1. Alphabet & Pronunciation
1.1. Syllable Stress
2. Similarities to English
2.1. Plural
2.2. Negation
2.3. Punctuation & Written Accents
3. Cardinal Numbers
4. Subject Personal Pronouns
5. Present Indicative Tense I
6. The Articles
7. Prepositions
8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives
9. Basic Phrases
1. Gender of Nouns & Adjectives
2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs
3. The Verb “To Be”: “Ser” vs. “Estar”
4. Future Tense
5. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns
6. Demonstrative Adjectives & Pronouns
7. Object Personal Pronouns
7.1. Combining Direct & Indirect Object Personal Pronouns
8. Relative Pronouns
9. Ordinal Numbers I
10. Times & Seasons
1. Verbs Like “Gustar”
2. “Por” vs. “Para”
3. The Verb “To Know”: “Saber” vs. “Conocer”
4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns
5. Present Progressive Tense
6. Present Perfect Tense
7. Special Uses of “Haber” & “Tener”
8. Telling Time & Describing Weather
9. Adverbs
9.1. The Adverbs “Tan,” “Solo,” “También,” “Tampoco,” “Vez,” & “Veces”
9.2. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases
10. Directions
1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives
2. Past Tense: Preterite vs. Imperfect
3. Conjunctions
4. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs
5. The Verb “Soler”
6. Time Expressions: Todavía, Aún, Ya, Hace, Acabar, & Desde
7. Present Subjunctive Tense I
8. Personal “a”
9. Future Perfect Tense
1. Irregular Verbs in The Preterite
2. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands
3. Expressions of Pain & Illness
4. Simple Conditional Tense
5. Present Subjunctive Tense II
6. Perfect Subjunctive Tense
7. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense
8. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses
9. Interjections
1. Ordinal Numbers II
2. “Would/Should/Could 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
The pluperfect indicative tense, literally the more than perfect, describes the past before the simple past. If two actions took place in the past, the one that occurred before is often described in the pluperfect indicative tense in Spanish. In case you encounter it in Spanish, the name of this tense is “el pretérito pluscuamperfecto.”
Table of Contents
- Conjugation in the Pluperfect Indicative (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)
- Examples
- Quiz: Pluperfect Indicative Tense in Spanish
- Level VI – Fluent
Conjugation in the Pluperfect Indicative (Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto)
| “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 e.g., hablar | -er ending e.g., comer | -ir ending e.g., vivir | ||
| yo | había | hablado | comido | vivido |
| tú | habías | |||
| él/ella/usted | había | |||
| nosotros/-as | habíamos | |||
| vosotros/-as | habíais | |||
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían |
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
Next: Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense
More lessons in Level VI:
