Mckinney King

For the most part, the Pluperfect Tense is used to express a previous fact or action that occurred before an additional past action took spot.

The Pluperfect Tense

In this Spanish lesson, we will find out the Pluperfect Tense. No matter whether you are learning Spanish online, with CDs, or Learning Spanish software program, you will locate this lesson helpful in your journey to learn how to speak Spanish.

For the most portion, the Pluperfect Tense is used to express a past reality or action that occurred just before another previous action took place.

In English, this can be expressed in the following manner:

I had believed of you when you referred to as.

Even though in English we have a tendency to use the preterite to express two consecutive actions in the past, in Spanish this is hardly ever the case. Instead, the Pluperfect Tense is used.

In Spanish, the above sentence is translated to:

Yo haba pensado en usted cuando llam.

Notice how the auxiliary verb haber (to have) is a prominent element of this tense, both in Spanish and in English. The primary verb parallels the previous participle.

Let us take a closer look at the conjugation for the Pluperfect Tense for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in Spanish.

Trabajar (to perform)

yo haba trabajado (I had worked) nosotros habamos trabajado (we had worked)

t habas trabajado (you had worked) ellos haban trabajado (they had worked)

l haba trabajado (he had worked) ellas haban trabajado (they had worked)

ella haba trabajado (she had worked) ustedes haban trabajado (you had worked)

usted haba trabajado (you had worked)

Notice how the conjugation for this tense is very easily formed by adding -a to hab--the auxiliary verb haber's stem. The past participle for the major verb is then added to total the conjugation.

This conjugation format is repeated for -er and -ir verbs as well.

Comer (to eat)

yo haba comido (I had eaten) nosotros habamos comido (we had eaten)

t habas comido (you had eaten) ellos haban comido (they had eaten)

l haba comido (he had eaten) ellas haban comido (they had eaten)

ella haba comido (she had eaten) ustedes haban comido (you had ea