Forming Participles in Spanish
(Los Participios del Español)
A participle is a verbal adjective — a form of the verb that describes a completed action or a resulting state.
In Spanish, the past participle (participio pasado) is the most common type and is used in:
- Perfect tenses (with haber)
- Adjectival phrases (to describe nouns)
- Passive voice (with ser)
1) What Is a Past Participle?
The past participle is the equivalent of English -ed or -en forms:
| English | Spanish |
| studied | estudiado |
| written | escrito |
| eaten | comido |
It can be used:
- As part of compound tenses → he comido (I have eaten)
- As an adjective → la puerta cerrada (the closed door)
- In the passive voice → fue escrito (was written)
2) How to Form Regular Past Participles
Forming a regular past participle is simple:
Formula:
Verb stem + ending
| Verb Type | Ending | Example | Participle | English |
| -AR | -ado | hablar | hablado | spoken |
| -ER | -ido | comer | comido | eaten |
| -IR | -ido | vivir | vivido | lived |
Examples:
- He hablado con ella. → I have spoken with her.
- Hemos comido temprano. → We have eaten early.
- Han vivido aquí por años. → They have lived here for years.
3) Accent Marks on Some -ER and -IR Participles
If the verb stem ends in a vowel (after removing -er or -ir), add an accent mark on the i in -ído to maintain pronunciation.
| Infinitive | Participle | English |
| leer | leído | read |
| oír | oído | heard |
| traer | traído | brought |
| creer | creído | believed |
| caer | caído | fallen |
| reír | reído | laughed |
Examples:
- He leído muchos libros. → I have read many books.
- Hemos oído la noticia. → We have heard the news.
4) Irregular Past Participles
Some verbs have irregular participle forms that must be memorized.
| Infinitive | Participle | English |
| abrir | abierto | opened |
| cubrir | cubierto | covered |
| decir | dicho | said |
| escribir | escrito | written |
| hacer | hecho | done, made |
| morir | muerto | died |
| poner | puesto | put, placed |
| resolver | resuelto | resolved |
| romper | roto | broken |
| ver | visto | seen |
| volver | vuelto | returned |
Examples:
- He escrito una carta. → I have written a letter.
- Has hecho la tarea. → You have done the homework.
- La puerta está abierta. → The door is open.
Tip: Many irregular participles end in -to or -cho.
5) Double Irregulars (Commonly Confused Forms)
Some verbs have both regular and irregular participles.
The meaning or use depends on whether it’s used as a verb (compound tense) or as an adjective.
| Verb | Irregular (preferred in compound tenses) | Regular (adjectival use) |
| imprimir | impreso (he impreso) | imprimido (página imprimida) |
| freír | frito (he frito los huevos) | freído (patatas freídas) |
| proveer | provisto (he provisto materiales) | proveído (material proveído) |
Examples:
- El documento fue impreso. → The document was printed.
- Las copias están imprimidas. → The copies are printed.
6) Using Participles in Different Constructions
A. With haber (Perfect Tenses)
Use the participle with haber to form compound tenses.
| Tense | Formula | Example | Translation |
| Present Perfect | he + participle | He comido. | I have eaten. |
| Past Perfect (Pluperfect) | había + participle | Había estudiado. | I had studied. |
| Future Perfect | habré + participle | Habré terminado. | I will have finished. |
| Conditional Perfect | habría + participle | Habría ido. | I would have gone. |
Rule: The participle never changes form when used with haber.
Ellos han comido. (not comidos)
B. With estar (to describe a state or result)
Used as an adjective to describe how something is after an action.
Examples:
- La puerta está cerrada. → The door is closed.
- El trabajo está hecho. → The work is done.
- Las ventanas están abiertas. → The windows are open.
When used as adjectives, participles must agree in gender and number with the noun:
- cerrado / cerrada / cerrados / cerradas
- hecho / hecha / hechos / hechas
C. With ser (Passive Voice)
Used to form the passive voice, showing what was done and by whom.
Formula:
ser + participle + por + agent
| Example | Translation |
| El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. | The book was written by Cervantes. |
| La canción fue compuesta por Shakira. | The song was composed by Shakira. |
| Los cuadros fueron pintados por Picasso. | The paintings were painted by Picasso. |
Here, too, the participle agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes:
- fue escrito / fue escrita / fueron escritos / fueron escritas
7) Agreement Rules Recap
| Construction | Agreement? | Example |
| With haber | No agreement | Ellos han comido. |
| With estar | Yes | Las puertas están cerradas. |
| With ser (passive) | Yes | El edificio fue construido. |
8) Practice: Fill in the Blanks
- He __________ (hacer) mi tarea.
- Las ventanas están __________ (abrir).
- El libro fue __________ (escribir) por Isabel Allende.
- ¿Has __________ (ver) esa película?
- Los platos están __________ (lavar).
Answers:
- hecho
- abiertas
- escrito
- visto
- lavados
9) Practice: Translate
- The letter is written.
- I have opened the door.
- The students have studied.
- The food was prepared by the chef.
- The windows are closed.
Answers:
- La carta está escrita.
- He abierto la puerta.
- Los estudiantes han estudiado.
- La comida fue preparada por el chef.
- Las ventanas están cerradas.
10) Common Pitfalls & Fixes
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
| He abrido la puerta. | He abierto la puerta. | “Abrir” has irregular participle abierto. |
| Hemos comidos mucho. | Hemos comido mucho. | No agreement after haber. |
| La puerta fue cerrar. | La puerta fue cerrada. | Use participle after ser. |
| Las mesas están limpiar. | Las mesas están limpias. | Use adjective form, not infinitive. |
11) Quick Summary Chart
| Verb Type | Ending | Example | English |
| -AR | -ado | hablado | spoken |
| -ER / -IR | -ido | comido, vivido | eaten, lived |
| Irregulars | abierto, dicho, hecho, puesto, roto, visto, vuelto, escrito, muerto, resuelto | — | — |
| Used with haber | perfect tenses | he comido | I have eaten |
| Used with estar | result state | está cerrado | is closed |
| Used with ser | passive voice | fue escrito | was written |
| Agreement | only with ser / estar | puertas cerradas | closed doors |
Why Participles Matter
Participles are the foundation for:
- All perfect tenses (he comido, había estudiado, habríamos ido)
- The passive voice (fue construido, fue escrito)
- Descriptive adjectives showing result or condition (cerrado, roto, abierto)
They allow learners to describe completed actions, results, and states clearly and naturally — essential for fluency and advanced proficiency.
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