Past Perfect in Spanish

The past perfect is a verb tense we use in Spanish to talk about actions in the past that happened before another action that also happened in the past.

In other words, the past perfect allows us to order events and understand what happened first. In this article, we will learn what the past perfect is, how it is formed, its uses, and the common mistakes to avoid. Let’s go!

What is the Past Perfect in Spanish?

The past perfect is used to describe an action in the past that happened before another action in the past. Its function is to help us order events, showing which one occurred first. Examples of sentences in the past perfect in Spanish:

• Cuando llegué, ya había empezado la película. (When I arrived, the movie had already started.) (The movie started before I arrived.)
• No sabía que ella había estudiado en el extranjero. (I didn’t know that she had studied abroad.) (She studied abroad before I knew it.)
• Ya habíamos cenado cuando llegó el invitado. (We had already had dinner when the guest arrived.) (Dinner happened before the guest's arrival.)
• Había terminado la tarea antes de salir. (I had finished the homework before going out.) (I finished the homework first, then went out.)
• Cuando llegamos al museo, ya había cerrado. (When we arrived at the museum, it had already closed.) (The museum closed before we arrived.)

As you can see, the past perfect helps us describe the order of events in the past.

How to Form the Past Perfect in Spanish

To form the past perfect, we use the verb “haber” (have)  in the imperfect past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The participle is formed by adding “-ado” for -ar verbs and “-ido” for verbs that end in -er and -ir.

Structure of the Past Perfect

Examples with Regular Verbs:

-ar Verbs:

Example with the verb hablar (speak): había hablado, habías hablado, había hablado, habíamos hablado, habíais hablado, habían hablado. (I had spoken, you had spoken, he/she had spoken, we had spoken, you all had spoken, they had spoken.)

Examples of verbs in the past perfect with -ar ending:

• Yo había hablado con el profesor. (I had spoken with the teacher.)
• Tú habías hablado del tema muchas veces. (You had talked about the topic many times.)
• Él había hablado con el profesor. (He had spoken with the teacher.)
• Nosotros habíamos hablado de nuestras ideas. (We had talked about our ideas.)
• Ellos habían hablado sobre el proyecto. (They had talked about the project.)

-er Verbs:

Example with the verb comer (eat): había comido, habías comido, había comido, habíamos comido, habíais comido, habían comido. (I had eaten, you had eaten, he/she had eaten, we had eaten, you all had eaten, they had eaten.)

Examples of verbs in the past perfect with -er ending:

• Yo había comido antes de ir a la fiesta. (I had eaten before going to the party.)
• Tú habías comido pizza en ese lugar. (You had eaten pizza at that place.)
• Él había comido en casa. (He had eaten at home.)
• Nosotros habíamos comido antes de salir. (We had eaten before going out.)
• Ellos habían comido juntos. (They had eaten together.)

-ir Verbs:

Example with the verb vivir (live): había vivido, habías vivido, había vivido, habíamos vivido, habíais vivido, habían vivido. (I had lived, you had lived, he/she had lived, we had lived, you all had lived, they had lived.)

Examples of verbs in the past perfect with -ir ending:

• Yo había vivido en esa ciudad antes. (I had lived in that city before.)
• Tú habías vivido cerca del mar. (You had lived near the sea.)
• Ella había vivido en España. (She had lived in Spain.)
• Nosotros habíamos vivido juntos. (We had lived together.)
• Ellos habían vivido en esa casa. (They had lived in that house.)

1

Irregular Verbs in the Past Perfect

Some verbs in Spanish have irregular participles, so they do not follow the normal rules of formation. These irregular verbs are very common, and it is useful to learn them in order to use the past perfect correctly.

Examples of irregular verbs in the past perfect:

1. Hacer (to do) → hecho

• Yo había hecho la tarea. (I had done the homework.)
• Tú habías hecho la cena. (You had made dinner.)
• Él había hecho un gran esfuerzo. (He had made a great effort.)
• Nosotros habíamos hecho planes. (We had made plans.)
• Ellos habían hecho muchas cosas. (They had done many things.)

2. Decir (say) → dicho

• Yo había dicho la verdad. (I had told the truth.)
• Tú habías dicho algo importante. (You had said something important.)
• Ella había dicho que vendría. (She had said that she would come.)
• Nosotros habíamos dicho nuestras ideas. (We had expressed our ideas.)
• Ellos habían dicho que sí. (They had said yes.)

3. Escribir (write) → escrito

• Yo había escrito una carta. (I had written a letter.)
• Tú habías escrito el informe. (You had written the report.)
• Él había escrito un libro. (He had written a book.)
• Nosotros habíamos escrito juntos. (We had written together.)
• Ellos habían escrito sus nombres. (They had written their names.)

4. Ver (see) → visto

• Yo había visto esa película. (I had seen that movie.)
• Tú habías visto a tus amigos. (You had seen your friends.)
• Ella había visto el atardecer. (She had seen the sunset.)
• Nosotros habíamos visto el espectáculo. (We had seen the show.)
• Ellos habían visto algo interesante. (They had seen something interesting.)

5. Abrir (open) → abierto

• Yo había abierto la puerta. (I had opened the door.)
• Tú habías abierto el regalo. (You had opened the gift.)
• Él había abierto la ventana. (He had opened the window.)
• Nosotros habíamos abierto el debate. (We had opened the debate.)
• Ellos habían abierto la tienda. (They had opened the store.)

Uses of the past perfect tense in Spanish

The past perfect tense is mainly used to:

• Show background or context in narratives: previous in a story.
• Relate a sequence of events in the past: order events as they happened.

Actions prior to another

Talk about actions that happened before another in the past.

• La ciudad estaba vacía porque todos se habían ido. (The city was empty because everyone had left.)
• El cuarto estaba oscuro; alguien había apagado las luces. (The room was dark; someone had turned off the lights.)
• La mesa estaba lista; habíamos preparado todo. (The table was set; we had prepared everything.)
• El parque estaba limpio; habían recogido la basura. (The park was clean; they had picked up the trash.)
• La casa estaba cerrada; los dueños habían salido. (The house was closed; the owners had left.)

Relate a Sequence of Events

Narrating a sequence of events in the past, according to the order in which they occurred.

• Había llegado temprano, así que esperé. (I had arrived early, so I waited.)
• Él había comprado los boletos antes de que llegáramos. (He had bought the tickets before we arrived.)
• Nos habíamos puesto de acuerdo antes de empezar. (We had agreed before starting.)
• Habían discutido el tema antes de la reunión. (They had discussed the topic before the meeting.)
• Ellos ya se habían presentado cuando empezó la clase. (They had already introduced themselves when class started.)

Common Mistakes with the Past Perfect and How to Avoid Them

There are some common mistakes that beginner students can make with this verb tense at first. Therefore, here are some to help you avoid them:

Confusing It with the Simple Past

Sometimes, we may use the simple past when we want to talk about something that happened before another thing. However, the past perfect is what helps us tell stories clearly, showing what happened first.

• Incorrect: Salí de casa y empezó a llover. (I left home and it started to rain.)
• Correct: Salí de casa y había empezado a llover. (I left home and it had started to rain.)

Forgetting the Verb “Haber”

When we use the past perfect, we always need the verb “haber.” If we forget it, the sentence makes no sense.

• Incorrect: Yo visto la película antes de leer el libro. (I seen the movie before reading the book.)
• Correct: Yo había visto la película antes de leer el libro. (I had seen the movie before reading the book.)

Using the Regular Participle Instead of the Irregular

We highly recommend studying irregular verbs, as if they are conjugated incorrectly, your sentences may sound strange.

• Incorrect: Él había rompido la ventana. 
• Correct: Él había roto la ventana. (He had broken the window.)

Incorrect Use of the Subjunctive When the Indicative Should Be Used

Sometimes, it is easy to get mixed up as to when to use the indicative mood and when to use the subjunctive in the past perfect. Remember that we use the indicative for facts and the subjunctive in cases of doubt, wishes, or expressions of emotion or uncertainty.

• Incorrect: Estoy feliz que has venido a la fiesta.
• Correct: Estoy feliz de que hayas venido a la fiesta. (I am happy that you have come to the party.)

Confusion with the Present When Talking About Past Experiences

Another common mistake is using the present to talk about experiences instead of the past perfect. In Spanish, to talk about things we have done at some point in the past, we use the past perfect.

• Incorrect: Yo veo esa película muchas veces. (I see that movie many times.)
• Correct: Yo he visto esa película muchas veces. (I have seen that movie many times.)

Practicing these details will help improve your use of the past perfect in Spanish.

Summary

The past perfect is essential for expressing events that occurred before others in the past. Using it correctly will help you tell stories and express wishes or hypotheses in a more natural way in Spanish. 

Keep practicing through the Promova app, and you will see how you will soon master this and all other verb tenses. See you next time!