The plusquamperfekt (past perfect) is used when you are describing an action that has been completed in the past or has taken place before a certain point in the past.
- When to use Plusquamperfekt?
The plusquamperfekt (past perfect) is used when you are describing an action that has been completed in the past or has taken place before a certain point in the past. Sometimes it is used together with Perfekt oder Präteritum.
Example 1
Event 1: Sie war gut in der Schule, ( She had been good in school,)
Event 2: bis sie nicht mehr zum Unterricht ging. (until she did not go to class anymore.)
Event 1, the student being good in school happened first. This state ends with Event 2, as the student does not go to class anymore.
Example 2
Event 1: Wir hatten zuviel gegessen, ( We had eaten too much,)
Event 2: und mein Bauch tat weh. (and my stomach was hurting.)
Event 1, eating too much comes before Event 2 of the stomach hurting.
- How to construct Plusquamperfekt?
Once you have mastered the perfekt tense, plusquamperfekt will be easy for you to use. To make a statement you will use haben or sein im Präteritum and add the Partizip II form of the verb you would like to use.
haben/sein (in Präteritum) + Partizip II form