18.7 Talking about what HAD happened Language

18.7 Talking about what HAD happened
Language & Culture Lessons
The Past Perfect, also known as the Pluperfect describes a past action that happened before another past action. In other words, it
describes what someone HAD done before something else happened in the past.
The time of the Pluperfect is in the REMOTE past – and refers to actions which occurred prior to a specific point of time – the implication
is "already."
So, let's talk about what HAD happened!
Language
El Pluscuamperfecto – the Pluperfect.
When using the Pluperfect, there is always a stated or implied CUT-OFF point – where the more recent past action signals the end of the
previous past action.
For example, when you want to say "I had eaten before I left" in Spanish, you'd put it this way:
Había comido antes de salir.
I had eaten before I left.
In the sentence above, the action - 'había comido' - stopped at the cut-off point when you left and went out.
I. Construcción
To form the the Pluscuamperfecto, follow the following pattern:
[Subject] + 'HABER' in the past (imperfect) tense + Past Participle
El Verbo Auxiliar
The conjugation of 'HABER' in the Imperfect (Past tense form) is going to look like the following:
Imperfect 'haber'
Translation
(yo) había
I had
(tú) habías
you (inf) had
(Ud./él/ella) había
you (form) /he/she had
(nosotros/as) habíamos
we had
(vosotros/as) habíais
you-all (inf) had
(Uds./ellos/ellas) habían
you-all (form)/they had
Pluperfect Tense
Here's how the complete conjugation of the Pluperfect Tense of -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in Spanish are formed.
REMEMBER: To form the Past Participles in Spanish, add -ado to the stem of -AR verbs and -ido to the stem of -ER and -IR verbs.
-AR verb
Let's take a look at an -AR verb, Trabajar (to work), and see it's Pluperfect tense. The Past participle of an -AR verb is formed by
attaching -ado to the stem of the verb. So, Trabajar → Trabaj- → Trabajado (worked)
Subject
'haber' + trabajar
Translation
yo
había trabajado
I had worked
tú
habías trabajado
you had worked
Ud./él/ella
había trabajado
you/he/she had worked
nosotros/as
we had worked
habíamos trabajado
vosotros/as
habíais trabajado
you-all had worked
Uds./ellos/ellas
habían trabajado
you-all/they had worked
-ER verb
Now, let's take an -ER verb, Beber (to drink), and see it's Pluperfect tense. The Past participle of an -ER verb is formed by attaching ido to the stem of the verb. So, Beber → Beb- → Bebido (drunk)
Subject
'haber' + bebido
Translation
yo
había bebido
I had drunk
tú
habías bebido
you had drunk
Ud./él/ella
había bebido
you/he/she had drunk
nosotros/as
habíamos bebido
we had drunk
vosotros/as
habíais bebido
you-all had drunk
Uds./ellos/ellas
habían bebido
you-all/they had drunk
-IR verb
Lastly, here's an -IR verb: Vivir (to live). Can you tell me all the Pluperfect forms for this verb?
The Past participle of an -IR verb is formed by attaching -ido to the stem of the verb. So, Vivir → Viv- → Vivido
Subject
'haber' + vivido
Translation
yo
había vivido
I had lived
tú
habías vivido
you had lived
Ud./él/ella
había vivido
you/he/she had lived
nosotros/as
habíamos vivido
we had lived
vosotros/as
habíais vivido
you-all had lived
Uds./ellos/ellas
habían vivido
you-all/they had lived
II. USO
There are certain expressions in Spanish that are commonly used with the Pluperfect. Let's take a look at each one:
YA
The pluperfect often uses the expression 'Ya' which means "already" to suggest that an action had already happened before another
action took place. It comes BEFORE the pluperfect tense.
¿Ya habías estudiado el pluscuamperfecto?
Had you already studied the pluperfect?
Notice that in Spanish the adverb 'YA' (already) is placed BEFORE the conjugated verb and NEVER in between verbs as in English.
¿Ya habías ido de compras?
Had you already gone to do shopping?
ANTES DE...
The pluperfect is frequently heard with the expression 'antes de...' to indicate that one action occurred before another. You will see them
in the following patterns:
1. antes de + [noun]
2. antes de + [infinitive verb]
Habíamos aprendido como hablar español antes de aprender
como leerlo.
We had learned how to speak Spanish before learning how to read
it.
NUNCA
'Nunca' which means "never" is another word often used with the pluperfect:
Nunca antes había amado a alguien.
Never before had I loved someone.
Nunca habían soñado de estar casados.
Never had they dreamed of being married.
Nunca habían soñado de estar casados.
They had never dreamed of being married.
Todavía
One often uses the expression 'todavía' meaning "still" or "yet" in negative sentences with the pluperfect:
Todavía no había decidido cual quería.
She still had not decided which (one) she wanted.
Todavía no habías entendido el Pluscuamperfecto.
You had not understood the Pluperfect yet.
Culture
Safe traveling to South America
South America can be a tricky place to travel if necessary cautions are not taken. It can be divided in two major areas: Temperate South
America (Argentina, Uruguay and Chile), with low-risk for infections, and Tropical South America, which covers the rest of the continent.
The only place that requires compulsory vaccination is Ecuador, and travelers must show proof of yellow fever vaccination if they want to
visit the Ecuadorian Amazon. Most infections are spread through insect bites, like dengue, malaria and Onchocerciasis (a.k.a. "river
blindness" as it causes blindness), which are more likely to be present in rural and tropical areas.
Agua
Food and water safety should also be considered by travelers. Locals drink tap water in some regions as they have adapted to the water
supply and can drink without getting sick. However, travelers may easily get sick as the bacteria in the water is foreign to their immune
systems. Never drink tap water in regions where is hasn't been treated, like Peru, Bolivia or Ecuador.
If you are planning a long trip to a big city, like Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro, you can gradually start taking the local water after several
days.
Comida
The same rule applies to foods: only have it if it's well-cooked, and only have raw vegetables and fruit if it comes from a trustworthy
source, like a good restaurant in town or the breakfast buffet at a five-star hotel.
Aire
How far can you go up? 1000 feet? 3000 feet? What about 10000 feet??
Even after taking precautions, there is one thing that can still get you: altitude sickness. This happens due to the low oxygen levels in
high altitude places, which can decrease mental and physical alert levels.
Great destinations, like Machu Pichu and Cuzco (Peru), lake Titicaca (Bolivia) or Quito (Ecuador) are couple of thousands of meters
above sea level! More specifically, the city of Cusco is 3300 meters high (10800 ft), and lake Titicaca is 3860 meters high (12420 ft).
City of Cuzco in southeastern Peru
You can diminish the altitude-sickness effects by gradually increasing the altitude, by staying the night on the way to one of these areas,
instead of exposing yourself to an abrupt change in pressure. Your body will adjust slowly to the lower amount of oxygen available at high
altitudes.
Prevent any strong cardiovascular activity like running, have a light meal and chew some coca leaves. Have a nice rest and enjoy the
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