The Pluperfect Indicative (El pluscuamperfecto del indicativo) El año pasado, nadie había oído de los Romero. ¡Ahora es casi imposible conseguir entradas!

The Formation of the Pluperfect Like the present perfect tense, the pluperfect is a compound tense. It is formed with the imperfect tense of haber + past participle. había habíamos + Past participle—masculine singular form only habías habíais había habían

Remember that in compound tenses nothing may be inserted between the auxiliary haber and the past participle; haber must agree in number with the subject, and the past participle has only one form. El público lo había visto antes. The public had seen him before. Los músicos habían tocado maravillosamente. The musicians had played marvelously.

The Formation of the Pluperfect Notice the following chart: Imperfect tense of haber Past participle Past tense of to have Past participle yo había I had tú habías you had tomado taken Ud. había you (form.) had comido eaten él, ella había vivido he, she had lived nosotros/as habíamos we had vosotros/as habíais you (pl. fam) had Uds. habían you (pl. fam.) had ellos, ellas habían they, you (pl.) had

A time line showing verb tense relationships the pluperfect the preterit the present (before the past) (past) (now) Yo no había estudiado lo suficiente. Yo saqué una C en el examen de mitad de semestre. Ahora yo soy un muy buen estudiante. ⇦ toward the past toward the future ⇨ the present perfect The pluperfect is always related to another past tense. (from the past up ‘til now) Yo he estudiado mucho más desde el examen de mitad de semestre. The pluperfect is never used in total isolation. It must always be accompanied by another explicit or implied past event or action.

Cuando entramos, la diva ya había cantado el aria. Again, the pluperfect is used to refer to an action or event that had occurred before another past action or event. Compare the following sentences with the time line. Before the past past Present Past Future dirigir venir cantar entrar estar decir Before the past past El director había dirigido otras dos orquestas antes de venir a Boston. The director had conducted two other orchestras before coming to Boston. past Before the past Cuando entramos, la diva ya había cantado el aria. When we entered, the diva had already sung the aria. past Before the past Nos dijo que el compositor había estado enfermo. He told us that the composer had been sick.

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