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5.4: Past Perfect Subjunctive

  • Page ID
    164411
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    Pasado perfecto del subjuntivo (también pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo)

    The past perfect subjunctive is known in Spanish as "pasado perfecto del subjuntivo" or "pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo". This is the subjunctive form of the past perfect, covered previously. In Spanish, when the past perfect is used preceded by a verb or expression that triggers the subjunctive, the past perfect subjunctive must be used instead. It is used to indicate an action that "had happened" in the past, before another action previously mentioned in the context.

    Fórmula

    The structure of the past perfect subjunctive is the same as the structure used with other perfect tenses, but it is not an independent tense. Just like other subjunctive tenses, the past perfect subjunctive must be used in the subordinate clause, after the word "que".

    main clause in a past tense + que + subordinate clause in past perfect subjunctive

    Conjugación

    The past perfect subjunctive requires the verb "haber" to be conjugated in the past subjunctive, followed by a past participle. Since the verb "haber" is always the conjugated verb, there are no irregular verbs in this tense. However, irregular past participles must be taken into consideration.

    Past Perfect Subjunctive Conjugations
    Infinitivo Yo Usted/él/ella Nosotros Vosotros Ustedes/ellos
    votar hubiera votado hubieras votado hubiera votado hubiéramos votado hubierais votado hubieran votado
    proponer hubiera propuesto hubieras propuesto hubiera propuesto hubiéramos propuesto hubierais propuesto hubieran propuesto
    tener hubiera tenido hubieras tenido hubiera tenido hubiéramos tenido hubierais tenido hubieran tenido
    decidir hubiera decidido hubieras decidido hubiera decidido hubiéramoa decidido hubierais decidido hubieran decidido

    Ejemplos

    • Mi padre esperaba que yo hubiera votado por el otro candidato. (My father hoped that I had voted for the other candidate.)
    • El canidato empezó su discurso antes de que toda la gente hubiera llegado. (The candidate started his speech before all the people had arrived.)

    Práctica 1


    5.4: Past Perfect Subjunctive is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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