The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) describes actions that happened before another past event, useful for setting clear temporal order in narratives and reports.
Formation
The pluperfect is formed with the past tense of haben or sein as an auxiliary plus the past participle of the main verb; choose sein for verbs that indicate movement or change of state.
| Auxiliary Verb | English Translation | |
|---|---|---|
| ich hatte | I had | |
| du hattest | you had | |
| er/sie/es hatte | he/she/it had | |
| wir hatten | we had | |
| ihr hattet | you (pl) had | |
| sie/Sie hatten | they/you (formal) had | |
| ich war | I was | |
| du warst | you were | |
| er/sie/es war | he/she/it was | |
| wir waren | we were | |
| ihr wart | you (pl) were | |
| sie/Sie waren | they/you (formal) were |
I had done the homework.
Usage
Use the pluperfect to describe an event that was completed before another past event or moment, often appearing in narratives, reports, and when explaining reasons.
Signal Words
Signal words like bereits, schon, noch nicht, and time expressions such as nachdem and bevor often accompany the pluperfect to emphasize the sequence of past events.
Summary
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) situates one past action before another by using the past tense of haben or sein plus the past participle; signal words and context help determine its use.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025