Participles
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Participles There are two types of participles in Spanish, the past participle and the present participle. You have already learned how to form the past participle. For regular verbs you add –ado to the stem of –ar verbs and –ido to the stem of –er or –ir verbs. And remember there are about 11 major irregular past participles such as hecho, dicho, roto, vuelto, escrito, frito, visto, puesto, abierto, bendito, and muerto. These translate as done (made), said (told), broken, returned, written, fried, seen, put, opened, blessed and dead. As you might imagine a participle in only part of a verb. It is not a complete conjugation in an of itself. The past participle needs help in order to be a complete verb conjugation. You can't say "I seen it." Seen is a past participle. The two most prominent helping verbs are the verb "to be" and the verb "to have". Therefore in the above sentence it can be corrected by using the verb "to have"as "I have seen it." You can also use the verb "to be", such as "I was seen at the party." If the past participle is used by itself without a helping verb, it is no longer a verb and is considered an adjective. "I don't like fried bananas." Here "fried" is a past participle used as an adjective, not a verb. Present Participle The present participle is actually easier to understand and form than the past participle. In English it is simple the –ing form of the verb such as leaving, saying, working, reading, etc. But wait! You learned a long time ago how to say "I am working". Remember trabajo has three meanings: I work, I do work and I am working. It is simply the present tense. Then why do we need a present participle? Remember that a participle is only part of a verb. It is not a complete verb in an of itself. Look at this sentence: "Working hard will take you far in life." What part of speech is "working" in this sentence. Is it still a verb? No, not really. In this sentence it is a noun. Notice that it is the subject of the sentence. In English when the –ing form of a verb is used as a noun, it is technically called a gerund. But this is not important in Spanish. What is important is that as with a past participle, a present participle cannot be used by itself and remain a verb. It needs a helping verb. And when it is used by itself it ceases to be a verb. When the past participle is used without a helping verb it is an adjective. When the present participle is used without a helping verb it is a noun. How to form a present participle The good news is that a present participle is easier to form than a past participle. There are only three rules and only one irregular. And that irregular verb is rarely used. Two of the rules you are already familiar with. 1 Rule 1: To the stem of an –ar verb add –ando and to the stem of a –er or –ir verb add –iendo. Look at the following present participles: hablando (speaking), pensando (thinking), teniendo (having), viviendo (living). Rule 2: If the verb is an –ir verb and has an o or e in the stem, then change the "o" to a "u" or the "e" to an "i". This is the exact same rule for stem changing verbs –ir verbs for the 3rd and 5th persons of the preterite tense. Look at the following verbs: durmiendo (sleeping), prefiriendo (preferring), sintiendo (feeling), repitiendo (repeating). Rule 3: A tripthong where the middle vowel is an "i" will change the "i" to a "y". This is the same rule for the 3rd and 5th person of the preterite tense. Look at the following verbs: leyendo (reading), oyendo (hearing), trayendo (bringing), creyendo (believing). Irregular verb: yendo (going). This is the only irregular present participle in Spanish. Progressive Tenses In Spanish the present participle can be used as a verb if it has a helping verb. The only helping verb it uses is the verb "to be". And in Spanish it uses the verb estar not the verb ser. And if estar is in the past tense, use the imperfect, not the preterite. Look at the following examples: I am leaving they are thinking he was working we were traveling she is sleeping I am reading salgo piensan trabajaba viajábamos duerme leo estoy saliendo están pensando estaba trabajando estábamos viajando está durmiendo estoy leyendo Notice in the center column you can say each of the above using the present tense or the imperfect tense. As an alternative you can say the same thing using the verb estar in the present or imperfect tense followed by the present participle. Then what is the difference in saying Salgo or Estoy saliendo? In English there is no difference. Think of the word "progressive" as meaning that you are actually doing whatever the verb is at the time you're speaking. I'm reading a good book Leo un buen libro. In this sentence the present tense was used. This means that you are involved in a good book, but it doesn't necesarily mean that you have it in your hands at this moment reading it. 2 I'm reading a good book. Estoy leyendo un buen libro. Here the present progressive was used and as such you would expect to see the book in your hands. You are actually right now in the process of reading the book. The past progressive carries more of an emphasis than a "right now" even since it is happening in the past. Remember that the imperfect means was or were + ing. The reason for this is that it implies "throughout" a period of time. He was working in Florida last week. Trabajaba en La Florida la semana pasada. He may have worked a few days or all week, we don't know. He was working in Florida last week. Estaba trabajando en La Florida la semana pasada. Because of the emphasis of the past progressive tense he was working throughout the week. It is the process of working that is important. You can combine tenses that you already know or will learn in the future and create progressive tenses from them. I have gone out with him several times. He salido con él varias veces. This is the present perfect tense. I have been going out with him for a year. He estado saliendo con él por un año. Here He estado is the present perfect of estar, but then estar is following by a present participle creating technically what is known as the present perfect progressive. I had been going out with him for a year. Había estado saliendo con él por un año. This is the same thing except that it uses Había estado, the past perfect with the progressive. The verbs "to go" Remember that yendo from the ver ir is the only irregular present participle in Spanish. Rarely do you use yendo in the present or past progessive tenses. Simply use the present or the imperfect. I am going: voy I was going: iba Pronouns Remember the rules for positioning of pronouns with various types of verbs. These pronouns include direct object, indirect object and reflexive pronouns. 3 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They go before conjugate verbs. They go before negative commands. They are attached to infinitives. They are attached to affirmative commands. They are attached to present participles. Rule #5 is the new one. Getting up is difficult. Levantándose es difícil. Notice that the reflexive pronoun, se, is attached to the present participle. As an aside what would it be if you wanted to say "(my or me) getting up is difficult? Levantándome es difícil. Remember that reflexive pronouns are always the same person as the subject. Giving him the money is important. Dándole el dinero es importante. Again the indirect object pronoun, le, is attached to the present participles. In the progressive tenses you have a choice. Since there is always a conjugated verb in a progressive tense you may apply rule #1 and put the pronoun before the conjugated verb. Or you may apply rule #5 and attach the pronoun to the present participle. Either way is correct. I am visiting him today. Lo estoy visitando hoy. Estoy visitándolo hoy. When you attach a pronoun to a present participle there is always a written accent. 4 Ejercicios Escribe el participio presente. 1. salir __________________ 11. traer __________________ 2. vivir __________________ 12. hablar __________________ 3. come __________________ 13. venir __________________ 4. dormir __________________ 14. escuchar __________________ 5. leer __________________ 15. mirar __________________ 6. ir __________________ 16. oír __________________ 7. vestirse __________________ 17. estar __________________ 8. dar __________________ 18. ser __________________ 9. levantarse __________________ 19. creer __________________ 10. saber 20. perferir __________________ __________________ Usando el Progresivo, traduzca lo siguiente: 1. I am working __________________________________ 2. they are reading __________________________________ 3. we were saying __________________________________ 4. he was living __________________________________ 5. I am telling him __________________________________ 6. they were sitting down __________________________________ 7. I have been hoping __________________________________ 8. he was watching __________________________________ 9. they had been having __________________________________ 10. he is giving us __________________________________ 5
