Present Perfect In Context

Overview

Lesson 3 of 9 in the unit “Spanish Tenses and Commands.” Students use the Spanish present perfect to discuss recent actions and life experiences, using ya, todavía no, alguna vez, and nunca. They compare completed actions with ongoing or unfinished situations in a short reading and paired conversations.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify and form the Spanish present perfect with haber + past participle.
• Students will ask and answer questions about experiences using alguna vez, nunca, ya, and todavía no.
• Students will distinguish a completed recent action from an ongoing or unfinished situation.
• Students will communicate meaning accurately in a paired conversation and short written response.

Success criteria

• I can form the present perfect accurately, such as he viajado or hemos visto.
• I can ask and answer questions about experiences using alguna vez and nunca.
• I can use ya and todavía no to explain whether an action has happened.
• I can identify whether a situation is completed, recent, ongoing, or unfinished.

Curriculum links

• IB DP language acquisition: interactive communication — students exchange information and respond appropriately in spontaneous conversation.
• IB DP language acquisition: receptive skills — students interpret a short authentic-style text and identify key details.
• IB DP language acquisition: productive skills — students produce clear spoken and written Spanish for a familiar, age-appropriate purpose.
• IB learner profile and approaches to learning — communication, reflection, open-mindedness, and self-management through collaborative practice and feedback.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes — Hook and retrieval Open with the hook and retrieval slides. Display the question ¿Qué has hecho esta semana? alongside three visual prompts, such as a finished assignment, a meal, and a sports activity. Students silently predict meanings, then share one answer with a partner. Briefly retrieve the auxiliary forms he, has, ha, hemos, han.

2. 5–12 minutes — Teach the language in context Use the present perfect teaching slides to model the structure: haber + past participle. Contrast He terminado el proyecto with Todavía no he terminado el proyecto and ¿Has viajado alguna vez? — Sí, he viajado / No, nunca he viajado. Highlight regular participles and remind students that the auxiliary changes, not the participle. Use a simple visual timeline to show a completed recent action and an unfinished situation.

3. 12–20 minutes — Guided reading and noticing Distribute the context reading and noticing worksheet. Students read a short text about two teenagers discussing school, activities, and travel. Individually, they underline present-perfect forms, circle ya, todavía no, alguna vez, or nunca, and label each example as completed or unfinished. Read the text aloud once while students follow; offer text-to-speech where available. Check answers as a class, asking students to justify their choices.

4. 20–30 minutes — Paired information exchange In four pairs, students use the tiered question section of the paired conversation practice. They ask and answer questions such as ¿Has probado alguna vez comida mexicana?, ¿Ya has hecho la tarea?, and ¿Todavía no has visto esa película? Partners must give a complete answer and one follow-up question. Allow two minutes of silent rehearsal before speaking. Circulate and record evidence of accurate auxiliary use, participles, and comprehensibility.

5. 30–39 minutes — Conversation challenge Use the conversation challenge and feedback slides to display three prompts. Each student chooses two prompts and holds a one-minute conversation with a partner, then changes partners once. Partners listen for one accurate example of ya, todavía no, alguna vez, or nunca, and provide brief feedback using: “Entendí…” and “Puedes revisar…”. Students may refer to the visual timeline and question supports, but should gradually reduce reliance on them.

6. 39–45 minutes — Exit assessment and reflection Students complete the final section of the individual exit task: write one question about experience, answer it, and write one sentence contrasting a completed action with an unfinished situation. Finish with a brief oral reflection: Hoy puedo… and Necesito practicar… Collect the worksheet for formative assessment.

Resources

• the complete lesson slide deck
• the present perfect practice worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Whiteboard and markers
• Visual timeline showing completed and unfinished actions
• Timer
• Headphones or text-to-speech software
• Pens or highlighters

Assessment

• During paired conversations, listen for accurate use of haber, past participles, question formation, and meaningful responses.
• Check the reading task for correct identification of target expressions and completed versus unfinished meaning.
• Use the exit task to identify individual next steps, especially errors with auxiliary forms or confusing ya and todavía no.

Differentiation

• Provide tiered question cards on the worksheet: sentence frames and a word bank for support; open-ended prompts and required follow-up questions for students ready for greater independence.
• Keep the visual timeline visible and color-code haber, the participle, and time expressions. Allow rehearsal, partner reading, and reduced prompt choices.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly materials with short lines, generous spacing, bolded target forms, uncluttered formatting, and text-to-speech or teacher-read access.
• For advanced learners, require spontaneous follow-up questions and more precise time expressions, then have them complete an eight-person class survey and report findings accurately using forms such as Seis estudiantes ya han…, Dos todavía no han…, and Nadie ha….