"He nacido" or "nací" ?
A popular Mexican song, Canción Mixteca, begins with "Que lejos estoy del suelo donde he nacido." In English, it means "How far I am from the land (soil) where I was born." But a literal translation of "donde he nacido" would be "where I have (been) born." What is it about the Spanish word "nacer" (to be born) that allows the construction "he nacido"? In English we would just say "I was born" (nací).
An earlier thread asked about using "he nacido" or "he nato" ... http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/8033/he-nacido-or-he-nato
There, KevinB wrote, "I don't know about past participles listed on different sites, but he nacido and he nato sound very odd to me. Shouldn't it just be Nací en Qatar = I was born is Qatar?" Kevin's question remained unanswered. So let me ask it again: "He nacido" or "nací" ? Thanks!
1 Answer
It's more common to use the simple past since to be born in an action that occurred in the past and is no longer happening. Nací en Madrid. Nací español. Nací hombre.
However, there are instances where you can use the antepresente or present perfect. For instance: He nacido para hacerte feliz. He vivido haciéndote feliz. He hecho feliz a muchos. This tense has a more narrative form and it implies that the action took place in the past but that it may continue to take place in the present/future.
I hope this helps.
