Talking about the past
What had already happened
Past perfect
Say something had already happened before another past moment.
Endings refresher
Past perfect
Choose the imperfect form of haber, then add the past participle.
| Person | Haber |
|---|---|
| yo | había |
| tú | habías |
| él / ella / usted | había |
| nosotros / nosotras | habíamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | habíais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | habían |
yo había + hecho → yo había hecho
- Regular participles: -ar → -ado; -er / -ir → -ido. Hacer uses hecho. The participle stays unchanged after haber.
- These charts use tú. Vosotros / vosotras is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final row. Vos forms vary by region.
The pattern
- Forms below follow: yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros, ellos/ustedes. Vosotros is mainly used in Spain; ustedes uses the final form.
- Imperfect haber: había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían.
- Add the past participle: hablado, comido, vivido; irregulars include hecho and visto.
Cuando llegué, ya habían cerrado.
When I arrived, they had already closed.
Why it works: Habían cerrado places the closing before my arrival. Habían is the plural imperfect of haber; cerrado stays unchanged.
Notice the difference
Cuando llegué, cerraron.
When I arrived, they closed.
Why it works: Cerraron presents the closing as an event at that point in the story, rather than something already completed before I arrived.
One thing to watch for
The participle does not agree with the subject after haber.