The German Past Perfect Tense | das Plusquamperfekt
The Plusquamperfekt is the German past perfect tense, and it is easy to build: take a Perfekt sentence and put the auxiliary verb into the Präteritum. Ich habe eine Tasche gekauft becomes Ich hatte eine Tasche gekauft. This lesson shows where the tense sits among the six German tenses, when you need it and how to form it, with six pairs of example sentences.
The Six German Tenses
German has only six tenses, fewer than many other languages.
| German | English | How important? |
|---|---|---|
| Präsens | present tense | very important |
| Perfekt | present perfect tense | very important |
| Präteritum | simple past | important |
| Futur I | future tense | not really |
| Futur II | future perfect tense | no |
| Plusquamperfekt | past perfect tense | not really |
Präsens, Perfekt and Präteritum cover most situations you will encounter.
Do You Need the Plusquamperfekt?
- In spoken German it is barely used, even by native speakers from Germany or Austria. Swiss German does not have it at all and simply uses the Perfekt.
- In written German you will come across it in texts, books and newspapers.
- You may need it for B1, B2 or higher exams.
- One important conjunction needs this tense: nachdem.
Where the Plusquamperfekt Sits on the Timeline
The Präsens is the now and Futur I is the future. For the past, German uses Präteritum and Perfekt. They can be used for the same thing: Perfekt mostly in spoken German, Präteritum mostly in written German.
The Plusquamperfekt is for something that happened even before that. If you have two events in the past and one happened before the other, the earlier one is in the Plusquamperfekt. It is further away from the now.
How to Build the Plusquamperfekt
The Perfekt uses an auxiliary verb (haben or sein) in the present tense plus the Partizip II of the main verb. For the Plusquamperfekt, only the auxiliary verb changes: it is in the Präteritum. Everything else in the sentence stays exactly the same.
| Perfekt | Plusquamperfekt | |
|---|---|---|
| haben | ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat | ich hatte, du hattest, er/sie/es hatte |
| sein | ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist | ich war, du warst, er/sie/es war |
- Ich habe gestern eine Tasche gekauft. becomes Ich hatte gestern eine Tasche gekauft.
- Ich bin gestern ins Kino gegangen. becomes Ich war gestern ins Kino gegangen.
Example Sentences: Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt
| Perfekt | Plusquamperfekt |
|---|---|
| Tom hat in Wien gewohnt. Tom has lived in Vienna. | Tom hatte in Wien gewohnt. Tom had lived in Vienna. |
| Er ist dort oft Rad gefahren. | Er war dort oft Rad gefahren. |
| Ich habe einen Tisch gekauft. | Ich hatte einen Tisch gekauft. |
| Tom und Lisa sind nach Paris gezogen. | Tom und Lisa waren nach Paris gezogen. Tom and Lisa had moved to Paris. |
| Habt ihr gestern bei Tom gegrillt? | Hattet ihr gestern bei Tom gegrillt? |
| Nein, wir sind zu Hause geblieben. | Nein, wir waren zu Hause geblieben. No, we had stayed at home. |
The English past perfect works the same way: "have lived" becomes "had lived".
nachdem Needs the Plusquamperfekt
The conjunction nachdem (after) always takes the Plusquamperfekt when you talk about the past. It has its own lesson: The German Conjunction NACHDEM Explained.
What to Learn Next
If you are not sure when to use haben and when sein, read German Perfect Tense: Sein or Haben?. The Präteritum forms hatte and war are covered in Haben and Sein in the German Simple Past, and the full tense in How to Use and Build the German Simple Past. For bevor, während and nachdem together, see German Conjunctions: bevor, während and nachdem.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Plusquamperfekt in German?
It is the past perfect tense. It describes something that happened before another event in the past.
How do you form the Plusquamperfekt?
Use the Präteritum of haben or sein (hatte or war) plus the Partizip II of the main verb: Ich hatte eine Tasche gekauft. Ich war ins Kino gegangen.
What is the difference between Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt?
Only the auxiliary verb changes. The Perfekt uses it in the present tense (ich habe, ich bin), the Plusquamperfekt in the Präteritum (ich hatte, ich war).
Do Germans use the Plusquamperfekt when speaking?
Barely. It is not common in spoken German. You see it in written texts and may need it for exams at B1 level and higher.
Which conjunction needs the Plusquamperfekt?
Nachdem (after). When you talk about the past, the clause with nachdem is in the Plusquamperfekt.
The Plusquamperfekt is a B1 topic. In our B1 German online course you practise it with a complete textbook, worksheets, listening exercises and a flashcard app.
