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 |
| |
|
|
|
|
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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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