Forming and Using the Perfect Infinitive in Spanish

Forming and Using the Perfect Infinitive in Spanish The perfect infinitive is called perfect not because its better than other infinitives, but because it uses the infinitive of the verb haber, which is used to form the perfect tenses. In Spanish, the perfect infinitive (infinitivo compuesto) is simply the word haber followed by the past participle of a verb. It is the equivalent of the English infinitive to have followed by a past participle and is used in basically the same way. Examples of the Perfect Infinitive in Spanish You can see the similarities of the two languages perfect infinitives in these examples: Haber llegado tan lejos fue memorable para nosotras. To have arrived so far away was memorable for us. Fue un error haber hecho todo. It was a mistake to have done everything. Espero haber sido de ayuda. I hope to have been of help. Querà ­a haber tenido ms tiempo. I wanted to have had more time. Mas vale haber amado y perdido que no haber amado nunca. Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. El 34% de los nià ±os aseguran haber visto a Pap Noel. Thirty-four percent of children claim to have seen Santa Claus. The Perfect Infinitive and English -ing Verbs When you use the English to have followed by a past participle you can almost always translate it to Spanish using the perfect infinitive, but the reverse often isnt true. One reason is that in Spanish only the infinitive form of the verb functions as a noun, but in English the -ing verb form can also function as a noun. So often the Spanish perfect infinitive is the equivalent of the English having followed by a past participle: à ­Quà © afortunada soy por haber conocido el verdadero amor! How fortunate am I for having known true love! Su pecado es haber nacido en Cuba. His sin is having been born in Cuba. Tengo la sensacià ³n de haber hecho todo lo posible. I have the feeling of having done everything possible. Fujimori niega haber conocido existencia del grupo Colina. Fujimori denies having known the existence of the group Colina. Imaginaba haber encontrado el dinero. He imagined having found the money. The Perfect Infinitive with Prepositions Since perfect infinitives usually function as nouns, they can serve as sentence subjects or objects. They frequently follow the prepositions de or por, although they can follow other prepositions as well. They are especially commonly used after por when expressing gratitude: Gracias por haber confiado en nosotros. Thank you for trusting in us. Gracias por haber llegado a mi vida. Thank you for coming into my life. The Perfect Infinitive with Pronouns When the perfect infinitive has an object, it is typically attached to haber:  ¡Cà ³mo desearà ­a no haberte conocido! How I wish I had never met you! Recuerdo haberle comprado dos cajas de cereal. I remember buying two boxes of cereal for him.