"Had" + past participle in Spanish

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

2. 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—
habías habíais + masculine singular
form only
había habían

3. The Formation of the Pluperfect
Notice the following chart:
Imperfect tense Past Past tense of to Past
of haber participle have participle
yo había I had
tú habías you had
tomado taken
Ud. había
comido you (form.) had 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

4. A breakdown of the terminology
The word pluscuamperfecto itself is a compound
word. If we divide it into its three components . . .
pluscuamperfecto

5. A breakdown of the terminology
The word pluscuamperfecto itself is a compound
word. If we divide it into its three components . . .
plus cuamperfecto

6. A breakdown of the terminology
The word pluscuamperfecto itself is a compound
word. If we divide it into its three components . . .
plus cuam perfecto
more than past
. . . we find that the term defines how this verb
tense describes an action or event—back past
another past action or event, or “more than past.”

7. A time line showing verb tense relationships
the pluperfect the preterit the present
(previous to past) (past) (now)
Yo no había estudiado lo Yo saqué una C en el Ahora yo soy un muy
suficiente. examen de mitad de buen estudiante.
semestre.
 toward the past toward the future 
the present
The pluperfect is perfect
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.

8. 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.
“more than past Present
Past past” Future
dirigir venir
cantar entrar
estar decir
“more than past
El director había dirigido
past” otras dos orquestas antes de venir a Boston.
The director had conducted two other orchestras before coming
to Boston.
past “more than
Cuando entramos, la diva ya había cantado
past” el aria.
When we entered, the diva had already sung the aria.
past “more than
Nos dijo que el compositor había estado
past” enfermo.
He told us that the composer had been sick.

9. 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.

10. FIN