Remember: Compound tenses take two verbs...That's why they're called "compound" tenses.
*For the two progressive tenses, use a form of the verb ESTAR.
present progressive (what is happening right now)
Present Progressive is used to tell what is happening (or in progress) at this very moment. It is used far less in Spanish than in English. (Sometimes in English, we use it to tell what's going to happen in the near future. Ex: I am playing basketball tomorrow. That wouldn't happen in Spanish.) Only use Present Progressive in Spanish when it is happening as you speak.
Present Progressive (Spanicity)
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Present Progressive (Dr. Lemon)
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past progressive (what was happening when...)
Past (Imperfect) Progressive is used to tell what was happening (Ex: I was watching TV when...) and is also used less frequently in Spanish than in English. (The Imperfect tense is used much more frequently than the Imperfect Progressive.)
Imperfect Progressive (from Cuaderno Español)
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Past (Imperfect) Progressive (Intro2Spanish)
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For the four "perfect" tenses, use a form of the "helping verb," or "auxiliary verb," HABER. (not tener)
present perfect (what he/she has already done ...)
Present Perfect is used to tell what you have (already) done. For example, if your mother tells you to do your homework & you can gladly say, "Mom, I have already done it!"
Present Perfect (Dr. Lemon)
Present Perfect (from StudySpanish.com)
Present Perfect From Base Language
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past perfect/pluperfect (what had already happened when...)
The Past Perfect/Pluperfect is used to tell what you had (already) done by a certain point. For example: When my mom got home from work, I had already made dinner.
Past Perfect/Pluperfect (Dr. Lemon)
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Past Perfect/Pluperfect (StudySpanish.com)
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future perfect (what will have happened by...)
The Future Perfect is used to tell what will have happened by a certain point in the future.
For example: I will have finished my work by this May.
For example: I will have finished my work by this May.
conditional perfect (what would have happened if...)
The Conditional Perfect is used to tell what would have happened if something else hadn't gotten in the way. For example: I would have cleaned my room, but I fell asleep.