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     Table of Contents Chapter 15 15.5.1 Formation of past perfect / Plusquamperfekt
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Chapter 15: Past Tenses

  15.5.1 Formation of past perfect / Plusquamperfekt


The past perfect is formed according to the formula: conjugated modal verb in imperfect + perfect participle

imperfect of to have   + perfect participle
  I had
you had
he, she, it had
we had
you had
they had
+
eaten
read
bought
written
seen
gone

The choice of the modal verb is exactly the same like with the present perfect - transitive verbs (those ones which have a direct object) use the verb haben, intransitive (the ones without direct objects) use the verb sein. And the perfect participle is the same as described before.

imperfect of verb haben + perfect participle
  ich hatte
du hattest
er/sie/es hatte
wir hatten
ihr hattet
sie hatten
gegessen gelesen gekauft geschrieben gesehen
         

Examples
  Ich hatte einen Brief geschrieben.
= I had written a letter.
 
Wir hatten Brot gekauft.
= We had bought some bread.
 
Ihr hattet einen Mann gesehen.
= You had seen a man.
 

Imperfekt del verb sein + participio perfecto
  ich war
du warst
er/sie/es war
wir waren
ihr wart
sie waren
gegangen geschwommen   gelaufen gefahren geflogen
         

Examples
  Ich war nach Amerika geflogen.
= I had gone to America.
 
  Wir waren nach Hause gelaufen.
= We had gone home.
 
  Das Auto war kaputt gegangen und deshalb nahmen wir den Zug.
= The car had broken down and therefore we went by train.
 

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