8

Pretérito Perfecto
The pretérito perfecto is formed with the present of haber and a past participle. In many cases it is
very similar to the English present perfect:

He estado con ella. I have been with her.

¿Has comido? Have you eaten?

The Spanish pretérito perfecto is connected with the present or with what the speaker considers
recent, but it is a real past tense. This means that it can be used with cuándo (when):

¿Cuándo has estado allí? When were you there?

In fact, the pretérito perfecto is used to refer to past actions that have been completed in a period
of time that can be indicated by the demonstrative this (this morning, this week, this year, etc.). The
period of time doesn’t always have to be mentioned; it is often simply understood:

Hemos comprado esta casa. We have bought this house.

Se han casado. They have gotten married.

This implies that the pretérito perfecto is used in situations where English would use a past
simple—for example, a question asked at three o’clock in the afternoon about something that hap-
pened at eleven o’clock in the morning—as long as the demonstrative this is, or can be, used:
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¿Qué has hecho esta mañana? What have you done this morning?
(asked at 11:00 A.M.)
¿Qué has hecho esta mañana? What did you do this morning?
(asked at 3:00 P.M.)

This consideration of “recentness” is in many cases a matter of personal appreciation. Thus the
speaker might choose the past simple if he sees the action as something in the real past. A question
asked at night before going to bed about something that happened that morning is not incorrect in
the past simple.

65

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 The English construction have just + past participle is translated by the verb acabar de followed
by infinitive:

Acabo de ver a Juan. I have just seen Juan.

Ella acaba de comer. She has just eaten.

The English present perfect with for and since is translated by a present simple. For translates as
desde hace and since as desde (or desde que if a sentence follows):

Vivo aquí desde 1980. I have lived here since 1980.

Estamos casados desde hace diez años. We have been married for ten years.

The verb llevar translates have been in structures with the gerund and with for, which is then not
translated:

Llevo dos años haciendo esto. = Llevo I have been doing this for two years.
haciendo esto dos años.

How long translates as cuánto tiempo hace que (the noun tiempo can be left out) and as desde
cuándo:

¿Desde cuándo tienes este auto? How long have you had this car?

When llevar is used, how long should not be translated by desde cuándo or by cuánto (tiempo)
hace que. Only cuánto (tiempo) is advisable.
Llevar is accompanied by sin and an infinitive when the sentence implies something negative:

Llevo meses sin ver a Antonio. I haven’t seen Antonio for months.
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The pretérito perfecto is possible in many of the cases with since and for, but it can be confusing.
The present simple is better.
In sentences without for/since, the English present perfect continuous and the Spanish pretérito
perfecto continuo are quite similar:

¿Has estado corriendo? Have you been running?

He estado pintando. I have been painting.

In most Latin American regions, the pretérito perfecto is rarely used (only in very formal speech
and in literature); they prefer the indefinido. In Spain and in some Latin American areas, the pretérito
perfecto is common in everyday use.

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 Exercise 43
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs in parentheses. Use the pretérito perfecto.

1. Juan dice que no ________________________ (poder) terminar el trabajo todavía.

2. Nosotros ya ________________________ (comer) en ese restaurante dos veces.
3. Los hermanos de Patricia no ________________________ (querer) quedarse esta tarde.
4. Tú no ________________________ (tener) la culpa.
5. Mis padres ________________________ (comprar) un terreno fuera de la ciudad.
6. El marido de Ana ________________________ (ser) despedido.
7. Todos mis amigos ________________________ (suspender) el examen de matemáticas.
8. Usted no ________________________ (rellenar) bien este formulario.
9. Carlos ________________________ (tener) que repetir los ejercicios.
10. ¿Qué ________________________ (hacer) Carlos con el dinero?
11. ¿Y tú por qué no ________________________ (escribir) esa carta?
12. Ellos no ________________________ (ver) esa película.
13. Mi madre ________________________ (preparar) comida para doce personas.
14. ¿Qué ________________________ (hacer) tu padre con la vieja televisión?
15. Mi país ________________________ (cambiar) mucho desde entonces.

Exercise 44
Underline the correct option. Use the form common in Spain.

1. Hoy hemos visto / vimos un robo.

2. Este año no hemos tenido / tuvimos muy buenos resultados.
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3. La semana pasada hemos hablado / hablamos con el secretario.

4. Todos los alumnos han aprobado / aprobaron este trimestre.
5. Como puedes ver, he pintado / pinté la cocina.
6. Este año ha sido / fue muy bueno para nuestra empresa.
7. El examen que hemos hecho / hicimos la semana pasada ha sido / fue muy difícil.
8. Hola cariño, ¿has dormido / dormiste bien?
9. La película justo ha terminado / acaba de terminar.
10. Lo he tenido / tengo desde hace años.
11. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que has practicado / practicas ese deporte?

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 12. Hoy he estado escribiendo / he escrito veinte cartas en inglés.
13. Estás rojo. ¿Has corrido / Has estado corriendo?
14. Miguel es un buen amigo. Le conozco/ he conocido desde que éramos / fuimos niños.
15. ¿Cuánto tiempo llevas / has llevado con él?

Exercise 45
Fill the blanks with the correct tense of the verbs in parentheses. Use the present, the present or past
of ir a, the imperfecto, the indefinido, or the perfecto. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.

1. La hermana de Angelina nos ________________________ (decir) esta mañana que se

________________________ (ir) a Canadá de vacaciones el verano próximo.
2. Tú no les ________________________ (poder) molestar ahora. (Ellos) ________________________
(Cenar) y no ________________________ (querer) hablar con nadie.
3. En este momento (nosotros) no ________________________ (hacer) nada importante. ¿Por qué
no te ________________________ (venir) a nuestra casa y ________________________ (charlar) un
poco con nosotros?
4. ¡Qué rico ________________________ (estar) todo! ¡(Yo) ________________________ (Comer)
estupendamente! Ahora me ________________________ (fumar) un puro y me
________________________ (tomar) un coñac.
5. Elena ________________________ (decidir) comprar el vestido que ________________________
(ver) en el escaparate la semana pasada, el que ________________________ (tener) los volantes
floreados, pero yo le ________________________ (tener) que prestar el dinero mañana.
6. Los chicos que ________________________ (romper) el cristal esta mañana
________________________ (tener) que pagarlo. Nosotros ya ________________________ (hablar)
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con sus padres.

7. Ellos nos ________________________ (visitar) ayer, pero no ________________________ (poder)
porque ________________________ (tener) una importante avería y ________________________
(tener) que aplazarlo para otro día.
8. Veo que (tú) ya ________________________ (pintar) la valla de verde. Te (ella)
________________________ (quedar) preciosa, pero (tú) no ________________________ (tener) que
haberlo hecho hoy, porque ________________________ (llover).
9. Mi mujer y yo ________________________ (invertir) todo nuestro dinero en esa empresa.
(Nosotros) ________________________ (Estar) muy preocupados, porque no

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 ________________________ (saber) cómo ________________________ (salir) todo. A veces (yo)
________________________ (pensar) que (nosotros) no ________________________ (tener) que
haberlo hecho.
10. Ellos ________________________ (acabar) de oír que sus padres ________________________
(tener) un serio accidente. Ahora (ellos) ________________________ (hacer) las maletas, porque
(ellos) ________________________ (coger) el primer avión a París mañana.
11. Veo que (tú) ya ________________________ (terminar) de hacer tus deberes. ¿Te
________________________ (apetecer) venir ahora conmigo a dar un paseo? (Tú)
________________________ (Necesitar) distraerte un poco.
12. (Yo) ________________________ (Oír) que te ________________________ (casar) dentro de
poco. La verdad es que la noticia me ________________________ (extrañar) bastante, porque
tú siempre ________________________ (decir) que (tú) no ________________________ (pensar)
casarte.
13. Cuando (nosotros) ________________________ (ir) camino del supermercado, el auto
________________________ (empezar) a hacer ruidos extraños y a dar sacudidas. (Nosotros)
________________________ (Tener) que bajarnos, porque ________________________ (ser)
imposible seguir así. Al final ________________________ (resultar) ser que (nosotros) no
________________________ (tener) gasolina.
14. ¡Lo que (tú) ________________________ (hacer) está muy mal! ¡Me (tú) _______________________
(decepcionar)! ¡Siempre (yo) te ________________________ (dar) caprichos y ahora (tú)
________________________ (hacer) algo así!
15. Cuando (yo) la ________________________ (ver), ella me ________________________ (decir) que
(tú) ________________________ (comprar) la casa, pero que al final (tú) no
________________________ (poder), porque (tú) no ________________________ (tener) suficiente
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dinero.

Exercise 46
Find and correct the mistakes (each sentence contains at least two).

1. Marta acaba de dejar suyo cerca de estación.

2. No hemos podidos verles aún, ya que acabamos llegar.
3. Ayer he leído que las autoridades deciden derribar ese puente.
4. Llevo dos meses buscado un buen empleo, pero aún no lo encontrado.

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 5. Usted has cogido esto sin mío permiso.
6. Mañana estamos cenando con un amigos nuestro en mi casa.
7. Acabo de hablado con ellos, pero no han dicho me nada.
8. No he dicho nada a Pepe, pero creo que él ya lo sé.
9. ¿Has ponido tuyo en la cochera?
10. Esta noche nos estamos quedando en casa, porque no nos apetece saliendo.
11. He escribido dos cartas en español sin ayuda de alguien.
12. Un amigo de míos ha llamado hace dos días para me decir que viene hoy.
13. Ellas no están inscritos en registro mercantil.
14. Nadie saben que nosotros los hemos cogidos.
15. ¿Quién quieren venir con nos?

Exercise 47
Translate the following sentences. Note that the verbs can and be able to must be translated by saber
with verbs such as conducir (drive), nadar (swim), and so on: that is, with actions that are the result
of a learning process.

1. She has just been here.

2. Mark hasn’t been working this morning.

3. Carla has been decorating her apartment.

4. Antonio has just received an important letter.

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5. My father has sold his old car.

6. Have you (tú) eaten well or are you still hungry?

7. He has been training very hard this week.

8. They have just left.

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 9. Mark has been translating Spanish documents all morning.

10. María hasn’t had to do anything today.

11. Have you (usted) filled out the form?

12. We have just heard the news.

13. Felipe hasn’t phoned us yet.

14. I have put yours (tu maleta) in your room.

15. Hers (niños) have been playing with ours in the garden.

16. How long have you (tú) been waiting?

17. How long has she been working in this office?

18. She has been a nurse for two years now.

19. I have been collecting stamps for two months.

20. We have been living in this neighborhood for six months.

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21. How long has he been a doctor?

22. I have played the piano since I was a little boy.

23. Miguel has had a moustache since he was in college.

24. They have been married for twenty years.

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 25. They have taken the money.

26. They have taken them (ellos) to the movies.

27. Pablo has told us that his wife has been studying Spanish for a year.

28. I have had to tell them that this is not possible.

29. How long has your (vosotros) son been playing tennis?

30. I have been able to drive since I was eighteen.

31. They have just told us that Carlos is going to visit them (ellos) tomorrow.

32. She has just finished her work.

33. I haven’t drunk anything today.

34. Amelia has bought hers (diccionario) in the new bookstore.

35. Have you (tú) had enough?

36. They haven’t been able to bring it (fotografía).

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37. Has she written the letter?

38. What has he done with his bike?

39. You (usted) have been very kind to me (conmigo).

40. What have they said about this?

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