Español — Pluperfect subjunctive
The pluperfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of haber (hubiera or hubiese) plus a past participle: hubiera cantado, hubiese comido. It names a completed action that is unreal, wished for, or contrary to fact in the past — as in Si lo hubiera sabido...
How it works
Conjugate haber in the imperfect subjunctive and add the invariable participle: (yo) hubiera/hubiese comido, (nosotros) hubiéramos/hubiésemos hablado. The two sets of endings (-ra and -se) are interchangeable here: Ojalá lo hubiera/hubiese dicho antes.
Forms and uses
| Person | Form (-ra / -se) |
|---|---|
| yo | hubiera / hubiese hablado |
| tú | hubieras / hubieses comido |
| él, ella, usted | hubiera / hubiese vivido |
| nosotros/-as | hubiéramos / hubiésemos escrito |
| vosotros/-as | hubierais / hubieseis dicho |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | hubieran / hubiesen hecho |
Good to know
In third-type (past unreal) conditionals, the si-clause takes this tense and the result uses the conditional perfect: Si lo hubiera sabido, te habría avisado. In everyday speech the -ra form also replaces the conditional in the main clause: ...te hubiera avisado. The -ra/-se forms are equal for wishes and si-clauses, but only hubiera can stand in for that main-clause conditional, never hubiese.