pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo · Spanish

Hypothetical 'if' clauses about the past

Si hubieras estudiado, habrías aprobado

If you had studied, you would have passed

Expressing a wish about the past

Ojalá hubiera ido a la fiesta

I wish I had gone to the party

Irregular Stem

Spelling Change: Written Accent on ‑ído

When is the pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo used in Spanish?

The pluperfect subjunctive (pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) is used to talk about hypothetical situations in the past, or actions that could have happened but didn't. The main cases are hypothetical 'if' clauses about the past and expressing a wish about the past. For example: Si hubieras estudiado, habrías aprobado — If you had studied, you would have passed.

What are the pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo endings in Spanish?

Regular verbs take: -ar: yo hubiera + -ado, tú hubieras + -ado, él hubiera + -ado, nos. hubiéramos + -ado, vos. hubierais + -ado, ellos hubieran + -ado; -er: yo hubiera + -ido, tú hubieras + -ido, él hubiera + -ido, nos. hubiéramos + -ido, vos. hubierais + -ido, ellos hubieran + -ido; -ir: yo hubiera + -ido, tú hubieras + -ido, él hubiera + -ido, nos. hubiéramos + -ido, vos. hubierais + -ido, ellos hubieran + -ido.

Which verbs are irregular in the pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo?

The most common ones are ser, estar, tener, hacer, poder, decir, haber and ir. Each has its own conjugation table with the full set of forms.

Do I need Premium to practise the pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo?

The pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo sits at B2 — Upper Intermediate, and Verboteca practice is free at A1. The rule, the tables and the examples on this page stay readable without a subscription or an account.