Spanish 6.3. Pluperfect Indicative Tense

The pluperfect indicative tense, literally the more than perfect, describes the past before the simple past in Spanish. If two actions took place in the past, the one that occurred before is often described in the pluperfect indicative tense. In case you encounter it in Spanish, the name of this tense is “el pretérito pluscuamperfecto.”

Conjugation

“Haber” in the imperfect + past participle

The pluperfect indicative uses the verb “haber” in the imperfect. The conjugation of the pluperfect is as follows:

  -ar ending hablar-er ending comer-ir ending vivir
yohabíahabladocomidovivido
túhabías
él/ella/ustedhabía
nosotros/-ashabíamos
vosotros/-ashabíais
ellos/ellas/ustedeshabían

Examples

Here are some examples of the pluperfect indicative tense in Spanish:

Antes de conocernos, nunca había ido a España.Before we met, I had never been to Spain.
Cuando visité a mi mamá, mi hermana ya había llegado.When I visited my mom, my sister had already arrived.
Después de que el partido había sido cancelado, los espectadores se fueron a casa.After the game had been canceled, the spectators went home.

Quiz: Pluperfect Indicative Tense in Spanish

Spanish: Pluperfect Indicative Tense

1 / 5

1. When I visited my mom, my sister had already arrived. (to arrive= llegar)

SP: Cuando visité a mi mamá, mi hermana ya .

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

2 / 5

2. Conjugate the Spanish verb "hablar" (to speak) in the pluperfect indicative tense.

yo
tú
él/ella/usted
nosotros/as
vosotros/-as
ellos/ellas/ustedes

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

3 / 5

3. After the security had closed the door, the crowd went home. (to close = cerrar)

SP: Después de que la seguridad  la puerta, la multitud se fue a casa.

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

4 / 5

4. Before we met, I had never been to Spain. (to go to = ir)

SP: Antes de conocernos, nunca  a España.

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

5 / 5

5. Conjugate the Spanish verb "tener" (to have) in the pluperfect indicative tense.

yo
tú
él/ella/usted
nosotros/as
vosotros/-as
ellos/ellas/ustedes

 

Accented letters (if needed):

á é í ó ú ñ ü

Your score is

The average score is 0%

0%

Thank you for taking the quiz!

Next: Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense

Back to: Spanish Lessons

More lessons in Level VI:

Level VI – Fluent

1.     Ordinal Numbers II

2.    “Should/Could/Would Have …”

3.    Pluperfect Indicative Tense

4.    Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense

5.    Use of “Aunque,” “Si Bien,” and “A Pesar de”

6.    Verbs of Change

7.    Reflexive Passive, Impersonal, & Accidental “Se”

8.    Diminutives & Augmentatives

9.    Use of “Vos” in Some Spanish-Speaking Countries

10. Uses of “Ojalá” in Spanish