Das Plusquamperfekt
When telling a story that has two past events, you sometimes need to mark which one happened first. German uses hatte/war + Partizip II for that earlier event - the same idea as English "had done." It shows up constantly after nachdem (Lesson 172).
Same auxiliary choice as Perfekt (Lesson 16) - haben or sein, depending on the verb - but in its Präteritum form (hatte/war) instead of the present form (habe/bin).
| ich hatte gegessen | I had eaten |
| ich war gegangen | I had gone |
Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich spazieren. (After I had eaten, I went for a walk.)
Nachdem sie angekommen war, rief sie mich an. (After she had arrived, she called me.)
Quick check: which two verbs can serve as the Plusquamperfekt auxiliary?
nachdem is a subordinating conjunction, so it sends the conjugated auxiliary to the end of its clause - same rule as weil/dass/wenn (Lesson 62 area). When the nachdem-clause comes first, the main clause that follows starts directly with its verb.
Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich spazieren.
Notice: "hatte" sits at the end of the nachdem-clause, and "ging" (the main clause verb) comes immediately after the comma - the main clause verb stays in second position overall.
Quick check: in "Nachdem ich gegessen hatte, ging ich spazieren," where does "hatte" sit?
It can also stand alone in a normal main clause, simply to mark "this happened even earlier" in a longer narrative.
Ich war müde, weil ich schlecht geschlafen hatte. (I was tired because I had slept badly.)
Quick check: "I had slept badly" - ich hatte schlecht ______.
1. "After she had arrived, she called me." - Nachdem sie angekommen ______, rief sie mich an.
2. What is the Präteritum form of haben used in Plusquamperfekt?
Aligned with standard Goethe-Zertifikat B1 / telc B1 exam syllabus topics.
Want to practice telling a personal story with two past events? Ask your teaching agent.