Übung: Plusquamperfekt
Practice: past perfect
Core idea: the past perfect shows anteriority – the action was already finished before another point in the past. The choice of auxiliary is the same as in the Perfekt.
| Auxiliary | when? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hatte | most verbs | hatte gegessen |
| war | movement/change of state | war angekommen |
Note:
- Formation: hatte/war + past participle.
- Often with "nachdem" + main clause in the Präteritum.
- Signal words: schon, bereits, vorher, bevor, nachdem.
Examples:
- Nachdem sie angekommen war, hatte sie schon alles vorbereitet. (After she had arrived, she had already prepared everything.)
- Ich war müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen hatte. (I was tired because I had slept badly.)
- Bevor der Kurs begann, hatte ich schon viel gelernt. (Before the course began, I had already learned a lot.)
Nachdem sie angekommen ___, hatte sie schon alles vorbereitet. (sein)