【英文版西语语法】Past Perfect Subjunctive Forms

 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