B1 · The passive · about 4 minutes
Past participle: hecho, dicho
Invariable after haber, agreeing after ser and estar.
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Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- la patatapotato
- freírto fry
Understand
RememberUnchanged after haber, agreeing after ser and estar.
- Signal words
- he
- has
- ha
- está
- son
The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Spanish. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker auxiliary verb
| regular -ar | hablar → hablado |
| regular -er/-ir | comer → comido, vivir → vivido |
| irregular | hacer → hecho, decir → dicho |
| after haber | Hemos abierto la tienda. |
| after estar | La tienda está abierta. |
| as an adjective | una carta escrita a mano |
| I have spoken | (yo) he hablado |
| you have spoken (tú) | (tú) has hablado |
| he, she has spoken / you have spoken (usted) | (él, ella, usted) ha hablado |
| we have spoken | (nosotros) hemos hablado |
| you have spoken (vosotros) | (vosotros) habéis hablado |
| they have spoken / you have spoken (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) han hablado |
| I have opened | (yo) he abierto |
| you have opened (tú) | (tú) has abierto |
| he, she has opened / you have opened (usted) | (él, ella, usted) ha abierto |
| we have opened | (nosotros) hemos abierto |
| you have opened (vosotros) | (vosotros) habéis abierto |
| they have opened / you have opened (ustedes) | (ellos, ellas, ustedes) han abierto |
This tense with other verbs
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The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
After haber the participle never changes.
Las cartas las hemos escrito ya.We have already written the letters.
After ser and estar it agrees.
Las ventanas están rotas.The windows are broken.
Twelve common verbs form it irregularly.
¿Has visto mi móvil?Have you seen my phone?
As an adjective it follows the noun and agrees.
Compramos patatas fritas.We are buying chips.
Example sentences
He roto un vaso.I have broken a glass.
Los platos están rotos.The plates are broken.
No he dicho nada.I have not said anything.
7 more example sentences
La carta fue escrita en 1920.The letter was written in 1920.
¿Has puesto la mesa?Have you laid the table?
La puerta estaba abierta.The door was standing open.
Han vuelto muy tarde.They came back very late.
Es un problema resuelto.That is a solved problem.
No hemos hecho nada malo.We have not done anything wrong.
Los cristales están cubiertos de polvo.The panes are covered in dust.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The participle gets made to agree after haber, because it does after estar: Las he escritas. After haber it is always invariable: Las he escrito. English gives no warning either way, since «written» is «written» wherever it stands — which is why this one has to be learnt as two separate rules rather than one.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The participle is made with -ado on -ar verbs and -ido on -er and -ir. It then has two behaviours, and English has neither: after haber it never moves (hemos comido), and after ser, estar or a noun it agrees (las puertas están cerradas). An English participle is one shape in all positions, so this is a rule with nothing to transfer onto.
A dozen verbs form it irregularly, and all twelve are common: hecho, dicho, visto, puesto, vuelto, escrito, abierto, muerto, roto, satisfecho, cubierto, resuelto. That is a short list next to the English one, which runs to well over a hundred; almost every other Spanish verb is regular here.
A few verbs have two participles: freír — freído, frito — and imprimir — imprimido, impreso. In the perfect both are correct; as an adjective it is the short one (patatas fritas). With soltar, though, suelto is only an adjective.
The verbs on this page, in every form: haber · estar · decir · escribir · comprar · romper