Pluperfect
Oli rong juba läinud means the train had already left. It happened before another event in the past.
How It Works
The pluperfect moves one step further back in time. It describes something that had happened before another past moment.
- past of olema: ma olin, sa olid, ta oli, me olime, te olite, nad olid
- plus the -nud form, which never changes: läinud, näinud, söönud
Kui ma jõudsin, oli rong juba läinud. First the train left, then I arrived. The later event uses the simple past (jõudsin), and the earlier one uses the pluperfect (oli läinud).
It is also common when retelling what someone said about an earlier event: Ta ütles, et oli oma võtmed kaotanud.
Negative: ei olnud or the short polnud, the same for every person: Ma polnud seda varem näinud.
Do not use the pluperfect for an unreal past with kui. If I had known is kui ma oleksin teadnud.
Examples (5)
- Kui ma jõudsin, oli rong juba läinud.
When I arrived, the train had already left.
Leaving came before arriving.
- Ma olin seda filmi varem näinud.
I had seen that film before.
- Ma polnud kunagi varem lennukiga lennanud.
I had never flown on a plane before.
Polnud is the short form of ei olnud.
- Kui me koju jõudsime, olid lapsed juba magama jäänud.
When we got home, the children had already fallen asleep.
Lapsed takes olid.
- Ta ütles, et oli oma võtmed kaotanud.
She said she had lost her keys.
Common Mistakes
Using the personal past form of olema after ei.
Ma ei olin seda näinud.Ma ei olnud seda näinud.After ei, olema takes the -nud form olnud, or you can say polnud. The same form is used for every person.
Putting the main verb in the simple past.
Nad olid juba sõid.Nad olid juba söönud.The second part of the pluperfect is always the -nud form.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The pluperfect is the past of olema plus -nud.
Related Patterns
- -nud Form
The unchanging second part of the pluperfect.
Level 2 - Past or Perfect?
How to choose among the past tenses.
Level 3 - Impersonal Pluperfect
Oli plus -tud: something had been done.
Level 4 - Negative Past
Like the negative past, the negative pluperfect uses one form for every person.
Level 2 - Would Have (oleksin teinud)
Used instead of the pluperfect for an unreal past with kui.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice Pluperfect in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Estonian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
