7.3: Past Perfect Tense
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German past perfect (also called pluperfect) visually differs from the German present perfect only in the tense of the auxiliary verb. The meaning of German past-perfect tense is identical to English past-perfect tense. Compare these examples:
PAST PERFECT | PRESENT PERFECT |
Er hatte ein Buch gekauft. He had bought a book. |
Er hat ein Buch gekauft. He bought a book. |
Er war in die Stadt gegangen. He had gone to town. |
Er ist in die Stadt gegangen. He went to town. |
The past perfect has only this one use. Just as is in the present perfect, note that the past participle appears in final position.