Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo

Yo esperaba que hubieras aprobado el examen

Finally, we’ve got to the fourth Subjuntivo tense. It’s called Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo. As you can have guessed after analyzing the previous three types, this fourth Subjuntivo is about the actions which had happened before the markers, which are also related to the past.

In other words, Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo is used when the markers come in the past tense, and the action in the dependent clause had been produced even before.

Me alegré de que hubieras sacado el carnet de conducir – I got happy that you had got the driving license (I got happy at some moment in the past, and the other person had got the license before)

Era extraño que el señor Hernández se hubiera enterado del accidente – It was strange that Sr. Hernandez had found out about the accident

Me temí que vosotros no os hubierais ido al extranjero por las deudas – I was afraid that you hadn’t gone abroad due to the debts

Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo resembles Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo, but the markers come in the past tense, not in the present. Thus, the verb haber takes the forms of Imperfecto de Subjuntivo, rather than Presente de Subjuntivo.

Espero que Manuel haya vuelto ayer – I hope that Manuel came back yesterday

Esperaba que Manuel hubiera vuelto el día anterior – I hoped that Manuel had come back a day earlier

Puede ser que haya dejado el reloj en el tren – Maybe I left the watch on the train

Podía ser que hubiera dejado el reloj en el tren – It could be that I had left the watch on the train

Formas

hubiera + participio

llamar

yo – hubiera llamado

tú – hubieras llamado

él, ella, usted – hubiera llamado

nosotros – hubiéramos llamado

vosotros – hubierais llamado

ellos, ellas, ustedes – hubieran llamado

Try it yourself:

decidir

yo – …

tú – …

él – …

nosotros – …

vosotros – …

ellos – …

Conjugate these verbs by yourself: ocupar, medir, escribir, poner, ver.

Try it yourself:

Ana wasn’t sure that she’d seen this movie

I didn’t believe that Luis had won the championship

Carlos was afraid that Julia had left him

It was impossible that you had been cheated in that cafe (vosotros)

It was a pity that we hadn’t visited all places of interest in Barcelona

The special Imperfecto de Subjuntivo markers can also be applied to Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo. Evidently, these actions should already have been produced until now.

Ni que te hubiera tocado la lotería – Did you win the lottery?

Ojalá hubiera nacido en Australia – If only I had been born in Australia

Me miras como si hubieras comido un limón – You are looking at me as if you’ve eaten a lemon

Try it yourself:

We are so happy, as if something important had happened

If only my wife had got the salary

I hope that they have already repaired the bicycle

Alternative form

As the verb haber takes the form of Imperfecto de Subjuntivo, it can have the second type of endings: hubiese, hubieses, hubiese, hubiésemos, hubieseis, hubiesen.

Estás tan nervioso como si te hubiesen criticado tus compañeros – You are so nervous is if you’ve been criticized by your colleagues

Esperábamos que el profesor nos hubiese revisado el test – We hoped, that the teacher had checked our test

This is pretty much what you need to know about Subjuntivo in Spanish. This grammar mood allows to express your thoughts very subtly. It really takes you to the next level. Try to get used to Subjuntivo, do all exercises and, which is even better, go to Spain or Latin America, make friends and practice with them.