Spanish · A2 · Family moment
Your Tiny Adventures in Spanish
Capture the small but significant milestones of your baby's day using the Present Perfect tense (Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto). This tense is ideal for describing recent actions that have a connection to the present.
What you'll learn
- Master the conjugation of the auxiliary verb 'haber'
- Form regular past participles with -ado and -ido endings
- Correctly place reflexive pronouns in perfect tense sentences
Spanish phrases for your tiny adventures
Has bebido tu leche.
You have drunk your milk.
Uses 'has' (you) + 'bebido' (from beber).
Has comido un poco de plátano.
You have eaten some banana.
'Un poco de' is a common way to say 'some' or 'a little bit of'.
Hemos jugado con tu osito.
We have played with your teddy.
'Hemos' is the 'we' form of the auxiliary verb haber.
Has dormido una hora.
You have slept for an hour.
'Durante' (for) is often omitted in Spanish when talking about duration.
Te has despertado.
You have woken up.
Reflexive pronouns like 'te' always come before 'has'.
Te has dormido en mis brazos.
You have fallen asleep in my arms.
'Dormirse' is reflexive when it means 'to fall asleep'.
Has gateado hasta la cocina.
You have crawled into the kitchen.
'Gatear' comes from 'gato' (cat), literally meaning to move like a cat.
Hemos ido al parque.
We have gone to the park.
'Ido' is the past participle of the irregular verb 'ir'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
Osito
Teddy bear
The suffix '-ito' makes the word 'oso' (bear) smaller and cuter.
Gatear
To crawl
A specific verb for babies or people moving on all fours.
Leche
Milk
A feminine noun: 'la leche'.
The Auxiliary Verb 'Haber'
Unlike some languages that use both 'have' and 'be', Spanish only uses 'haber' as the auxiliary for perfect tenses.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yo (I) | He | He comido. |
| Tú (You) | Has | Has bebido. |
| Nosotros (We) | Hemos | Hemos jugado. |
Past Participles
Form the participle by dropping the infinitive ending and adding the new ending. These remain unchanged regardless of gender or number in this tense.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -AR verbs | -ado | Jugar -> Jugado |
| -ER/-IR verbs | -ido | Comer -> Comido |
More examples
¿Has comido bien?
Have you eaten well?
Questions keep the same word order: 'haber' + participle.
Ya te has despertado, mi amor.
You have already woken up, my love.
'Ya' (already) is frequently used with this tense.