wikipedia
English
Etymology
L. plus (more) + perfectus (perfect)
Noun
pluperfect tense
- (Grammar, of a verb): Tense of verb conjugated by adding had before the past participle of a verb.
#: Examples:
#:: I had gotten angry with them once more.
#:: She had driven herself to work, where she was congratulated on her promotion.
#:: He only started learning to play guitar after he had heard :w:Jimmy Hendrix|Hendrix play.
#:: They had changed by the end of the war.
#:: Although he normally seemed friendly and harmless, he had carried a pistol with him during many of the long journeys.
#:: Although he finally came to party, she had already made her decision.
Usage notes
This tense is used when referring to something that happened before another past event, mentioned in the same sentence, happened. In the first example above, I had driven is the pluperfect part, as it was an event that finished happening before the later event (the congratulating) started.
Synonyms
past perfect, past perfect tense
Translations
Finnish: pluskvamperfekti
French: plus-que-parfait
Italian: trapassato prossimo
Norwegian pluskvamperfektum
Polish zaprzesz�y
Portuguese: mais que perfeito
Spanish: pluscuamperfecto
Swedish: pluskvamperfekt
See also
w:Pluperfect tense|Wikipedia article on Pluperfect tenses
Category:Tenses
fr:pluperfect tense
tr:pluperfect tense
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