Español — Perfect subjunctive
The perfect subjunctive combines the present subjunctive of haber (haya, hayas…) with a past participle. It expresses a completed action seen through a subjunctive trigger, as in Espero que hayas llegado.
How it works
Take the present subjunctive of haber — haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan — and add the invariable past participle: haya hablado, hayas comido, hayan vivido. It appears after the same triggers as the present subjunctive (deseo, duda, emotion, negation), but only when the action is already complete: Me alegro de que hayas venido; No creo que hayan terminado.
Examples
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| que yo haya hablado | that I have spoken |
| que tú hayas comido | that you have eaten |
| que él/ella haya llegado | that he/she has arrived |
| que nosotros hayamos vivido | that we have lived |
| que vosotros hayáis visto | that you (pl.) have seen |
| que ellos/ellas hayan terminado | that they have finished |
Good to know
The participle never agrees here: say hayan escrito, not «hayan escritos». Watch the irregular participles that go with it — visto, escrito, hecho, puesto, dicho, roto, vuelto: No creo que lo hayas dicho. Don't confuse haya (subjunctive) with the indicative he/has/ha; use haya only after a trigger that demands the subjunctive.