Pluperfect
Pluscuamperfecto
Había + participle: a past action before another past one.
The rule
The pluperfect (pluscuamperfecto) expresses a past action completed before another past action: English 'had done'. Form it with the imperfect of haber (había, habías, había, habíamos, habían) + a past participle (-ado for -ar, -ido for -er/-ir). The same participles are irregular as in the present perfect: hecho, dicho, visto, escrito, puesto, vuelto, abierto, roto, muerto. Example: 'Cuando llegué, ya habían comido' (When I arrived, they had already eaten).
Examples
Cuando llegué, ya habían comido.
When I arrived, they had already eaten.
Nunca había visto algo así.
I had never seen anything like that.
Ella ya había salido cuando llamaste.
She had already left when you called.
No habíamos terminado todavía.
We hadn't finished yet.
Le dije que ya había hecho la tarea.
I told him I had already done the homework.
Try it yourself
Three quick questions, straight from the app. No sign-up needed.
Which is the pluperfect ('I had seen the film')?
I had seen the film before.
All 22 Pluperfect questions, free in Hablaba
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