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5.5: Conditional Perfect and Past Perfect Subjunctive

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    164412
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    El condicional perfecto y el pasado (pluscuamperfecto) del subjuntivo

    The conditional perfect and the past perfect subjunctive are commonly used together in "si" clauses. "Si" clauses using this combination of tenses express what "would have happened" if a situation "had occurred" in the past. This structure allows you to talk about an imaginary past and its (imaginary) consequences.

    Fórmulas

    In this structure, clauses may be inverted without affecting the meaning. However, the past perfect subjunctive must always be in the "si" clause. The conditional perfect must be in the other clause, regardless of the order

    • si + past perfect subjunctive, + conditional perfect (si hubiera..., habría...)
    • conditional perfect + si + past perfect subjunctive (habría... si hubiera...)

    Note that the conjugation of these two tenses is very similar; the "hubiera" must always be in the "si" clause.

    Ejemplos

    • Si yo hubiera estado en el evento, habría hablado sobre los problemas que afectan a nuestra juventud. (If I had been at the event, I would have talked about the issues affecting our youth.)
    • Jorge y Luisa habrían votado por ese candidato si en su discurso hubiera mencionado a los inmigrantes. (Jorge and Luisa would have voted for that candidate if he had mentioned immigrants in his speech.)

    Práctica 1


    5.5: Conditional Perfect and 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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