THE PAST PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE / sequence of tenses information

THE PAST PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE / sequence of tenses information

The past perfect (pluperfect) subjunctive consists of the imperfect subjunctive of haber + the past participle. The most important use of the past perfect subjunctive is in conditional sentences, It is also used to express a contrary-to-fact wish in the past after ojalá (que) .

The past perfect subjunctive is used instead of the present perfect subjunctive to indicate that the action of the dependent clause happens before the action of the main clause when the main clause is in the preterite, imperfect, or conditional tense.

Imperfect subjunctive of Haber:

+ past participle

Hubiera	hubiéramos
Hubieras	hubierais
Hubiera	hubieran

Todos se alegraron de que Javier y yo nos hubiéramos comprometido.

Era importante que yo hubiera asistido a la conferencia en Roma.

Ellos esperaban que tú hubieras comprado una pulsera de oro.

Nos gustó que las hermanas Cela hubieran hecho un viaje a Santo Domingo.

In Conditional Sentences. . .

In Spanish and English, conditional sentences include two clauses: a si clause (if clause) and a main clause. Both languages use similar tenses for the two clauses. The si clause may come before OR after the main clause.

Possible conditions are expressed in both languages by using the present in the si clause, and the future in the main clause:

Si tú vas, yo iré también (present indicative - future / future - present indicative)

(If you go, I will go, too).

To express a condition that is contrary to fact or situation in present time, Spanish uses the imperfect subjunctive in the si clause and the ocnditional in the main clause:

Si tú fueras a la fiesta, yo iría también. (imperfect subjunctive – conditional / imperfect subjunctive)

Yo iría a la fiesta si tú fueras también.

(Both of the above sentences mean "If you were to go to the party I would go, too").

Spanish expresses a condition that is contrary to a fact or situation in past time by using the past perfect subjunctive in the si clause and the conditional perfect OR the past perfect subjunctive in the main clause:

Si tú hubieras ido a la fiesta, yo hubiera ido también. (past perf subj. – past perf. Subj.) (If you had gone to the party, I would have gone, too).

Si tú hubieras ido, yo habría ido también. (past perf subj – conditional perf._

(If you had gone to the party, I would have, too).