⏱️ El pretérito perfecto — The Present Perfect

Part of Daily routine — Higher: se-passive + present perfect (haber + pp) · Section 1 of 4

IntroductionUnit: Theme 1 — People & LifestyleGCSE

This introduction covers ⏱️ El pretérito perfecto — The Present Perfect within Daily routine — Higher: se-passive + present perfect (haber + pp) for GCSE Spanish. Revise Daily routine — Higher: se-passive + present perfect (haber + pp) in Theme 1 — People & Lifestyle for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

⏱️ El pretérito perfecto — The Present Perfect

The present perfect is your gateway to Higher writing marks. Use it to describe recent events connected to now: things you have done today, this week, or this year. It is formed with two parts: the verb haber (an auxiliary, like "to have") + a past participle. The participle never changes — it is invariable.
Person Haber Past participle example: comer
yo he comido
has comido
él / ella / usted ha comido
nosotros hemos comido
vosotros habéis comido
ellos / ustedes han comido
⭐ The past participle is INVARIABLE. It never changes for gender or number in the compound perfect. Write hemos comido — never hemos comidos. This is one of the most penalised errors at Higher level.

Forming the past participle: -AR verbs → -ado (hablar → hablado · desayunar → desayunado · levantarse → levantado). -ER / -IR verbs → -ido (comer → comido · salir → salido · vivir → vivido). If the verb stem ends in a vowel, an accent is added to the i to prevent a diphthong: oír → oído · leer → leído · caer → caído.

📅 Common time markers with the present perfect: hoy (today) · esta mañana (this morning) · esta semana (this week) · este año (this year) · ya (already) · todavía no (not yet). These time markers signal that the present perfect — not the preterite — is the appropriate tense.

Practice questions for Daily routine — Higher: se-passive + present perfect (haber + pp)

  • A. Preterite (pretérito indefinido)
  • B. Imperfect (imperfecto)
  • C. Present perfect (pretérito perfecto)
  • D. Future (futuro)
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Quick recall flashcards

¿Cuál es el participio pasado de 'hacer'?
hecho (irregular) — e.g. He hecho los deberes. (I have done my homework.) No uses 'hacido' — eso es incorrecto.
¿Cómo se dice 'she has seen the film' en español?
Ha visto la película. — 'ver' tiene participio irregular: visto. (NOT 'vido' — eso es incorrecto.)

13 questions on Daily routine — Higher: se-passive + present perfect (haber + pp) — practise free

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