Participio: what is it and how is it formed?
The Participio (Spanish past participle) is a non-finite form of the verb: in its verbal use (with haber) it does not change for person or number and ends in -ado (-ar verbs) or -ido (-er / -ir verbs). It is required to build every compound tense (he hablado, I have spoken; había comido, I had eaten) and to form the passive voice (es escrito por María, it is written by María). As an adjective it agrees in gender and number (casa pintada, a painted house; libros leídos, books that have been read).
- Compound tenses: He hablado con María (I have spoken with María)
- Passive with ser: La novela es escrita por el autor (The novel is written by the author)
- Resultative with estar: La puerta está cerrada (The door is closed)
- As an adjective: una carta escrita a mano (a handwritten letter)
- Absolute construction: Acabada la reunión, todos se fueron (The meeting being over, everyone left)
What is the Participio?
The Participio is one of the three non-finite forms of the Spanish verb, along with the infinitive (hablar, comer, vivir) and the gerundio (hablando, comiendo, viviendo). Unlike conjugated forms, the participio does not change for person: hablado works for yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos when used with haber.
The participio has a dual nature: it works as a verb in compound tenses and the passive, and as an adjective when it modifies a noun. In its adjectival use it agrees in gender and number, like any adjective: cerrado, cerrada, cerrados, cerradas.
How is the Participio formed?
The general rule depends on the infinitive ending:
| Group | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ar | -ado | hablar → hablado (spoken) |
| -er | -ido | comer → comido (eaten) |
| -ir | -ido | vivir → vivido (lived) |
Regular verbs: hablar, comer, vivir
| Infinitive | Participio | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hablar | hablado | He hablado con tu padre (I've spoken with your father) |
| trabajar | trabajado | Han trabajado mucho (They have worked a lot) |
| comer | comido | ¿Has comido ya? (Have you eaten already?) |
| beber | bebido | Hemos bebido agua (We have drunk water) |
| vivir | vivido | He vivido en Madrid (I have lived in Madrid) |
| recibir | recibido | No he recibido tu carta (I haven't received your letter) |
Participios with accent (hiatus)
When the stem of an -er / -ir verb ends in a strong vowel (a, e, o), the i of -ido takes an accent to mark the hiatus:
| Infinitive | Participio |
|---|---|
| leer | leído (read) |
| creer | creído (believed) |
| caer | caído (fallen) |
| traer | traído (brought) |
| oír | oído (heard) |
Exception: if the stem ends in a weak vowel (i, u), there is no accent: huir → huido, construir → construido, destruir → destruido.
What are the irregular participios?
These verbs have a participio that does not follow the regular rule — you have to learn them by heart:
| Infinitive | Participio | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| abrir | abierto | opened |
| cubrir | cubierto | covered |
| descubrir | descubierto | discovered |
| decir | dicho | said |
| escribir | escrito | written |
| describir | descrito | described |
| hacer | hecho | done / made |
| deshacer | deshecho | undone |
| morir | muerto | died |
| poner | puesto | put |
| suponer | supuesto | supposed |
| componer | compuesto | composed |
| disponer | dispuesto | arranged |
| resolver | resuelto | solved |
| romper | roto | broken |
| ver | visto | seen |
| volver | vuelto | returned |
| devolver | devuelto | returned (something) |
| envolver | envuelto | wrapped |
| freír | frito | fried |
| imprimir | impreso | printed |
When is the Participio used?
The participio has five main uses:
1. Compound tenses (haber + participio)
The most frequent use: haber + participio forms every compound tense. The participio does not change (always masculine singular):
- Present perfect: He hablado con María (I have spoken with María)
- Pluperfect: Había comido antes de llegar (I had eaten before arriving)
- Future perfect: Habré terminado mañana (I will have finished tomorrow)
- Conditional perfect: Habría ido contigo (I would have gone with you)
- Present perfect subjunctive: Espero que hayas llegado bien (I hope you've arrived safely)
- Pluperfect subjunctive: Si hubiera sabido… (If I had known…)
2. Passive voice (ser + participio)
With ser, the participio forms the action passive. Here the participio agrees with the subject in gender and number:
- La novela es escrita por el autor (The novel is written by the author)
- Los libros son leídos en clase (The books are read in class)
- Las cartas fueron enviadas ayer (The letters were sent yesterday)
3. Resultative passive (estar + participio)
With estar, the participio expresses a result or state. It also agrees in gender and number:
- La puerta está cerrada (The door is closed)
- Los platos están lavados (The dishes are washed)
- Las ventanas están abiertas (The windows are open)
4. As an adjective
The participio can work as a regular adjective and agrees with the noun:
- una casa pintada de blanco (a house painted white)
- los libros leídos el año pasado (the books read last year)
- las cartas escritas a mano (the handwritten letters)
5. Absolute constructions
The participio can introduce absolute clauses expressing time, cause or circumstance:
- Acabada la reunión, todos se fueron (The meeting being over, everyone left)
- Cerrada la puerta, nadie podía entrar (With the door closed, no one could enter)
- Dicho esto, me voy (That said, I'm leaving)
How do the adjectival and verbal participio differ?
It is important to tell the two uses apart, because agreement is different:
| Use | Agrees? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With haber (verbal) | NO | Hemos escrito tres cartas (We have written three letters) |
| With ser (passive) | YES | Las cartas son escritas |
| With estar (result) | YES | Las cartas están escritas |
| Adjective | YES | las cartas escritas a mano |
Note: the participio is not used with estar to form the progressive. For «I am speaking» Spanish needs the gerundio, not the participio: estoy hablando, never estoy hablado.
The participio appears in many other tenses: the Pretérito perfecto (he hablado), the Pluscuamperfecto (había hablado), the Futuro perfecto (habré hablado), the Condicional compuesto (habría hablado), the Perfecto de subjuntivo (haya hablado) and the Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo (hubiera hablado). The other non-finite form is the Gerundio (hablando, comiendo, viviendo).