Irregular Past Participles
Master Spanish irregular past participles and their use in perfect tenses and as adjectives.
Keyboard Shortcuts
💡 Pro tip: Use keyboard shortcuts for faster studying!
Study Smart Tips for Irregular Past Participles
Master these concepts using proven study techniques that actually work:
Active Recall
Test yourself before flipping each card to strengthen memory retention
Spaced Repetition
Review difficult cards more frequently than easy ones
Multiple Sessions
Break study time into shorter, focused sessions
Explain Aloud
Verbalize answers to reinforce understanding
Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
escribir → past participle
escrito (written) — also describir → descrito, inscribir → inscrito
decir and hacer → past participles
dicho and hecho — the only two common -cho participles (deshacer → deshecho, satisfacer → satisfecho)
ver, poner, romper → past participles
visto, puesto, roto
volver, morir, abrir, cubrir, resolver → past participles
vuelto, muerto, abierto, cubierto, resuelto (devolver → devuelto, envolver → envuelto)
Does the participle agree with the subject after haber?
No — it's frozen as masculine singular: *Ella ha escrito tres novelas*, *Nosotras habíamos visto la película*.
When does the participle agree in gender and number?
When used as an adjective or with ser/estar: *La ventana está rota*, *Las cartas fueron escritas*.
Which regular participles need a written accent, and why?
-er/-ir stems ending in a strong vowel: caído, leído, traído, oído, creído — the í breaks the diphthong. But construido, huido, destruido take no accent.
ser + participle vs. estar + participle
ser = true passive/action (*La puerta fue abierta por el portero*); estar = resulting state (*La puerta está abierta*).
Can anything come between haber and the participle?
No. Pronouns and *no* go before haber: *No me lo has dicho* — never *has me lo dicho*.
Verbs with two participles (regular + irregular)
freír: he freído / patatas fritas; soltar: he soltado / está suelto; despertar: he despertado / estoy despierto; bendecir: ha bendecido / agua bendita.
