The Pluperfect

Level 3Sounds Like minalo predvaritelno vreme

Когато стигнах, влакът беше заминал. (When I arrived, the train had left.) First the train left, and then I arrived.

How It Works

1. The forms. The helper is the past of съм (see past tense of съм), and the main verb is the л-participle:

  • аз бях чел / чела
  • ти беше чел / чела
  • той беше чел, тя беше чела, то беше чело
  • ние бяхме чели, вие бяхте чели, те бяха чели

In writing, the shorter бе often replaces беше: Той бе заминал.

2. When to use it. Use it for the earlier of two past events, especially when you mention the later one first or use it as the reference point: Когато стигнах, влакът беше заминал. It often comes with вече (already), още не (not yet) or преди (before).

3. When not to use it. If you tell events in the order they happened, the aorist is enough: Прочетох книгата и после гледах филма. (I read the book and then watched the film.)

4. Negatives and questions. Не goes before the helper: Не бях виждал такова нещо. For a question, ли follows the helper: Беше ли идвал тук преди? Short pronouns go right after the helper when it starts the sentence: Бях го чел. (I had read it.) If a word comes first, they go before the helper: Вече го бях чел.

5. Compared with the present perfect. The present perfect looks back from now (Чел съм книгата., I have read the book). The pluperfect looks back from a moment in the past.

Examples (6)

  1. Когато стигнах на гарата, влакът беше заминал.

    When I got to the station, the train had left.

  2. Бях чел книгата преди филма.

    I had read the book before the film.

  3. Тя вече беше заспала, когато се прибрахме.

    She had already fallen asleep when we got home.

    The participle заспала agrees with тя.

  4. Не бяхме виждали такова нещо.

    We had never seen anything like it.

  5. Беше ли идвал в България преди?

    Had you been to Bulgaria before?

  6. Бяха ни казали, че магазинът работи до осем.

    They had told us that the shop was open until eight.

Common Mistakes

  • Not making the participle agree with a feminine subject.

    Когато стигнах, тя беше заминал.
    Когато стигнах, тя беше заминала.

    The л-participle agrees with the subject. For тя it ends in -а: заминала.

  • Using the wrong form of the helper for аз.

    Аз беше чел книгата.
    Аз бях чел книгата.

    With аз the helper is бях. Беше is for ти, той, тя and то.

  • Using a present-tense verb instead of the participle.

    Бях чета книгата.
    Бях чел книгата.

    After бях you need the л-participle: чел, чела, чели.

How It Connects

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The PluperfectLevel 3

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The pluperfect combines бях with the л-participle.

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Words in This Pattern