German grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The past perfect (Plusquamperfekt): hatte gemacht, war gegangen
How to say what had happened before another event in the past: hatte or war + past participle.
One step further back
When you're already talking about the past and want to mention something that happened before that, use the Plusquamperfekt. It's like English “had done”: (when we arrived, the train had already left).
You don't need it for every earlier event. Use it when the order matters or might not be clear.
- Ich hatte das Buch schon gelesen.I had already read the book.
- Sie war schon nach Hause gegangen.She had already gone home.
How to form it
The Plusquamperfekt works exactly like the Perfekt, but the helping verb is in the Präteritum: instead of , instead of . The past participle stays at the end. Verbs that take in the Perfekt also take here.
| Person | with | with |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / |
With als and nachdem
The Plusquamperfekt often appears together with (when) and (after). After , the earlier event is usually in the Plusquamperfekt, and the later one in the Perfekt or Präteritum. Both words send the verb to the end.
- Als ich zum Hafen kam, war die Fähre schon abgefahren.When I got to the harbour, the ferry had already left.
- Nachdem die Kinder in die Schule gekommen waren, habe ich eine Ausbildung gemacht.After the children had started school, I did an apprenticeship.
Not the same as hätte / wäre
Don't confuse / + participle (had done) with / + participle (would have done). The umlaut makes the difference: (I had read it), (I would have read it).