Plusquamperfekt mit "hatte"
Past perfect with "hatte"
The past perfect (Plusquamperfekt) is the "pre-past": it describes an event that happened before another past event. It is formed exactly like the Perfekt, but with the Präteritum of "haben" = "hatte" + past participle.
It rarely stands alone; it usually appears with a second past clause (often in the Präteritum), making clear what happened first.
| Person | "hatte" | past participle (end) |
|---|---|---|
| ich | hatte | gegessen |
| du | hattest | gegessen |
| er/sie/es | hatte | gegessen |
| wir/sie/Sie | hatten | gegessen |
Note:
- Time order: past perfect = first, Präteritum/Perfekt = after.
- Verbs that use "haben" in the Perfekt also use hatte here.
- Signal words: schon, bevor, nachdem.
Examples:
- Ich hatte schon gegessen, als er kam. (I had already eaten when he came.)
- Sie hatte die Hausaufgaben gemacht, bevor sie fernsah. (She had done her homework before she watched TV.)
- Wir hatten die Tickets gekauft, deshalb warteten wir nicht. (We had bought the tickets, so we didn't wait.)
Ich ___ schon gegessen, als er kam.