The pluscuamperfecto describes actions that had happened before another point in the past. It's formed using the imperfect tense of haber + past participle. The past participle is formed by removing -ar/-er/-ir and adding -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido (for -er/-ir verbs). It is used for:
- Actions completed before another past action
- Past perfect situations ("had done")
- Background information in past narratives
- Reported speech from the past
- Past desires or intentions that weren't fulfilled
Regular Conjugations
| Pronoun | -AR | -ER/-IR |
|---|---|---|
| yo | había + -ado | había + -ido |
| tú | habías + -ado | habías + -ido |
| él/ella/ud. | había + -ado | había + -ido |
| nosotros | habíamos + -ado | habíamos + -ido |
| vosotros | habíais + -ado | habíais + -ido |
| ellos/uds. | habían + -ado | habían + -ido |
The imperfect of haber carries the person, and it is regular throughout.
Regular -AR verb: hablar in Pluscuamperfecto
An -er or -ir verb takes -ido after había. Irregular participles keep their usual form: había dicho, habían abierto.