Pluskvamperfektum (Past Perfect)
The Pluskvamperfektum is used to describe actions that were completed before another past event. It is often used to show the sequence of past events or to provide background information in a narrative.
Mood:
The Pluskvamperfektum in Danish is used with the indicative mood, which expresses certainty or factual statements about actions that were completed before another past action.
- Mood: Indicative (expresses past actions completed before another past event)
Usage:
- To describe actions that had occurred before something else: Jeg havde spist, før du ringede. (I had eaten before you called.)
- To indicate the sequence of past events: Da vi ankom, havde de allerede taget af sted. (When we arrived, they had already left.)
- To narrate or provide background information about past actions: Hun havde læst bogen, inden hun så filmen. (She had read the book before watching the movie.)
Formation:
The Pluskvamperfektum is a compound tense formed by using the auxiliary verbs have (to have) or være (to be) in the past tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Using Have:
- Most verbs use have as the auxiliary.
Using Være:
- Verbs of motion or change of state use være as the auxiliary, and the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Conjugation:
| Person | Have (to have) | Være (to be) |
|---|---|---|
| Jeg | havde talt | var gået |
| Du | havde talt | var gået |
| Han/Hun | havde talt | var gået |
| Vi | havde talt | var gået |
| I | havde talt | var gået |
| De | havde talt | var gået |
Irregular Past Participles:
The same irregular past participles used in Perfektum apply here. Examples include:
- Være (to be): været
- Have (to have): haft
- Gå (to go): gået
- Få (to get): fået
Common Time Expressions:
- Inden (before)
- Allerede (already)
- Før (before)
Examples:
- Hun havde allerede spist, da vi kom. (She had already eaten when we arrived.)
- Vi var gået, før festen startede. (We had left before the party started.)
- Jeg havde ikke set filmen, før jeg læste bogen. (I hadn’t seen the movie before I read the book.)
