¡Hola, amigos! Remember my post on regular past participles? Here we’ll look at some Spanish past participles that are irregular. I’ve also included an interactive game so you can learn them in a snap. Let’s start!
IMPORTANT: This post focuses only on participles when used in verb forms (for example, “I have broken the window”), not on their use as adjectives (for example, “the broken window”). With most verbs the same irregular form appears in both cases, but there are a few exceptions. I’ll publish a follow-up post about that soon .
1. VERBS THAT HAVE AN IRREGULAR PARTICIPLE BUT ALSO A REGULAR ONE
These verbs allow both a regular and an irregular participle. Both forms are correct:
| # | INFINITIVO | PARTICIPLIO IRREGULAR | PARTICIPIO REGULAR | INFINITIVE | PARTICIPLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | elegir | electo | elegido | to choose / to elect | chosen/elected |
| 2 | imprimir | impreso | imprimido | to print | printed |
Example:
I have chosen
Yo he elegido = Yo he electo
2. VERBS THAT HAVE ONLY IRREGULAR PARTICIPLES
These verbs have irregular participles; using a regular form would be incorrect.
| # | INFINITIVO | PARTICIPLE | INFINITIVE | PARTICIPLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABRIR | ABIERTO | TO OPEN | OPENED |
| 2 | CUBRIR | CUBIERTO | TO COVER | COVERED |
| 3 | DECIR | DICHO | TO SAY | SAID |
| 4 | ESCRIBIR | ESCRITO | TO WRITE | WRITTEN |
| 5 | HACER | HECHO | TO DO / TO MAKE | DONE / MADE |
| 6 | MORIR | MUERTO | TO DIE | DIED |
| 7 | PONER | PUESTO | TO PUT | PUT |
| 8 | RESOLVER | RESUELTO | TO SOLVE | SOLVED |
| 9 | ROMPER | ROTO | TO BREAK | BROKEN |
| 10 | SATISFACER | SATISFECHO | TO SATISFY | SATISFIED |
| 11 | VER | VISTO | TO SEE | SEEN |
| 12 | VOLVER | VUELTO | TO RETURN | RETURNED |
Example:
I have seen
Yo he veído = Yo he visto
3. DERIVED VERBS
The same patterns typically apply to verbs derived from the basic verbs above. Examples:
A. VERBS DERIVED FROM PONER
posponer (to postpone)— pospuesto
B. VERBS DERIVED FROM VOLVER
devolver (to give back) — devuelto
C. VERBS DERIVED FROM ESCRIBIR
describir (to describe) — descrito
C. VERBS DERIVED FROM DECIR
predecir (to predict) — predicho
IMPORTANT! Regarding verbs derived from decir, there are two exceptions where nowadays the participle is not irregular:
bendecir (to bless) — bendecido
maldecir (to curse) — maldecido
Example:
I have blessed
Yo he bendicho (sounds too formal) = Yo he bendecido (sounds more natural)
And now, let’s play this game so you learn these irregular participles in a snap!
