Auxiliary Verb - Haber

 

This verb enables the formation of the compound perfect tense.

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It can be conjugated into different tenses depending on when the action occurred.

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• Present perfect — ‘haber’ in present tense

• Past perfect — ‘haber’ in imperfect tense

• Future perfect — ‘haber’ in future tense

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Past Participle

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This does not change in the conjugation or during the translation.

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It’s formed by dropping the infinitive ending (-ar, -ir, -er) and adding:

• -AR verbs —> add -ado

• -ER & -IR verbs —> add -ido

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Irregular Past Participles

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Present Perfect

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present tense of haber + past participle

 

Example

• ¿Has probado el chocolate alguna vez? - Have you ever tried chocolate?

 

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Past Perfect

 

past tense of haber + past participle

 

Example

• He had written a letter to María - Había escrito una carta a María

 

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Future Perfect

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future tense of haber + past participle

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Example

• I will have written the book before the new year - Habré escrito el libro antes del año nuevo

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Reflexive Verbs

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The auxiliary verb and past participle are never separated. Therefore, reflexive pronouns are placed before the auxiliary verb.

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In the present tense:

• ’I brush my teeth’ —> ‘Me cepillo los dientes’

 

In the present perfect tense:

• ‘I have brushed my teeth’ —> ‘Me he cepillado los dientes’

• Negative form —> ‘No me he cepillado los dientes’