The pluperfect
Show what happened before another past event.
The rule
Use hatte or war + past participle for an event before a past reference point. Choose the auxiliary as you would in the perfect.
hatte/war + Partizip II
Choose hatte or war using the same auxiliary logic as the perfect.
The participle closes the pluperfect clause.
Use nachdem or schon to make the earlier event relationship explicit.
Core forms and structures
Use this table as a reference, then retrieve the forms without looking.
| Form | Function | German example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pattern 1 | Pluperfect hatte marks the earlier past event. | Ich hatte gegessen, bevor ich ging. | I had eaten before I left. |
| Pattern 2 | Movement verb uses war and the auxiliary closes the subordinate clause. | Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie an. | After she had arrived, she called. |
| Pattern 3 | Beginnen uses haben, so pluperfect uses hatte. | Der Film hatte schon begonnen. | The film had already begun. |
| Pattern 4 | Change of state einschlafen uses sein/war. | Wir waren eingeschlafen, als das Telefon klingelte. | We had fallen asleep when the phone rang. |
| Pattern 5 | The relative-clause pluperfect auxiliary is final. | Sie fand den Schlüssel, den sie verloren hatte. | She found the key that she had lost. |
German examples with English meanings
Ich hatte gegessen, bevor ich ging.
I had eaten before I left.
Pluperfect hatte marks the earlier past event.
Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie an.
After she had arrived, she called.
Movement verb uses war and the auxiliary closes the subordinate clause.
Der Film hatte schon begonnen.
The film had already begun.
Beginnen uses haben, so pluperfect uses hatte.
Wir waren eingeschlafen, als das Telefon klingelte.
We had fallen asleep when the phone rang.
Change of state einschlafen uses sein/war.
Sie fand den Schlüssel, den sie verloren hatte.
She found the key that she had lost.
The relative-clause pluperfect auxiliary is final.
Common mistakes
Incorrect: Ich hatten gegessen, bevor ich ging.
Correct: Ich hatte gegessen, bevor ich ging.
Pluperfect hatte marks the earlier past event.
Incorrect: Nachdem sie war angekommen, rief sie an.
Correct: Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie an.
Movement verb uses war and the auxiliary closes the subordinate clause.
Incorrect: Der Film war schon begonnen.
Correct: Der Film hatte schon begonnen.
Beginnen uses haben, so pluperfect uses hatte.
Incorrect: Wir hatten eingeschlafen, als das Telefon klingelte.
Correct: Wir waren eingeschlafen, als das Telefon klingelte.
Change of state einschlafen uses sein/war.
Incorrect: Sie fand den Schlüssel, den hatte sie verloren.
Correct: Sie fand den Schlüssel, den sie verloren hatte.
The relative-clause pluperfect auxiliary is final.
Details and useful distinctions
The later narrative event normally appears in preterite or perfect depending on register.
Practise this grammar
Place yourself at a past reference point; anything already completed before it takes hatte/war + participle.
Open The pluperfect exercises →
For source references and editorial level notes, see the grammar reference. You can report a correction if an explanation or example seems wrong.