O tense perfect tense is a tense used to talk about things in the past.
There are two more types of past tense: past tense imperfect and past tense more-than-perfect. Note that this tense is not used in the subjunctive mode, only in compound formation.
Past Perfect, Imperfect and More-than-perfect
Although the three tenses are used to indicate past tense, there are differences in the use of each of them.
While the past tense indicates a finished action that took place at a certain time in the past, the past tense imperfect, is used to indicate an unfinished action. That is, a fact that has not yet been finished. Thus, the imperfect past tense indicates a continuity of action.
already the more-than-perfect past tense it is used for an action that occurred in the past before another action.
Both the past perfect and the more-than-perfect present forms composed in the indicative and subjunctive moods.
However, in the simple form, both have only conjugations in the indicative mode, while the imperfect past tense is also conjugated in the subjunctive mode.
Examples:
Past Perfect: walked
Past Imperfect: walked
Past tense More-than-perfect: walked
Past Perfect Compound
The compound past perfect tense is used to indicate a repeated action that occurred in the past and that extends into the present.
It is formed by auxiliary verb “have” conjugated in the present tense and a main verb in the participle (-ado, -edo, -ido):
Example: Me havewalked sad this week.
| Past Perfect Composed of the Indicative |
|---|
| I have + participle of the main verb |
| You have + participle of the main verb |
| It has + participle of the main verb |
| We have + participle of the main verb |
| You have + participle of the main verb |
| They have + participle of the main verb |
Interesting to note that this tense when it is composed can be conjugated in the subjunctive way.
In this case, it indicates a previous action that is already completed, however, which may refer to a past or future event.
The formation of the perfect past tense composed of the subjunctive it is made by the auxiliary verb “to have” conjugated in the present tense of the subjunctive plus the participle (-ado, -edo, -ido) of the main verb.
Example: Hope he have achieved the job.
| Past Perfect Compound of Subjunctive |
|---|
| I have + participle of the main verb |
| You have + participle of the main verb |
| It has + participle of the main verb |
| We have + participle of the main verb |
| You have + participle of the main verb |
| They have + participle of the main verb |
Note: It is common to use the verb to have as an assistant, however, the to have is more usual.
read more:
- Compound Times
- Formation of Compound Times
Conjugation of the Past Perfect Indicative
To the regular verbs, that is, cases where the radicals are invariant, the ending of the perfect past tense in the indicative mode is:
| 1st conjugation (-ar) | 2nd conjugation (-er) | 3rd conjugation (-ir) |
|---|---|---|
| (I) radical + -ei | (I) radical + -i | (I) radical + -i |
| (You) radical + -aste | (You) radical + -this | (You) radical + -iste |
| (He) radical + -or | (He) radical + -I | (He) radical + -iu |
| (We) radical + -amos or -amos | (We) radical + -emos | (We) radical + -imos |
| (You) radical + -astes | (You) radical + -these | (You) radical + -iste |
| (They) radical + -aram | (They) radical + -were | (They) radical + -iram |
Examples
To better understand, let's look at the conjugations of three regular verbs in the imperfect tense of the indicative
| 1st conjugation (-ar) – verb to walk | 2nd conjugation (-er) - verb sell | 3rd conjugation (-ir) – verb to leave |
|---|---|---|
| I walked | I've sold | I left |
| you walked | you sold | you left |
| he walked | He sold | He left |
| We walking | We sold | We left |
| you walked | you sold | you left |
| they walked | they sold | they left |
Read too:
- Verb tenses
- Verbal Modes
- Irregular verbs