# 51. Past Perfect Subjunctive

> Source: [A Complete Guide To Every Fundamental In Spanish](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=14549s)

The past perfect (pluperfect) subjunctive expresses what someone *had done* or what *had happened*, in the subjunctive form. It uses the past subjunctive of `haber` (`hubiera` / `hubiese` series) plus a past participle, and refers to actions completed before another past action.

## Key Rules

- Form: **past subjunctive of `haber` + past participle**.
- Like the past subjunctive, `haber` has **two equivalent endings**: `hubiera`-series and `hubiese`-series.
- Whole sentence must be in the **past/imperfect** form — main clause in preterite or imperfect.
- Same W.E.I.R.D. triggers as other subjunctives.
- `haber + past participle` is inseparable; negatives and object pronouns precede the `hubiera` form.
- Also used in past contrary-to-fact si-clauses (`Si hubiera sabido…`).

## Conjugation / Pattern Tables

### `haber` — past subjunctive

| Pronoun | -ra form | -se form |
|---|---|---|
| yo | hubiera | hubiese |
| tú | hubieras | hubieses |
| él/ella | hubiera | hubiese |
| nosotros | hubiéramos | hubiésemos |
| vosotros | hubierais | hubieseis |
| ellos | hubieran | hubiesen |

### Pattern

`hubiera / hubieras / hubiera / hubiéramos / hubierais / hubieran` + past participle.

## Examples

| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo dudaba que tú hubieras llegado. | I doubted that you had arrived. |
| Tú esperabas que él hubiera ganado el juego. | You hoped that he had won the game. |
| ¿Había alguien que hubiera visto la película? | Was there anybody who had seen the movie? |
| No había nadie que hubiera dormido. | There was no one who had slept. |
| No era cierto que yo lo hubiera llamado. | It was not true that I had called him. |
| Era imposible que hubiéramos hecho eso. | It was impossible that we had done that. |
| Ella no creía que ellos hubieran venido. | She didn't believe that they had come. |
| Me alegré de que tú hubieras estudiado. | I was glad that you had studied. |

## Notes & Gotchas

- Triggered by the same W.E.I.R.D. cues as other subjunctives, just shifted into the past-of-the-past.
- Spanish requires double negatives: `No había nadie que hubiera dormido` (literally "no one who had slept").
- Object pronouns precede the whole construction: `que yo lo hubiera llamado`.
- The `hubiera` set dominates speech; `hubiese` is more literary.
- Common pairing: past perfect subjunctive in the `si`-clause + conditional perfect in the result clause (`Si hubieras estudiado, habrías aprobado`).
