(AI) - Past and Future Perfect Lesson

Past and Future Perfect 

El pluscuamperfecto, the past perfect, is often used to talk about what a person  had  done before something else happened in the past. It is formed by combining haber in the  imperfect with a past participle.

The past participle is the same in the present, past, and future perfect. Since we just reviewed the past participles on the previous page, we just have to focus on the new conjugation of "haber."

 

Here is a reminder of the verb haber in the imperfect tense (note- all verbs have an accent over the first "i" of the ending, it is hard to tell in this image):

 

Check out these examples of the Spanish past perfect:

Había visto  ya a mi tía Amy.   I had already seen my aunt Amy.	Habías cantado  en el concierto cuando llegué.   You had already sung at the concert when I arrived.
Usted  había leído  el libro antes que los estudiantes.   You had read the book before the students.	Él  había sacado  su gorro cuando entró en la iglesia.   He had taken off his hat before entering the church.
Ella  había comido  antes de ir al centro comercial.   She had eaten before going to the mall.	Nos  habíamos sentado  cuando el coche salió.   We had sat down when the car left.
No  habíais oído  la canción antes de ahora.   You had not heard the song before now.	Vosotros  habían vuelto  cuando ellos salieron.   You had returned when they left.
Ellos  habían puesto  los abrigos en el sofá.   They had put the coats on the sofa.	Ellas  habían hablado  mucho cuando la fiesta terminó.   They had talked a lot when the party ended.

 

Notice that the auxiliary verb (haber) and the past participle are never separated. If object pronouns are present, they go immediately before  haber.  

Ya  lo  había visto.   I had already seen him.	Usted  lo  había escuchado antes que él.   You had listen to it before him.
Él  lo  había sacado cuando entró en la iglesia.   He had taken it off before entering the church.	No  la  habíais oído antes de ahora.   You had not heard it before now.
Ellos  los habían puesto en la mesa.   They had put them on the table.

 

Now, watch the following video lesson to review how to form the past perfect tense. We suggest you pause the video when needed, be prepared to take notes, and answer the questions in this video lesson.

Vamos a Practicar La Conjugación del Pluscuamperfecto

Please complete the following review activity.

 

 

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