Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo: How to Form It in Spanish?
The pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo (Spanish past perfect subjunctive / pluperfect subjunctive) expresses unreal or hypothetical actions prior to another point in the past. It's the subjunctive tense used in unreal past conditionals («If I had… I would have…»).
- Unreal past condition: Si hubiera sabido, no habría ido. (If I had known, I wouldn't have gone.)
- Prior hypothetical action: Esperaba que ya hubieras llegado. (I hoped you had already arrived.)
- Regret: Ojalá hubiera estudiado más. (I wish I had studied more.)
Practice Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo
What is the pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo used for?
It's used to talk about unreal or unrealized situations in the past, prior to another past reference point. It appears especially after si, ojalá, como si and after main verbs in the past or conditional.
- Unreal past conditionals: Si hubiéramos salido antes, no habríamos perdido el tren. (If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train.)
- Impossible wishes: Ojalá hubieras venido a la fiesta. (I wish you had come to the party.)
- After como si: Habla como si lo hubiera visto todo. (He talks as if he had seen everything.)
- After verbs of doubt or emotion in the past: Me alegré de que hubieras llegado bien. (I was glad that you had arrived safely.)
How is the pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo formed?
It's a compound tense: it's built with the imperfecto de subjuntivo of haber (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) followed by the past participle of the main verb.
The participle is invariable: it ends in -ado for -ar verbs (hablado) and in -ido for -er and -ir verbs (comido, vivido).
| Person | hablar (-ar) | comer (-er) | vivir (-ir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera hablado | hubiera comido | hubiera vivido |
| tú | hubieras hablado | hubieras comido | hubieras vivido |
| él / ella / usted | hubiera hablado | hubiera comido | hubiera vivido |
| nosotros | hubiéramos hablado | hubiéramos comido | hubiéramos vivido |
| vosotros | hubierais hablado | hubierais comido | hubierais vivido |
| ellos / ustedes | hubieran hablado | hubieran comido | hubieran vivido |
What's the difference between «hubiera» and «hubiese»?
The verb haber has two equivalent forms in the imperfecto de subjuntivo: hubiera and hubiese. Both are accepted by the RAE and produce a valid pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo: hubiera hablado = hubiese hablado.
| Person | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera hablado | hubiese hablado |
| tú | hubieras hablado | hubieses hablado |
| él | hubiera hablado | hubiese hablado |
| nosotros | hubiéramos hablado | hubiésemos hablado |
| vosotros | hubierais hablado | hubieseis hablado |
| ellos | hubieran hablado | hubiesen hablado |
Today the hubiera form is the most widespread in speech and writing. Hubiese is more frequent in literary or formal styles. In our app we train only the -ra form.
Which participles are irregular?
As with any compound tense, irregularities appear in the past participle. If the participle is irregular, the whole pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo is irregular too.
| Infinitive | Participle | yo (plusc. subj.) |
|---|---|---|
| escribir | escrito | hubiera escrito |
| abrir | abierto | hubiera abierto |
| morir | muerto | hubiera muerto |
| ver | visto | hubiera visto |
| poner | puesto | hubiera puesto |
| volver | vuelto | hubiera vuelto |
| hacer | hecho | hubiera hecho |
| decir | dicho | hubiera dicho |
| romper | roto | hubiera roto |
| descubrir | descubierto | hubiera descubierto |
How is the pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo used in unreal past conditionals?
The pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo is essential in unreal conditionals referring to the past: «Si + pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo, condicional compuesto».
- Si hubiera estudiado, habría aprobado. (If I had studied, I would have passed.)
- Si hubieras llegado antes, lo habrías visto. (If you had arrived earlier, you would have seen him.)
- Si hubiéramos sabido, no habríamos venido. (If we had known, we wouldn't have come.)
- Si me lo hubieran dicho, te habría ayudado. (If they had told me, I would have helped you.)
Want to practice the pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo? In our app you can conjugate regular and irregular verbs with interactive exercises and master unreal past conditionals.