Irregular Spanish Past Participles and Their Common Uses
Irregular Spanish Past Participles and Their Common Uses
In this lesson, you will learn several common irregular past participles and distinguish their use after haber from their use as adjectives describing a resulting state.
Common irregular participles
- → — to do / make → done / made
- → — to say / tell → said / told
- → — to see → seen
- → — to put → put
- → — to open → opened / open
Hecho after haber
- — I have done the work.
- — Ana has made the meal.
- — We have made a reservation.
Dicho after haber
- — I have told the truth.
- — Carlos has said the address.
Visto after haber
- — I have seen Madrid.
- — Have you seen Ana?
- — We have seen the hotel.
Puesto after haber
- — I have put the phone on the table.
- — Ana has put the documents here.
Abierto after haber
- — I have opened the door.
- — They have opened the store.
The participle stays unchanged after haber
Compare:
- — Ana has opened the door.
- — Carlos has opened the door.
- — Ana and Marta have opened the door.
stays unchanged because it is part of the compound verb with haber.
Participles can also function as adjectives
When the participle describes the state of a noun with estar, it agrees with that noun.
- — The door is open.
- — The doors are open.
- — The restaurant is open.
- — The stores are open.
Verbal use versus descriptive use
Compare:
- — They have opened the store.
- — The store is open.
The first sentence reports an action with haber. The second describes the resulting state with estar.
Another action-state contrast
— I have put the documents on the table.
— The documents are placed on the table.
The second sentence is a simple description of state. This lesson does not teach the passive voice.
Do not force agreement after haber
Correct:
— Ana has made two reservations.
does not change to match reservas.
Do use agreement when the participle is an adjective
- — The door is open.
- — The hotel is open.
- — The doors are open.
Short conversation
Person A: — Have you made the reservation?
Person B: — Yes, I have made it.
Person A: — Is the store open?
Person B: — Yes, it is open.
A practical distinction method
- Learn , , , , and as common irregular participles.
- After haber, keep the participle unchanged.
- With estar describing a noun's state, make the participle agree as an adjective.
- Distinguish an action report from a result-state description.
- Do not turn the descriptive use into a passive-voice lesson.
From Irregular Participles to Experience Markers
You can now use common irregular participles after haber and recognize simple adjectival agreement when a participle describes a state. The next lesson adds ya, todavía, aún, nunca, and alguna vez to experience and recent-action sentences.