The preterite perfect tense, also known as the Past Anterior, is used to talk about things that happened right before another in the past.
For example: “When she got here, the pizza was already eaten.”
I’m not going to lie, this tense is rarely used - and mostly is found within books. But since you want to be amazing in Spanish, it won’t hurt to learn it. Get ready to dive deep into a tense which is casi inútil.
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What Is The Preterite Perfect Tense In Spanish?
The preterite perfect in Spanish, which is also known as the past anterior, is a tense used mostly in books to talk about an action that came directly before another.
For example: “When she had arrived, the food was already gone.”
While the past anterior is grammatically correct, it's not commonly used. Spanish speakers usually prefer using other tenses, like the past perfect, to express the same idea.
So, you don't need to worry too much about using the past anterior in everyday conversations.
How Do You Form The Preterite Perfect Tense?
The preterite perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb Haber, plus a verb in its past participle form (Ex: Hablado). For example:
Después de que ella hubo leído el libro, me lo prestó.
(After she had read the book, she lent it to me.)
10 Common Verbs In The Preterite Perfect Tense
Now let's go over 10 of the most common verbs in Spanish in the preterite perfect tense. Write these down or screenshot this page so that you can come back and review these a few times. Trust me, it'll help you out.
Hablar (To talk)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube hablado |
Tú (You) | Hubiste hablado |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo hablado |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron hablado |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos hablado |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis hablado |
Escribir (To write)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube escrito |
Tú (You) | Hubiste escrito |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo escrito |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron escrito |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos escrito |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis escrito |
Entender (To understand)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube entendido |
Tú (You) | Hubiste entendido |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo entendido |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron entendido |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos entendido |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis entendido |
Decir (To say)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube dicho |
Tú (You) | Hubiste dicho |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo dicho |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron dicho |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos dicho |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis dicho |
Aprender (To learn)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube aprendido |
Tú (You) | Hubiste aprendido |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo aprendido |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron aprendido |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos aprendido |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis aprendido |
Comer (To eat)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube comido |
Tú (You) | Hubiste comido |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo comido |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron comido |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos comido |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis comido |
Encontrar (To find)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube encontrado |
Tú (You) | Hubiste encontrado |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo encontrado |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron encontrado |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos encontrado |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis encontrado |
Ver (To see)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube visto |
Tú (You) | Hubiste visto |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo visto |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron visto |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos visto |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis visto |
Intentar (To try)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube intentado |
Tú (You) | Hubiste intentado |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo intentado |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron intentado |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos intentado |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis intentado |
Leer (To read)
Subject | Conjugated Verb |
Yo (I) | Hube leído |
Tú (You) | Hubiste leído |
Él/Ella/Usted (He/She/You-Formal) | Hubo leído |
Ellos/as/Ustedes (They/You-Plural) | Hubieron leído |
Nosotros/as (We) | Hubimos leído |
Vosotros/as (You-Plural | SPAIN) | Hubisteis leído |
10 Example Sentences - The Preterite Perfect Tense
Do you want to acquire these conjugations easily? If so, I suggest that you write these sentences down on a piece of paper and review them for a couple days. Trust me, this helped me a lot when I was learning Spanish. You got this friend, I believe in you!
Preterite Perfect Example | English Translation |
Ellos hubieron hablado antes de la reunión | They had talked before the meeting |
Ella hubo escrito un cuento fantástico | She had written a fantastic story |
Nosotros hubimos entendido la lección antes del examen | We had understood the lesson before the exam |
Él hubo dicho que llegaría tarde | He had said he would arrive late |
Los estudiantes hubieron aprendido muchas palabras nuevas | The students had learned many new words |
Hubieron comido en el restaurante antes de la película | They had eaten at the restaurant before the movie |
Yo hubo encontrado las llaves en el bolsillo | I had found the keys in the pocket |
Ellas hubieron visto la puesta de sol en la playa | They had seen the sunset at the beach |
Él hubo intentado resolver el rompecabezas | He had tried to solve the puzzle |
Tú hubiste leído el libro antes de la clase | You had read the book before class |