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Past participle
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Past participle

Formation

All compound tenses (such as the present perfect, the pluperfect, the future perfect, the conditional perfect, and their subjunctive equivalents) are composed of two parts: a form of the auxiliary verb haber plus a past participle. Past participles usually derive from verb infinitives by dropping the -ar, -er and -ir verb endings and adding the respective -ado, -ido and -ido endings:

-ar verbs:

–> habl + ado = hablado
 –> cerr + ado = cerrado
 –> despert + ado = despertado

-er verbs:

–> com + ido = comido
 –> beb + ido = bebido
 –> perd + ido = perdido

-ir verbs:

–> viv + ido = vivido
 –> repet + ido = repetido
 –> ped + ido = pedido

The following common verbs and their many variations (e.g. cubrir/descubrir, volver/devolver, have irregular past participles, the forms of which one should memorize:

  • abrir > abierto
  • cubrir > cubierto
  • decir > dicho
  • freír > frito
  • escribir > escrito
  • hacer > hecho
  • morir > muerto
  • poner > puesto
  • ver > visto
  • volver > vuelto

Uses

1. Verbal uses.

  • One of the primary uses of the past participle is as an element of a compound tense. The pattern of all compound tenses is a form of the auxiliary verb haber + participle.
    • He visto esa película. (I have seen that movie.)
    • Ella lo había traído. (She had brought it.)
    • Él los habrá devuelto para el lunes. (They had returned it by Monday.)
    • Habríamos vuelto a la playa si hubiera hecho sol. (We would have returned to the beach if it had been sunny.)
    • Espero que hayan pagado la cuenta. (I hope they've paid the bill.)

    Note that the past participle, when used as part of a compound tense, does not change its form to reflect either the gender or number of the verb's subject.

  • The past participle is also used together with the verb ser to form the passive voice.
    • La casa fue construida por mi amigo. (The house was built by my friend.)
    • Las tiendas serán cerradas durante la huelga. (The stores will be closed during the strike.)

    Note that the past participle, when used as part of a passive voice construction, agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.

2. Adjectival uses.

  • Past participles are often used as adjectives, and as such they reflect the number and gender of the word they modify.
    • una composición escrita (a written composition)
    • dos hombres muertos (two dead men)
    • un caso perdido (a lost cause)
  • The verbs estar and quedar are often used with past participles as adjectives.
    • Estamos cansados. (We're tired.)
    • El dictador quedó derrotado. (The dictator was toppled.)

See also

Adjectives
Verbs

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