Past perfect (Plusquamperfekt)
Plusquamperfekt
The expresses an action completed before another past action.
Structure
war / hatte (Präteritum) + Partizip II
war / hatte (simple past) + past participle
Details
- Part of Speech
- Tense
- Register
- Standard
Explanation
The Plusquamperfekt () expresses Vorzeitigkeit: an action that was already completed before another past action. It is the "past before the past".
How it is formed: the same auxiliary as the (haben or sein), but in the Präteritum, plus the Partizip II:
- haben-verbs: hatte + → hatte gegessen
- sein-verbs: war + → war gegangen
It is most common together with the nachdem, where it marks the earlier of two events.
Examples:
- Er war schon gegangen, als ich ankam. - He had already left when I arrived.
- Nachdem wir gegessen hatten, gingen wir spazieren. - After we had eaten, we went for a walk.
- Sie hatte den Film schon gesehen. - She had already seen the film.
Common mistakes: Using the present- auxiliary (hat gegessen = ) instead of the past one (hatte gegessen = ). Also remember to keep the same auxiliary the normally takes (sein for movement/change verbs, haben otherwise).
About Past perfect (Plusquamperfekt)
The expresses an action completed before another past action.
Formed with the of haben/sein plus the . It marks an event earlier than another past event, often in a 'nachdem' clause.
Das drückt Vorzeitigkeit in der Vergangenheit aus.
Caution
Use the same auxiliary (sein or haben) as the Perfekt, but in the Präteritum: 'war gegangen', 'hatte gegessen'. It is most common together with 'nachdem'.