Past Perfect Subjunctive Forms
The past perfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of the verb haber and a past participle.
Past Perfect Subjunctive Formula:
imperfect subjunctive of haber + past participle
Imperfect Subjunctive of Haber
Hubiera vs. Hubiese
The imperfect subjunctive of haber can be conjugated in two different ways. Both are correct, though use of the first, whose yo form is hubiera, is more widespread.
Subject Imperfect Subjunctive 1 Imperfect Subjunctive 2
yo
hubiera
hubiese
tú
hubieras
hubieses
él/ella
hubiera
hubiese
usted
hubiera
hubiese
nosotros
hubiéramos
hubiésemos
vosotros
hubierais
hubieseis
ellos/ellas
hubieran
hubiesen
ustedes
hubieran
hubiesen
Past Perfect Subjunctive Uses
The past perfect subjunctive is commonly used to talk about past hypotheticals, conditionals, and past actions preceding other past actions.
1. Hypotheticals
The past perfect subjunctive is commonly used to talk about hypothetical situations, especially those relating to regrets or hindsight.
Ojalá que hubiera/hubiese sabido.
I wish I had known.
¿Y si Don Quijote hubiera/hubiese tenido razón sobre los molinos?
What if Don Quijote had been right about the windmills?
2. Conditionals
The past perfect subjunctive is used along with the conditional perfect to talk about conditionals in the past.
Si hubiera/hubiese sabido, habría venido.
If I had known, I would have come.
Si hubiera/hubiese tenido más dinero, habría comprado el cuadro que vimos en el mercado.
If I'd had more money, I would've bought the painting we saw in the market.
3. Actions Preceding Other Past Actions
The past perfect is used along with the simple past or imperfect to talk about a past action that preceded a second past action. Whichever of these events is the furthest back in the past is talked about with the past perfect subjunctive.
Pablo dudó que yo hubiera/hubiese ido a Perú.
Pablo doubted that I had been to Peru.
Mamá no creyó que hubieras/hubieses limpiado el cuarto.
Mom did not believe that you had cleaned the room.
El policía buscaba a algún testigo que hubiera/hubiese visto el robo.
The police officer was looking for a witness who had witnessed the robbery
Perfect the Perfect Tenses
Need a review of the other perfect tenses? Check out our other perfect articles:
the present perfect indicative
the present perfect subjunctive
the past perfect
the preterite perfect
the conditional perfect
the future perfect indicative
the future perfect subjunctive
