
How to Crack the Past Participle in Spanish
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Today you’re going to be getting down and dirty with some grammar – you’re learning everything there is to know about the past participle in Spanish.
But the best part about this entire situation is that the past participle (or better yet, the past participles) is actually a relatively simple Spanish grammar tense.
Sure, there are a few irregular verbs to use and you can use the past participle in conjunction with other tenses, but you’ll be a master at it in no time!
So let’s get down to it! Here is a guide for absolutely everything you need to know about the past participle in Spanish.
What is the past participle?
The past participle is a verb conjugation that is typically used in conjunction with another verb. In other words, it’s a verb tense that always goes together with another verb.
This means that in order to understand other verb tenses, the first thing you’ll need to do is master this participle.
The only exception to the rule, when the Spanish past participle is not used in conjunction with another verb, is usually in a perífrasis verbal. But that’s a topic we’ll cover another day.
If you look into any Spanish language grammar tense, you’ll hear this commonly called the “participio”, which is normally used within other grammar tenses (like the dreaded pluscuamperfecto)
The past participle in Spanish is actually very similar to the one in -ed ending in English. However, in English, the most common verb tense is the present perfect. This is why you will sometimes hear people refer to the past participle as the perfect tense.
However, there’s something important to note here. The -ed ending in English can be both the simple past or the present perfect (el participio), depending on the verb. Here are some examples:
- I jumped high vs I have jumped high
- I gave him flowers vs I had given him flowers
Both of the sentences on the right are the participle forms (have jumped and had given). However, jumped and gave (on the left side) are both the simple past. So make sure to remember this as we’re going forward. In today’s article, we are only focusing on the verbs on the right-hand side.
How to form the past participle in Spanish
Forming the past participle verbs in Spanish is actually one of the easiest verb tenses to conjugate. In fact, it doesn’t matter if it’s yo, tú, etc., since it’s always the same. This is because the participle always functions together with another verb or as an adjective (more on that later).
Now, let’s look at all the ways you can create a past participle:
Ar Verbs
For -ar ending verbs, it couldn’t get any easier. All you need to do is remove the -ar ending of the infinitive verb, then add -ado to create the past participles.
Infinitive 7393_7aa92b-5b> |
Participle 7393_572115-7e> |
English 7393_209a35-7f> |
---|---|---|
Hablar 7393_2848ed-58> |
Hablado 7393_af765c-70> |
Speak / Spoken 7393_846d55-01> |
Caminar 7393_4e96b9-ee> |
Caminado 7393_2f2968-97> |
Walk / Walked 7393_75a5bf-e9> |
Tomar 7393_a324b3-d8> |
Tomado 7393_b55c94-70> |
Take / Taken 7393_21283b-bd> |
Jugar 7393_1c8683-64> |
Jugado 7393_933793-7b> |
Play / Played 7393_9738fb-d2> |
Cantar 7393_c4eb55-90> |
Cantado 7393_e30762-c0> |
Sing / Sung 7393_ed521a-b9> |
So as you can see, the Spanish past participles for -ar verbs aren’t too complicated. In fact, you should be able to have them memorized quickly!
Just remember, the past participles are equivalent to the second form of English words in the table.
Er Verbs
Luckily, the past participles for -er verbs aren’t too difficult, either! Especially for the regular verbs. Here, you’ll remove the -er ending from the infinitive verb, then add –ido to end up with the Spanish past participle.
Infinitive 7393_4d9171-bd> |
Participle 7393_f394a4-5f> |
English 7393_33c80b-d0> |
---|---|---|
Correr 7393_37a374-e6> |
Corrido 7393_ad0ccf-50> |
Run / Run 7393_06cdfb-7f> |
Mover 7393_bdca22-76> |
Movido 7393_2abc79-b5> |
Move / Moved 7393_982c2e-48> |
Tender 7393_985269-99> |
Tendido 7393_c380f1-4f> |
Hang / Hung 7393_bc3d7b-6d> |
Vender 7393_2e1724-a4> |
Vendido 7393_f68841-44> |
Sell / Sold 7393_27f68a-24> |
Caber 7393_56b1c4-23> |
Cabido 7393_1cfee4-a2> |
Fit / Fit 7393_9fc266-d7> |
As you can see, the verb form for –ed past participles isn’t too complicated, either. This is great news considering Spanish conjugation usually makes things difficult.
Ir Verbs
Finally, for -ir verbs you’ll see that the past participle in Spanish will be your new favorite verb form. To form the past participles, you just remove the –ir ending from the infinitive verb, then add –ido.
So whether you have –er or –ir verbs, the process is exactly the same!
Infinitive 7393_ecc1ec-b4> |
Participle 7393_67b276-c6> |
English 7393_3704e6-03> |
---|---|---|
Vivir 7393_4b84df-48> |
Vivido 7393_8bfbc2-86> |
Live / Lived 7393_813d62-92> |
Partir 7393_dab3f7-a1> |
Partido 7393_5ab32c-d1> |
Divide / Divided 7393_b0584b-f4> |
Recibir 7393_20a35a-29> |
Recibido 7393_eea3c3-23> |
Receive / Received 7393_4cee07-40> |
Unir 7393_00d77e-96> |
Unido 7393_b23c05-00> |
Join / Joined 7393_19d702-69> |
Permitir 7393_10eaa8-5b> |
Permitido 7393_1e42a6-d9> |
Allow / Allowed 7393_09c17d-c2> |
So the great news is that it’s exactly the same procedure to form past participles for –er and –ir verbs.
The bad news, though, is that there are an enormous amount of irregular verbs. Let’s check those out
Irregular Verbs
So it wouldn’t be Spanish if there weren’t a ton of common irregular past participles, as well. Let’s take a look at some of these Spanish past participle problem areas before moving forward.
Infinitive 7393_ed81ff-be> |
Participle 7393_086d66-29> |
English 7393_103603-85> |
---|---|---|
Escribir 7393_7fe4ec-79> |
Escrito 7393_1fabc3-e9> |
Write / Written 7393_cc3aec-1a> |
Morir 7393_0a52f2-d2> |
Muerto 7393_aac929-7f> |
Die / Dead 7393_a505bc-3c> |
Romper 7393_bdc228-98> |
Roto 7393_b7c96b-28> |
Break / Broken 7393_aaad27-f2> |
Volver 7393_085fdf-6e> |
Vuelto 7393_89a9dd-30> |
Return / Returned 7393_52a739-14> |
Abrir 7393_91e60e-0a> |
Abierto 7393_54d06e-db> |
Open / Opened 7393_3f73bf-04> |
Poner 7393_4016c3-86> |
Puesto 7393_29f2bc-22> |
Put / Put 7393_e57b31-8a> |
Ver 7393_d11a0d-57> |
Visto 7393_1195f7-ad> |
See / Seen 7393_28ac55-58> |
Hacer 7393_261e32-8a> |
Hecho 7393_5cb349-2f> |
Do / Done 7393_f60170-41> |
Decir 7393_578b16-39> |
Dicho 7393_fa3d55-dd> |
Say / Said 7393_20a1c1-9a> |
Satisfacer 7393_53612c-63> |
Satisfecho 7393_c4710a-92> |
Satisfy / Satisfied 7393_fce119-ab> |
Your saving grace to remember the irregular past participle forms is that there are two main types – words that end it –to and words that end in –cho.
Unfortunately, some of the stems of the words change and there’s not a clear pattern for this. You’ll just have to keep practicing at it until you have them all memorized.
Verbs that are regular and irregular
So, the fun part. There are actually so many irregular past participles that some verbs have acceptable irregular and regular past participles.
This is because native speakers had so many problems with the irregular verbs, that eventually they started using the regular form instead in some regions. Or sometimes because they use both versions with different meanings. Or sometimes some regions simply prefer one form to the other.
So let’s look at a list where technically either form is correct, but it’s just that everything depends on context.
Infinitive 7393_348c51-b4> |
Participle 7393_2e909a-47> |
English 7393_ce4df5-30> |
---|---|---|
Freír 7393_77e6c1-fb> |
Frito / Freído 7393_531ba0-e2> |
Fry / Fried 7393_9d9b89-c5> |
Imprimir 7393_2c63ef-eb> |
Impreso / Imprimido 7393_a83f6c-9b> |
Print / Printed 7393_f785e3-9b> |
Suspender 7393_f1011c-b9> |
Suspenso / Suspendido* 7393_4b37f2-b5> |
Fail / Failed 7393_483d43-85> |
Confundir 7393_dfd97b-30> |
Confuso / Confundido* 7393_119d87-7b> |
Confuse / Confused 7393_7194c3-3c> |
Despertar 7393_b36438-12> |
Despierto / Despertado* 7393_a722ee-af> |
Sing / Sung 7393_b7ed71-e8> |
These can be tricky. In some cases, one form (the ones with the *) is used with the auxiliary verb haber, while the other is the adjective.
FUN FACT…
However, for the first two, frito was always the preferred term, but so many people started using freído that the dictionary accepted its usage.
Either way, there are many past participles and many more irregular ones, so just stay on your toes as you learn them!
How to use the past participle
There are several uses of the past participles in Spanish. The main ways to use them are:
- As an adjective
- In the passive voice
- With the auxiliary verb haber (perfect tenses)
- As a noun
So now that you’ve memorized all those irregular verbs, let’s put everything to the test!
As an adjective
The first (and easiest) way to use past participles is as an adjective. This is a really useful tool since you can take any verb in the Spanish language and turn it into an adjective! This makes it a really easy way to build up your adjective vocabulary.
Here are some examples of the past participle as an adjective:
- Dame la camiseta rota y te la coseré. – Give me your broken shirt and I’ll sew it for you.
- El inspector les explicó el caso resuelto. – The inspector explained the solved case to them.
- Me encanta comer papas fritas. – I love eating French fries.
Something important to notice here – whenever you use the present participle this way, you need to make sure it matches the gender and number of the noun it accompanies. If it functions as an adjective, it needs to follow the adjective rules.
So, therefore, you can get the following constructions:
Spanish 7393_fbfb6f-d1> |
English 7393_be1525-15> |
---|---|
El celular roto. 7393_ef4b43-60> |
The broken phone. 7393_de936d-a2> |
La ventana rota. 7393_caf810-0b> |
The broken window. 7393_ab1753-d4> |
Los coches rotos. 7393_4491f8-7f> |
The broken cars. 7393_fb8041-31> |
Las piernas rotas. 7393_d2b844-b6> |
The broken legs. 7393_875e97-b9> |
So make sure you pay attention to gender and number when using the participle in Spanish.
In the passive voice
The passive voice is also possible in Spanish and it’s done exactly the same way as you would carry it out in English.
However, it’s important to note that the Spanish passive voice is used considerably less frequently. In fact, it’s hardly ever used except for in legal documents. And in truth, overusing the passive voice is basically the same thing as wearing a sign that says “Hey I’m an English speaker!”.
Regardless, it’s still important to know so here are a few examples:
- Si la falta es cometida por la administración… – If the mistake is committed by the administration …
- Estas torres fueron construidas en el siglo XV. – These towers were built in the 15th century.
Pretérito perfecto (he visto)
Great, now that we say the past participle as an adjective and as a passive voice, it’s time to start taking a look at the perfect tenses. These are incredibly important because they’re used all the time in Spanish.
With all of these, you’ll have the auxiliary verb Haber accompany whichever verb is being used as a participle. The first one is the pretérito perfecto, used in Spain for things that happened in the recent past, but used in the rest of the world for things that happened in the past and are still affecting the present.
Here are some examples:
- Hoy he hecho la cama nada más que levantarme. – Today I made the bed as soon as I woke up. **
- Nunca ha estado en Nueva York. – She’s never been to New York.
- Siempre han querido visitar Londres. – They’ve always wanted to visit London.
** This is the usage primarily in Spain. In the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, you would hear “hice la cama” instead of a past participle. But it’s still good to be aware of regional differences as you study.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto
The pretérito pluscuamperfecto is one of the most difficult perfect tenses for English speakers, especially for Americans. It’s often referred to the past of the past since it’s used to talk about things that happened prior to a past event.
- Yo nunca había visto una playa tan bonita antes de ir al Caribe. – I had never seen a beach so pretty before going to the Caribbean.
- Cuando propusiste ver la película, yo ya había ido al cine. – When you proposed watching the movie, I had already gone to the movie theater.
Futuro perfecto
The future perfect tense uses the auxiliary verb haber to express something that will happen in the future by a certain time. Here are some examples:
- Cuando lleguemos, ya habrán acabado el examen. – When we get there, they’ll have finished the exam.
- Antes de que termine el año, habré cumplido mis objetivos. – Before the year is over, I’ll have accomplished my goals.
Did you notice all those wonderful uses of the subjunctive? Well, we’re going to continue on with the subjunctive:
Pretérito perfecto del subjuntivo
So just like the normal pretérito perfecto (del indicativo), we can use the subjunctive version in the exact same way. In Spain, they would use it for things that happened very recently, whereas in the rest of the world it would only be for things that happened in the past that currently affect the present.
- No puedo creer que te hayas ido. – I can’t believe you left.
- Dudo que hayan estado en Colombia. – I doubt that they’ve been to Colombia.
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo
So you thought the pretérito pluscuamperfecto, the past of the past, was difficult? Well, let’s throw some subjunctive into the mix to spice it up!
- Yo esperaba que hubieras llegado a tiempo. – I had hoped you would have arrived on time.
- Me molestó que no me lo hubiera contado antes. – It bothered me that you hadn’t told me beforehand.
There’s more than one way to use this kind of tense, but for today, let’s just focus on the participles.
Conditional
Finally, the last way to use a participle with an auxiliary verb. You can add them together with conditional clauses, just like you do in English.
- No sé si habría hecho la cena. – I don’t know if he would have made dinner.
- Si te hubieras comprado Bitcoin en aquel momento, te habrías hecho millonario. – If you had bought Bitcoin at that time, you would have become a millionaire.
As a noun
The last use of participles is to combine and turn them into nouns. This is common since Spanish often uses adjectives as a noun with a specific quality. Check out some examples:
- La ida y la vuelta. – The way there and the way back.
- No han encontrado el cadáver del muerto. – They haven’t found the body of the dead person.
As you can see, it’s really not so hard. This is a really useful one to know for travelers since ida is the trip to somewhere and vuelta refers to the trip back. Spanish is a lot more concise for these specific terms.
¡Ya lo has hecho!
You’ve finished and now you know absolutely everything there is to know about the past participle in Spanish. You have learned how to form them and that you have a lot of irregular verbs to memorize. But most importantly, you have seen the participle in every context imaginable.
So now all that remains is to put it to work! Go ahead and sign up for a free private class or a 7-day free trial of our group classes so you can practice what you learned.