Welcome to Episode 54 of Learn Spanish 5 Minutes per Day in 100 Days! In this episode, we will explore the past perfect tense in Spanish. The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that occurred before another past action. Let's dive in and understand how to use the past perfect tense!
Pretérito pluscuamperfecto.
Past Perfect Tense.
Repeat: Pretérito pluscuamperfecto.
The past perfect tense is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb haber (to have) followed by the past participle of the main verb. Let's see its conjugation in the imperfect tense:
- Yo había (I had)
- Tú habías (You had)
- Él/Ella/Usted había (He/She/You had)
- Nosotros/Nosotras habíamos (We had)
- Vosotros/Vosotras habíais (You all had)
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes habían (They/You all had)
Let's see some examples:
Cuando llegué a casa, mi hermana ya había comido.
When I arrived home, my sister had already eaten.
Repeat: Cuando llegué a casa, mi hermana ya había comido.
Habíamos visto la película antes de que empezara la lluvia.
We had seen the movie before the rain started.
Repeat: Habíamos visto la película antes de que empezara la lluvia.
Ellos habían viajado a Europa antes de mudarse a México.
They had traveled to Europe before moving to Mexico.
Repeat: Ellos habían viajado a Europa antes de mudarse a México.
The past perfect tense is used to express an action that happened before another past action. Practice using it to narrate past events and create more complex sentences in Spanish.
In the next episode, we will explore the passive voice in Spanish.
Stay tuned and keep up the great work!
¡Hasta luego!
See you later!