Past Participle Basics

Detailed view of a door lock and keys emphasizing security and access.

Past Participle Basics

  • Past participle verb is used with haber and has suffix -ido/-ado eg I have eaten
  • Can also be used as an adjective, goes after the noun, matches gender and number
  • Is always used when using passive voice

In everyday Spanish, the passive voice is less common, and reflexive or active constructions are often preferred.

Have/had + past participle

He perdido mis llaves y he estado buscándolas toda la mañana. I have lost my keys and I’ve been looking for them all morning.

¿Has hablado con tu mamá hoy? Have you spoken with your mom today?

He estado en el jardín toda la mañana, plantando más verduras. I’ve been in the garden all morning, planting more vegetables.

When used as verbs with haber, both regular and irregular past participles remain the same and do not change for gender or number.

Adjective

La comida quemada huele terrible. The burnt food smells terrible.

Encontré una carta olvidada en el cajón. I found a forgotten letter in the drawer.

Sus zapatos mojados dejaron huellas en el suelo. His wet shoes left footprints on the floor.

When past participles are used as adjectives, they change for gender and number to match the noun they describe.

Passive Voice

El libro fue publicado por un autor famoso. The book was published by a well-known publisher.

La casa fue decorada con luces para Navidad. The house was decorated with lights for Christmas.

Las cartas fueron enviadas por correo esta mañana. The letters were sent by mail this morning.

When past participles are used in the passive voice, they change for gender and number to agree with the subject of the sentence.

In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the thing being acted on, not the person doing the action. The past participle must match the gender and number of this subject.

Using hacer (to make/to do) as a past participle adjective.

Haber conjugations: he, has, ha, hemos, han
Er verbs – ido
Ar verbs – ado

Examples in English (to translate):

  1. I have eaten breakfast.
  2. She has lived in Mexico.
  3. We had already arrived.
  4. Have you seen my keys?
  5. He hasn’t called yet.
  6. They had finished their homework.
  7. I’ve written three emails today.
  8. She had gone to bed early.
  9. Have they talked to the manager?
  10. We’ve visited that museum before.

Past participles used as adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun.

Examples in English (to translate):

  1. The broken window was dangerous.
  2. Her tired eyes were red.
  3. I found a forgotten notebook.
  4. The cooked vegetables are on the table.
  5. The printed documents are ready.
  6. A burned pan was on the stove.
  7. The open doors let in the wind.
  8. His injured hand was swollen.
  9. The cleaned kitchen looked great.
  10. The closed shops made the street look empty.

Think of passive like a news headline:

Four people were injured.
A new law was passed.
The building was evacuated.

It’s efficient. It’s impersonal. It focuses on outcome, not on people.

Passive sentences use the past participle (ida/ado)

Translate these:

  1. The house was built in 1990.
  2. The documents were signed this morning.
  3. Dinner was prepared by my brother.
  4. The presents were wrapped with care.
  5. The book was written by a Mexican author.
  6. The walls were painted white.
  7. The cars were repaired yesterday.
  8. The doors were closed at 6 PM.
  9. The speech was given by the president.
  10. The room was cleaned by the staff.

English: The door is opened at 8 a.m.
Spanish: La puerta es abierta a las ocho.

  1. The office is cleaned every morning.
  2. The mail is delivered at noon.
  3. This book is read by many students.
  4. The lights are turned off at night.
  5. Dinner is served at seven.
  6. The windows are washed twice a month.
  7. The dog is fed before bedtime.
  8. These shoes are made in Spain.
  9. English is spoken here.
  10. The plants are watered daily.

English: The documents were signed yesterday.
Spanish: Los documentos fueron firmados ayer.

  1. The room was painted last weekend.
  2. The report was finished on time.
  3. The kids were picked up after school.
  4. The cake was baked by my sister.
  5. The movie was filmed in Mexico.
  6. The letters were written yesterday.
  7. The chairs were arranged in a circle.
  8. The door was left open.
  9. The computer was repaired quickly.
  10. The files were deleted by mistake.

English: The house will be painted next week.
Spanish: La casa será pintada la próxima semana.

  1. The documents will be printed tomorrow.
  2. The package will be delivered by Friday.
  3. The room will be cleaned before you arrive.
  4. Dinner will be served at 8 p.m.
  5. The house will be sold next year.
  6. The project will be finished soon.
  7. The test results will be announced tomorrow.
  8. The speech will be given at noon.
  9. Your order will be shipped today.
  10. The decision will be made by the board.

English: The letter has been sent.
Spanish: La carta ha sido enviada.

  1. The door has been locked.
  2. The work has been completed.
  3. The guests have been welcomed.
  4. The meeting has been scheduled.
  5. All the food has been eaten.
  6. The movie has been watched twice.
  7. The rule has been changed.
  8. The instructions have been followed.
  9. The baby has been bathed.
  10. The lights have been turned off.

English: The room had been cleaned before we arrived.
Spanish: El cuarto había sido limpiado antes de que llegáramos.

  1. The job had been done before I got there.
  2. The message had been sent already.
  3. The car had been repaired just in time.
  4. The tickets had been printed in advance.
  5. The fire had been put out quickly.
  6. The house had been cleaned thoroughly.
  7. The decision had been made earlier.
  8. The dog had been walked before dinner.
  9. The gate had been closed overnight.
  10. The laundry had been folded when I arrived.

Most commonly used irregular past participle verbs:

  • abierto
  • dicho
  • escrito
  • hecho
  • muerto
  • puesto
  • visto
  • vuelto

Relationship Between Past Participle and Present Perfect:

  • Connection: The past participle is a building block of the present perfect tense.
    • In English, the auxiliary verb (has/have) provides tense, while the past participle shows the action.
    • In Spanish, the auxiliary verb (haber) does the same.