Spanish grammar · Upper intermediate (B2)
All si clauses: si hubiera sabido, lo habría hecho
The pluperfect subjunctive and the conditional perfect, all types of Spanish si sentences, and how to express regrets about the past.
Two new compound forms
The “pluperfect subjunctive” is (or ) + past participle: (if I had known). The “conditional perfect” is + past participle: (I would have come). The participle never changes.
| Person | Pluperfect subjunctive | Conditional perfect |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / / |
The types of si sentence
The tense after depends on how real the situation is. After (meaning “if”), never use the present subjunctive, the future or the conditional.
In speech, many people use in both halves of an unreal past sentence: . This is correct, but learn for the result first.
| Situation | si + … | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| real, possible | present | present, future, imperative | |
| unreal or unlikely | imperfect subjunctive | conditional | |
| unreal past | pluperfect subjunctive | conditional perfect | |
| past condition, present result | pluperfect subjunctive | conditional |
Regrets and criticism
To say what should have happened, use or + participle. + infinitive means “I would have liked to”. + pluperfect subjunctive is a wish about the past: “if only…”.
- Debería haber estudiado más.I should have studied more.
- No tendrías que habérselo dicho.You shouldn't have told him.
- Me habría gustado ir a la universidad.I would have liked to go to university.
- ¡Ojalá me lo hubieras dicho antes!If only you'd told me before!
Without si
An unreal past can also be expressed without . + noun is very common: (Without your help, I wouldn't have managed it). + + participle is a little more formal: (Had I known, I'd have come).
- Sin los bomberos, se habría quemado medio pueblo.Without the firefighters, half the village would have burned.
- De haberlo sabido, habría venido.Had I known, I would have come.