The past participle is formed in Spanish by adding -ado to the stem of regular -ar verbs and -ido to the stem of regular -er or -ir verbs: hablar > hablado; poder > podido; vivir > vivido, etc.

The past participle can often be used as an adjective (usually with the verb estar). Then, it has four forms, reflecting the number and gender of the noun it describes:
 

The past participle can also be used with the verb ser to construct the passive voice: La comida fue preparada por mamá (‘The food was prepared by Mom’). Again, the past participle reflects number and gender of the noun it describes. The passive construction with ser + past participle is not as common in Spanish as it is in English. The active voice should be used whenever possible: Mamá preparó la comida (‘Mom made the food’).

Examples of Past Participle

• ¿Ha llegado una transferencia desde Estados Unidos a nombre de Thomas Smith?