Chapter 13 - The Present Perfect Indicative Tense

Question 1

What is the perfect tense?

Answer 1

The perfect tense is a way to talk about actions that have already been completed.

• The present perfect is used like the preterite, but is typically referring to something with greater immediacy or something that bears on the present time (as opposed to a past, completed action like the preterite).

Ex:
He hablado con el jefe.
I have spoken with the boss.

• The past perfect tense is used to described actions that occurred before events in the past.
  Ex:
  Ya había escrito el informe cuando la jefa me lo pidió.
  I had already written the report when the boss asked me for it.
• The present perfect subjunctive is used similarly to the present subjunctive. The difference is that you are using the present perfect subjunctive in a past-tense context, rather than present tense. The present perfect subjunctive, like the present perfect indicative, describes actions that have recently occurred or are bearing on the present.

Ex:
Me alegro de que hayas conseguido el puesto!
I’m happy that you have gotten the job!

Dudo que hayan terminado el proyecto.
I doubt that they have finished the project.

Es bueno que él haya estudiado los informes antes de la reunion.

Question 2

How are the perfect tenses formed?

Answer 2

• All perfect constructions (present perfect, past perfect, and present perfect subjunctive) are formed by combining the auxiliary verb “haber” with a past participle of a second verb. The only differences that occur in this conjugation are in “haber”
• In the present perfect, haber is conjugated into the present tense. In the past perfect, it is conjugated into the imperfect. In the present perfect subjunctive, it is conjugated into present subjunctive.

Question 3

How do you form a past participle?

Answer 3

You form the past participle by removing the -ar, -er, and -ir endings from the verb and adding the following endings:

ar: -ado
trabajar -> trabajado

er and ir: -ido
conocer -> conocido

*Remember that the past participles remain the same through the perfect tenses, it is only the auxiliary verb “haber” that conjugates.

Question 4

What tense of “haber” is used for the present perfect tense? List its conjugations.

Answer 4

The present tense form of haber is used:

he
has
ha
hemos
habéis
han

Question 5

What tense of “haber” is used for the past perfect tense? List its conjugations.

Answer 5

The imperfect tense form of haber is used:

había
habías
había
habíamos
habíais
habían

Question 6

What tense of “haber” is used for the present perfect subjunctive tense? List its conjugations.

Answer 6

The present subjunctive form of haber is used:

haya
hayas
haya
hayamos
hayáis
hayan

Question 7

What is the past participial form of abrir?

Answer 7

abierto

Question 8

What is the past participial form of decir?

Answer 8

dicho

Question 9

What is the past participial form of escribir?

Answer 9

escrito

Question 10

What is the past participial form of hacer?

Answer 10

hecho

Question 11

What is the past participial form of morir?

Answer 11

muerto

Question 12

What is the past participial form of poner?

Answer 12

puesto

Question 13

What is the past participial form of romper?

Answer 13

roto

Question 14

What is the past participial form of satisfacer?

Answer 14

satisfecho

Question 15

What is the past participial form of ver?

Answer 15

visto

Question 16

What is the past participial form of volver?

Answer 16

vuelto

Question 17

When an a, e, or o precedes the “i” in -ido, what do you do to fix pronunciation?

Answer 17

You place an accent on the “i.”

traído
leído
oído

Question 18

When the past participle of a reflexive verb is formed, what do you do with the reflexive pronoun?

Answer 18

The reflexive pronoun goes before the auxiliary verb haber:

Ya me he preparado (prepararse) para la reunión.
I have already prepared myself for the meeting.

Question 19

Conjugate the verb “compartir” into the past participle and then construct a sentence using it in the three perfect tenses:

Answer 19

compartir -> compartido

• Ella ha compartido este con el jefe.
  She shared this with the boss.
• Ella ya había compartido este con el jefe cuando llegaron.
  She had already shared this with the boss when they arrived.
• Es bueno que ella haya compartido este con el jefe.
  It’s good that she shared this with the boss.

Question 20

Conjugate the verb “hablar” into the past participle and then construct a sentence using it in the three perfect tenses:

Answer 20

hablar -> hablado

• Yo he hablado con mi madre.
  I have spoken with my mom.
• Ya había hablado con mi madre cuando ella llegó.
  I had already spoken with my mom when she arrived.
• Dudo que ella haya hablado con mi madre.
  I doubt she has spoken with my mom.

Question 21

What does “ya” mean?

Answer 21

A lot of things, but in the past perfect tense it means “already” and usually immediately precedes the auxiliary verb “haber.”