto por meses. (They have worked on this project for months.)
Synonyms:
- English: Regular -IR Verbs in Compound Present Subjunctive
- Spanish: Verbos Regulares en -IR en Pretérito Perfecto De Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Perfecto Compuesto, Antepresente De Subjuntivo